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How do I claim the Google Ads promotional credit?

Rokas Golcas · Updated

You claim it as a new advertiser: choose the offer when you sign up, or enter the code under Billing, then Promotions, in an account less than 14 days old with a payment method added. In the US you then have 60 days to spend the required amount, and the credit typically arrives within 35 days after that.

The Google Ads promotional credit is a spend-and-get offer, not free money upfront. You spend a set amount on ads first, and Google then adds ad credit to your account. Amounts and terms depend on your country. As of November 2026, Google's US sign-up page lets new advertisers choose from several offers sized to different monthly budgets.

Who is eligible?

Google's help pages and the US terms set these conditions for new advertiser offers:

  • Your account must be less than 14 days old when you redeem. The US terms add that the offer must be applied within 14 days of your first ad impression.
  • You must add a valid payment method. In the US, it has to be added during the initial sign-up.
  • You cannot have advertised on Google Ads before with a different account for the same business.
  • One promotional offer per advertiser, and the US offer needs a US billing address.

How do you claim it, step by step?

  1. If you want monthly invoicing, set it up first. Google says changing your billing setup after you apply an offer invalidates it.
  2. Sign up through the offer on Google's Google Ads page, or open your account and click the Billing icon, then Promotions.
  3. For a code, click the blue plus button, enter the code and click Submit. For an offer without a code, review the offers shown and click the button next to yours.
  4. Spend the required amount within 60 days. Under the US terms, only ad costs count (excluding taxes and fees), counting starts after the offer is applied, and simply making a payment is not enough.
  5. Wait for processing. Google says this can take up to 35 days after you meet the spend requirement.

When does the credit arrive, and how long does it last?

Track it under Billing, then Promotions. Google updates that page every few hours and shows a status:

  • Redeemed / currently earning: the offer is applied, but you have not met the spend requirement yet.
  • Processing: you met the requirement and Google is checking eligibility.
  • Active: the credit has been granted.
  • Expired or Invalidated: you missed the deadline or did not meet the terms.

Under the US terms, the credit expires 60 days after it lands in your account. It only covers future ad costs, never costs from before it was applied or the spend requirement itself. Google will not notify you when it runs out, and your ads keep running on your normal payment method after that. For more on how billing works, see whether Google Ads charges monthly.

In practice: pick the offer that matches what you would spend in your first two months anyway. If you spend extra just to unlock the credit before your conversion tracking works, you are paying for lessons, not results. If your budget is small, read is $500 enough for Google Ads first.

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