Resolve a declined payment in Google Ads

• To resolve a declined payment, you'll need to figure out why the payment was declined.
• Usually this involves contacting your bank or credit card company to fix the issue.
• Then you'll have several options to pay off your overdue balance, which will allow your ads to run again.

Payments get declined from time to time, and when they do, your ads might stop running until your payment goes through. Please also note that some qualifying accounts may continue to run for a short time after a decline to allow you time to fix your instrument before going offline, so your ads may not stop immediately after a decline. To find out how to resolve your decline and keep your ads running, choose the type of decline you have:

Credit card decline

1. Figure out the reason for the decline

To view declined payment information, click the tool icon and choose Summary under "Billing". Go there now. You'll find the date of the decline, the amount, and if your credit card company or bank shared it with us, the reason for the decline. Keep in mind that Google doesn't decline your payment—your credit card company or bank does. If there's no reason listed, we don't have the details, and you'll need to contact your credit card company or bank for the reason.

2. Contact your credit card company or bank

If you couldn't figure out why your payment was declined, or if you can't solve the issue, contact the bank that issued your credit card. Google Ads support can't help you with any declines. This is because your bank, not Google, is the one that declines your payment. Here's how to contact your bank:

1. Call the support phone number that's shown on the back of your credit card.
2. Tell the representative that you were trying to pay for Google Ads online but that your payment was declined. Let them know the date and amount of the decline.
3. The representative will give you the exact reason for the decline and help you resolve the issue.
4. Once the issue has been fixed, try your payment again using one of the options below.

Solutions for the most common declined payment reasons

• The account doesn't have sufficient funds.
  Make sure there are enough funds in your account, then retry your credit card (option A below).
• You've exceeded the card's credit limit or single transaction limit.
  Talk to your bank to increase the limit, then retry your credit card (option A below).
• The card expired.
  Enter a new credit card (option B below).
• You entered an incorrect card number or CVV/CVN number.
  Re-enter your credit card information carefully (option B below).
• The issuing bank doesn't allow the use of the card for internet or international transactions.
  Talk to your bank to allow these types of transactions, then retry the credit card (option A below). Or, enter a new card that does allow internet or international transactions (option B below).
• You exceeded the maximum number of charges the card can receive in a period.
  Talk to your bank to find a solution, then retry the credit card (option A below). Or, enter a new card (option B below).
• Your bank may not support Strong Customer Authorization.
  Strong Customer Authorization is required to authenticate your card or payment in the European Union. Talk to your bank to find out if your bank supports Strong Customer Authentication. Otherwise, you’ll need to use another payment method.

3. Get your ads running again

Choose one of the options below to get your ads running again.

Option A: Retry your existing credit card

1. Sign into your Google Ads account.
2. Click the tool icon and under "Billing", choose Summary, then click Payment methods. Go there now
3. Find the credit card with the "Fix it" link.
4. Check to make sure that all the card details are correct. Call your bank or credit card company to make sure that you can use the card in your Google Ads account, if necessary.
5. Once you've made sure that the payment method will work, click Fix it above the credit card information.

Then what?

Retrying your payment method will automatically trigger a charge for your outstanding balance. It may take a few hours to process the payment. If the payment isn't successful within one business day after you retried your payment method, pay off your outstanding balance. To pay off your outstanding balance, make a payment.

If you used a new payment method to pay off your balance, you'll still need to retry your primary payment method. Otherwise, future balances might be charged to your new payment method, or your ads could stop running again without any valid payment method.

Option B: Enter different billing information

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Click the tool icon and under "Billing", choose Summary, then click Payment methods. Go there now
3. To edit any details except the credit card number, find the credit card you want to update, and click Edit.
4. To edit the credit card number or add a new credit card, click Add payment method and enter the new information.
5. Click Save.
6. Find the credit card you just entered, and click the Set as Primary link. This sets the credit card you just entered as your primary payment method.

Once you've entered your billing information, we'll initiate a charge of the outstanding balance.

Tip: Include a backup credit card

Help keep your ads running by entering a backup credit card. We'll charge your backup card only if your primary payment method is declined.

As mentioned above, your ads may continue to run for a brief time after your credit card is declined. If you’d prefer, you can pause your campaign until the issue is resolved.

Note: If your card issuer or bank is in the European Economic Area, they may require you to go through an additional authentication process, such as a one-time code sent to your phone, to verify the ownership of your card.  Your card issuer or bank may require this extra verification when you make a payment, add a new credit or debit card, or at the card issuer or bank’s discretion. 

Google complies with the new security requirements imposed on banks and payment processors by the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) in the European Economic Area. If you have any questions, please contact your card issuer or bank directly. 

Direct debit (bank account) decline

If your bank account payment appears as "declined" in your account, your bank didn't allow us to charge your bank account. Here's how to keep your ads running:

1. Figure out the reason for the decline

You can view declined payment information on your the Billing Summary page page. Go there now. You'll find the date of the decline, the amount, and if your bank shared it with us, the reason for the decline. Keep in mind that Google doesn't decline your payment—your bank does. If there's no reason listed, we don't have the details, and you'll need to contact your bank for the reason.

2. Contact your bank

If you couldn't figure out why your payment was declined, or if you can't solve the issue, contact your bank. They'll be able to tell you what the problem is and help you fix it. Google Ads support can't help you with any declines. This is because your bank, not Google, is the one that declines your payment.

Here's how to contact your bank:

1. Call the support phone number for your bank. You can usually find this on their website.
2. Tell the representative that you were trying to pay for Google Ads online but that your payment was declined. Let them know the date and amount of the decline.
3. The representative will give you the exact reason for the decline and help you resolve the issue.
4. Once the issue has been fixed, try your payment again using one of the options below.

Solutions for the most common declined payment reasons

• The account doesn't have sufficient funds.
  Check your bank account to make sure it has enough funds, then choose one of the solutions below to start running your ads again.
• The name of the account owner doesn't match the information you provided.
  Update your billing information with the correct details, following the instructions below.
• The issuing bank doesn't allow using the bank account for online or international transactions.
  Contact your bank to allow these types of transactions, then choose one of the solutions below to start serving your ads again.
• The bank account doesn't exist anymore.
  Update your billing information with a different bank account or a credit card, following the instructions below.

3. Get your ads running

Choose one of the options below to get your ads running again.

Option A: Make a payment by credit card or real-time bank transfer

The fastest way to get your ads running again (in case it stopped running after the decline) is to make a payment by credit card. In some countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), real-time bank transfer is also available. We don't recommend using normal bank transfer in this situation, since it takes much longer.

Payments by credit card or real-time bank transfer normally process within 1 business day, and your ads will be able to run within 24 hours after that. To pay off your outstanding balance, make a payment.

Note: If you still want to use direct debit as your primary payment method, you'll need to re-enable it in your account, as described in Option B below, after your one-time payment goes through.

Option B: Re-enable your bank account

If you resolved the issue with your bank account, and you'd like us to try charging it again for your outstanding balance, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Click the tool icon and under "Billing", choose Summary, then click Payment methods. Go there now
3. Find your bank account with the "Fix it" link.
4. Check to make sure that all the bank account details are correct. Call your bank or credit institution to ensure that you can use it in your Google Ads account, if necessary.
5. Once you've made sure that your bank account will work, click the Fix it link.
6. After you re-enable the bank account, your payment will normally process within 4 business days, and your ads will be able to run within 24 hours afterwards. Because paying by credit card will typically get your ads running again faster, we recommend Option A first.

Visit Google Ads

In some cases, you might see an error message when trying to re-enable your account, asking you to make a payment or set a different primary payment method instead. When that happens, follow the instructions for option A or C to get your ads running again.

Option C: Add a new bank account

If you'd like to use a different bank account for this payment and for your future direct debit payments, then you'll need to change your primary payment method. You'll also need to either send us a new direct debit authorization or verify a test deposit in the new bank account. Because of this, it typically takes about 5 business days after you complete the process for us to charge the outstanding balance to your new bank account.

Here's how to change your primary payment method to a new bank account:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Click the tool icon and under "Billing", choose Summary, then click Payment methods. Go there now
3. Find the appropriate payment method, and click Edit.
4. Enter your updated information. You'll need to send a new debit authorization or verify the new bank account before your ads can run. If this applies to you, you'll be given instructions in your account on what to do.
5. Click Save when you're done. Once you've entered your billing information, and we receive your bank account verification or authorization, we'll initiate a charge of the outstanding balance.

Tip: Include a backup credit card

Help keep your ads running by entering a backup credit card. We'll charge your backup card only if your primary payment method is declined.

As mentioned above, your ads may continue to run for a brief grace period after your credit card is declined. If you’d prefer, you can pause your campaign until the issue is resolved.

A declined payment if you're on monthly invoicing

If you recently changed payment settings from automatic payments to monthly invoicing and have an outstanding balance left over, follow these steps to pay off your account:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Click the tool icon and under "Billing", choose Summary, then click Billing transfers from the menu on the left. Go there now
3. Click the invoice setup for which you'd like to make a payment.
4. Click Summary from the menu on the left.
5. Click the Make a payment button to make a payment for your outstanding balance.

If you're trying to cancel your account, and you have a declined payment, keep a few things in mind:

• If your last payment was declined, you'll need to pay your overdue balance before being able to cancel the account.
• If you cancel your account, the balance due at the time of cancellation will be charged to your payment method within the next 60 days.

Related link

• Understanding why you've been charged