Google Ads accepts personal loan ads, but on specific conditions that come on top of the law. A rejected ad or a page that does not show the right information means a campaign that does not run. Here are Google's rules for personal loans, as its financial products and services policy states them, and what Canadian and Quebec law adds.
Key Takeaways
- Only loans repaid in full over 61 days or longer can be advertised
- The landing page must show the repayment period, the maximum APR and a representative example of the total cost
- Every financial advertiser must also show its physical address and all associated fees
- Google's 36% limit applies to ads targeting the US; in Canada, the criminal rate is 35%
- Google's rules do not replace Quebec's Consumer Protection Act
This article summarizes public rules to help you prepare your ads and pages; it is not legal advice.
1. What Google Calls a Personal Loan
For Google, personal loans are lending money from one individual, organization or entity to an individual consumer on a nonrecurring basis (Google). A small consumer loan, granted once, fits this definition.
2. The 61-Day Rule
Only personal loans that require repayment in full in 61 days or longer are allowed (Google). A loan that must be repaid in full in less than 61 days therefore cannot be advertised on Google, however the ad is worded.
If you offer several terms, the advertised page must match a product that meets this rule.
3. What the Landing Page Must Show
For a personal loan, Google requires the ad's destination to prominently disclose (Google):
- the minimum and maximum period for repayment;
- the maximum Annual Percentage Rate (APR), which generally includes the interest rate plus fees and other costs for a year;
- a representative example of the total cost of the loan, including all applicable fees.
And for any financial product or service, Google also requires:
- the physical address of the business offering the product;
- all associated fees;
- links to third-party accreditation or endorsement, where your page asserts or implies an affiliation.
This information must be clearly and immediately visible, without needing to click or hover over anything.
4. The Rate: Google, Then the Law
Google doesn't allow ads for personal loans with an APR of 36% and above in the US (Google). That limit does not target Canada. In Canada, the Criminal Code defines the criminal rate as an annual percentage rate of interest that exceeds 35%, and it also covers anyone who advertises an offer at a criminal rate (s. 347).
Google also requires you to comply with the national and local regulations of the locations you target. In Quebec, the page must therefore also meet the Consumer Protection Act: the credit rate shown with equal emphasis next to any other rate, all the prescribed particulars as soon as one loan term is advertised, and no false or misleading representation about the consumer's financial situation. Our guide Loan Pages in Quebec: What the Consumer Protection Act Requires covers them in detail.
5. Advertiser Verification
In some countries, Google requires financial services advertisers to verify their business before running ads. The list of countries and the enforcement dates change: check Google's financial services verification page before launching a campaign.
A Checklist Before Launch
- The advertised loan is repaid in full over 61 days or longer.
- The page shows the minimum and maximum period, the maximum APR and a complete representative example.
- The business's physical address and all fees are visible without a click.
- No advertised rate exceeds the criminal rate.
- The page also meets the Consumer Protection Act.
- The figures in the ad, on the page and in the contract are the same.
How We Work
We don't manage ad campaigns. We install or repair conversion tags, and we prepare loan pages that show the information Google requires for personal loans, with the Consumer Protection Act and the criminal rate in mind. Your terms and disclosures remain yours: we integrate them as you provide them.
See our Financial services page.