Module 3 - Payments to Google - Things to watch out for

What payment mistakes should you avoid with Google Ads?

When you set your account up, you'll need to enter a bank account or credit card, and it's a really good idea to enter both, so you've got a backup method. I've seen quite a few people who only entered bank account details, got their ads running, and then Google tried to take a direct debit that took a few days to go through the system. In the meantime, Google stops the ads running because it shows an unpaid balance. Having a credit card as a backup means Google can take any unpaid balance quickly and keep your ads running.

On billing, Google sets up a payment threshold. When you start, they'll probably bill you every £200 to £300, and that happens either when you hit that threshold or at the end of the month, whichever comes first: so if you only spend £150 in a month, you'll be billed £150 at the end of the month, but if you spend £200 within five days, you'll be billed as soon as you hit that threshold, and then again once you build up the next £200. Because of this, it's always a good idea to set up campaign spending limits. If you walk away from an account running at several hundred pounds a day across several campaigns without paying attention, you could rack up a significant bill, since Google will continue charging your card or preferred payment method automatically as you go. It's also worth setting your billing currency properly, and making sure your invoicing details and your data protection or privacy officer details are filled in, because missing details there can stall the payment process too.

What happens if your Google Ads account gets suspended for non-payment?

I've seen accounts running brilliantly, set up on a bank account only, where Google sends a direct debit request, the bank doesn't action it quickly, or something goes wrong, and it takes several days for the payment to come through. In the meantime, the account goes into suspension status, and once that happens you can end up in a never-ending circle of support trying to get Google to lift it.

If you ever get to that point and can't seem to get unsuspended, sending an email to collections@google.com with a screenshot of your billing summary page, the page showing your account's actual amounts, lets you demonstrate that you've cleared your balance, and from there you're able to move forward. The simplest way to avoid all of this is to make sure you set up both a bank account and a credit card as payment methods from the start.