You need to have a primary payment method on your account at all times. This ensures that there's always a way to automatically pay for your ads. So you can change or remove the credit card you're using, as long as you have another payment method in your account.
If you're trying to stop your ads running, pause your campaigns instead.
Tip: Add a backup credit card
To avoid having your ads stop because of a declined payment, we highly recommend setting up a backup payment method. If your primary payment method doesn't work for some reason, we'll charge your backup credit card to ensure your ads keep running.
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.
Change the credit card used as a primary payment method
- In your Google Ads account, click the Billing icon
.
- Click Payment methods.
- Click Add new payment method.
- You'll see the payment methods that are available to your account. These are based on your business address, your account's currency, and how you pay (automatic payments).
- Enter your payment information, then click Save.
- Now assign this payment method as your primary: Click the Select as drop-down menu to choose Primary.
- Find your previous payment method, and click Remove.
Replace your primary form of payment with a new one
- In your Google Ads account, click the Billing icon
- Click Payment methods.
- Click Remove at the bottom of the card with the primary form of payment.
- You will need to replace a form of payment with another form of payment that is already stored in your account or add a new form of payment.
- When you finish adding a replacement form of payment, click Save and Remove.
- You will see a dialogue window confirming your primary form of payment has been removed and any past due balances will be now charged from a newly added primary form of payment.
If a primary form of payment is linked to other subscriptions and services, such as Google Cloud or other Google Ads accounts, you might not be able to remove it until you remove it from those services as well.
Note: Users must have Admin and/or Edit Payment profile permissions to make such changes.
Change the credit card used as a primary payment method
Add your credit card
- In your Google Ads account, click the Billing icon
- Click Settings.
- Under the “Payment methods” section, click Add a payment method.
- Note: You'll see the payment methods that are available to your account. These are based on your business address, your account's currency, and how you pay (automatic payments).
- Select Add credit or debit card.
- Enter your credit card information, then click Save.
Set your credit card as the primary payment method
- After adding your credit card, select the corresponding Actions dropdown menu.
- Select Set as primary payment method.
Replace your primary form of payment with a new one
- In your Google Ads account, click the Billing icon
- Click Settings.
- Under the “Payment methods” section, click the corresponding Actions dropdown menu of your primary payment method.
- Select Remove.
- Select among your remaining payment methods you want to use as the primary.
- Click the corresponding Actions dropdown menu of your selected payment method.
- Select Set as primary payment method.
- A dialogue window will pop out to confirm your primary form of payment has been removed and any past due balances will be now charged from a newly added primary form of payment.
If a primary form of payment is linked to other subscriptions and services, such as Google Cloud or other Google Ads accounts, you might not be able to remove it until you remove it from those services as well.
Note: Users must have Admin and/or Edit Payment profile permissions to make such changes.
Next step
- Check how to use a credit card to pay for Google Ads.
