Google Ads To Update Policy On Ads That Offer Rewards

Google Ads later this month will update its policies for ads that offer rewards to allow indirect or non-monetary items to be offered as rewards. This policy change will happen on October 31, 2023.

Google said that direct monetary items remain disallowed as rewards under any circumstance, so there is no change there.

I received this email via my AdMob ads account but some AdSense publishers are receiving it as well.

Google wrote that there are three conditions to this exception:

(1) The reward is only redeemable and usable for an item or service within the publisher’s platform, website or app;

(2) The reward is non-transferable; and

(3) Rewards that are a discount or voucher for physical items must not exceed 25% of the item’s total value.

The email goes on to say:

For the purposes of the updated policies:

• “Direct monetary items” mean any form of legal tender, or other modes of payment that can be used directly to purchase goods or services in the real world. Examples: Cash, cryptocurrency, gift card
• “Indirect or non-monetary items” mean anything with monetary value but which is not a direct mode of payment in the real world, or anything that does not have monetary value in the real world. Examples: Discounts, loyalty rewards or points, product free shipping, product or service free trial, game character extra life, game character skin
• “Non-transferable” means a reward that is only redeemable and usable by the same user who received it, and is not directly convertible into direct monetary items or items that can be transferred to a third party. Examples: A discount code, loyalty points or a game item that is only redeemable and usable by a specific user through their logged-in account, and cannot be directly converted into cash or used to purchase any item that can be transferred to another person

Google wrote, “Please review the update to determine if it affects your ad units that offer rewards. If your ad units that offer rewards were previously disapproved but you believe they should no longer be disapproved following the update, you may request a review or appeal on or after 31 October 2023. Learn more about requesting a review or appeal.”

Here is a screenshot of the email I received:

Here is someone else who received this:

Examples: Discounts, loyalty rewards or points, product free shipping, product or service free trial, game character extra life, game character skin

— Amit Saha (@amitsh053) October 11, 2023

Forum discussion at X.