As an affiliate marketer, one of the most frustrating issues you may encounter is having your bank cards rejected or restricted by advertising networks like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. After carefully selecting payment methods, and configuring your account, it can be disheartening to face card connection problems that disrupt your campaigns.
Unfortunately, there is limited information available online on how to effectively handle these situations. In this guide, we will explore the common payment card errors affiliate marketers experience and provide practical solutions to overcome them. To better understand these issues, we have categorized them into two main types: problems caused by the advertising platforms and those resulting from technical reasons.
Issues when linking cards to advertising networks
Google Ads and Facebook Ads are the two most widely used platforms by affiliate marketers. Despite using cards from reputable banks in countries like the USA, Canada, and other developed nations, affiliates often encounter difficulties. The solutions to these problems vary slightly between Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
- Google Ads
If you experience restrictions when linking cards to your Google Ads account, consider the following steps:
Google tends to flag old or previously blocked cards, which can hinder your advertising efforts. To avoid this, always connect a new virtual card that has not been used before. Additionally, ensure that the geo-location of your Google account matches the location of your virtual machine (VM). Maintaining consistency helps prevent Google from detecting discrepancies that might raise suspicion.
- Verify cloaker and proxy settings
Using a cloaker and proxy is crucial in affiliate marketing especially if you are running grayhat and blackhat campaigns. However, if Google detects that you are accessing the same profile from different geo-locations, it may block your ability to make payments.
Double-check your cloaker and proxy settings to ensure they effectively hide your real location and maintain a consistent appearance. This includes using the same IP address range and avoiding sudden changes in your access patterns.
- Adjust budget allocation and reduce top-up amount
To make your ad spend appear more natural to Google's system, avoid large, infrequent top-ups. Instead, gradually increase your daily ad spend by 10-15% and fund your account with smaller, regular transactions. This gradual increase and frequent, smaller top-ups mimic organic spending behavior, making it less likely for Google's system to flag your account for unusual activity. Regularly review and adjust your budget allocation to maintain this natural spending pattern and ensure the longevity of your campaigns.
- Explore alternative virtual card services
Some payment providers may not closely monitor new users who can potentially damage the reputation of their Bank Identification Numbers (BINs). As a result, these BINs can end up on ad networks' blacklists, rendering the associated cards unusable.
In contrast, reputable virtual card providers actively monitor and block fraudulent users, ensuring that their BINs remain in good standing. This means your cards will continue to work reliably, which is crucial for maintaining the smooth operation of your affiliate campaigns. By exploring alternative virtual card issuers, you can find a provider that best suits your needs and minimizes disruptions, allowing you to focus on running successful affiliate marketing campaigns.
2. Facebook Ads
When working with Facebook Ads, the ad network may impose more penalties, but these can also be resolved. Lets look at the different errors that Facebook generates and how to solve them:
Error Message 1: "Ad account disabled. Temporary hold unsuccessful"
If you encounter the error message, "Temporary hold unsuccessful. We weren't able to place a temporary hold on your payment method and your ad account is still disabled. You can try again or add a new primary payment method," it usually indicates insufficient funds on the card to cover the cost of your ad campaign.
Even if you have enough funds, you can’t resolve this with the same card. The only way to fix it is by adding another card to your account.
Here's how to do it:
- Stop the ad campaign in Ads Manager.
- Link a new card to your account and set it as the primary payment method.
- Restart the ad campaign.
- Remove the old card from your account to prevent Facebook from using it as a backup.
By following these steps, you can ensure that Facebook won't attempt to charge a problematic card.
Error Message 2: "Ad account disabled. Error while performing auth"
The error message "Error while performing auth. We noticed some unusual activity, so we've disabled your ad account. You won't be able to run ads until you verify your payment method" often arises when the geo-location of your card doesn't match the location of your Facebook profile or ad accounts.
Facebook uses artificial intelligence to detect these mismatches and will block payments when it identifies them. To avoid this issue, experienced affiliates use high-quality proxies that match the geo-location of the card's issuing bank.
Another common reason for such suspensions is Facebook might not accept the BIN (Bank Identification Number) or the type of payment service you're using. This applies mostly to those who use virtual credit cards.
To avoid issues, you should work only with virtual cards that have trusted BINs and are registered in Tier 1 geos.. These include cards from Visa, UnionPay, MasterCard and American Express registered in the UK, USA, AU, FR, and other similar geos. These cards are widely accepted by Facebook and other advertising networks, and using them will help you to ensure that your payments go through smoothly.
Problems arising due to technical reasons and solutions
Sometimes, minor technical issues can arise when attempting to make payments or link cards on both Google and Facebook. These problems may stem from internet connection issues or bank restrictions triggered by unusual card usage patterns.
Below are some common issues and their respective solutions:
- Expired or unsupported card: If your card has expired or doesn't support certain online transactions, contact your bank. Inquire about the terms of your card and the types of transactions it supports. The bank can help you resolve the issue, as this is not something you can fix on your own.
- Insufficient funds for traffic costs: First, calculate the amount of money needed to cover your traffic costs. Ensure your card balance is always topped up to avoid running out of funds. Setting up balance alerts through your virtual card provider,, can be helpful. These notifications can be sent to your personal account, email, or Telegram, allowing you to add funds in a timely manner and prevent any disruptions.
- Incorrect payment information: If you've entered incorrect payment information, double-check all the fields and re-enter the details from scratch. If the issue persists, contact your bank for assistance in identifying and resolving the problem.
- Exceeded transaction or credit limit: If you've reached your transaction or credit limit, contact your bank to discuss lifting the restriction. In some cases, you may need to provide additional verification or income information to increase your limit.
- Closed bank account: If your bank account is closed, you'll need to use a different account or obtain a virtual card from a card-issuing service. Virtual card providers allow affiliates to quickly issue the necessary number of cards without lengthy verification processes.
Tips to avoid card problems on Google and Facebook Ads
To help you prevent difficulties when working with payment cards, we have gathered consider the following tips:
- Mimic real user behavior: New affiliates often make the mistake of purchasing fresh accounts and immediately launching ad campaigns. This behavior can raise suspicion with the ad network and result in account restrictions. To avoid this, refrain from adding large sums of money or drastically increasing your spending right away. Start slowly and gradually build up your activity over time.
- Use separate cards for each profile or ad account: Using a single payment card for multiple campaigns across different accounts can lead to restrictions. Ad platforms like Facebook and Google monitor this activity and may impose limits if detected. To avoid this, use a separate card for each profile. This approach keeps your transactions isolated and less likely to trigger restrictions. Many virtual card service providers can assist by issuing multiple cards with commission rates starting from 3% for amounts ranging from €0 to €25,000.
- Configure cloaker and proxy settings correctly: It's essential to check how the network perceives your fingerprint, which can be done using specialized services easily found online. The same applies to your proxies. If your account is registered in the US, your web activity originates from Turkey, and you're using a card issued in Japan, you're likely to encounter problems. To minimize issues, ensure the GEO data for your profile, buyer, and payment method are consistent.
- Seek assistance from virtual card providers: To reduce the chances of running into card problems, consider using reliable virtual card providers. Their support team can help you set up your cards properly, allowing you to focus on running your campaigns without worrying about technical issues.
- Contact ad platform support teams from Japan: Overall, if you are having an issue with your ad accounts, affiliates have noticed that contacting support teams in Japanese, or asking to be referred to a Japanese support rep on Facebook or Google Ads tends to fix issues quickly. Instead of waiting months for issues to be solved, Japanese reps tend to fix almost everything all issues in a week so.
Conclusion
Dealing with bank card restrictions imposed by Google Ads and Facebook Ads can be a frustrating experience for affiliate marketers. However, by understanding the common problems and implementing the solutions outlined in this guide, you can minimize disruptions to your campaigns.
Remember to use new cards, verify your cloaker and proxy settings, adjust your budget allocation, and explore alternative virtual card services when working with Google Ads. For Facebook Ads, address temporary hold issues by updating your payment methods, resolve authentication errors by matching geo-locations, and be mindful of account suspensions triggered by unusual activity or rapid budget increases.
Technical issues like expired cards, insufficient funds, incorrect payment information, exceeded limits, and closed bank accounts can also hinder your efforts. Contacting your bank or using virtual card providers can help you overcome these challenges.
