2025
FCA (2024 data)
The adDebt-solution, crypto and claims-management promotions
Outcome19,766 promotions amended or withdrawn in 2024, 2,240 alerts on unauthorised firms
LessonUK debt and credit promotions are actively policed
Finance · Ad policy
Loans, credit and BNPL ad policy on Meta and Google
Loans, credit and BNPL ads are partly prohibited on Meta and restricted on Google. Credit cards, loans, insurance: target only people aged 18+. The phrases most likely to cause trouble include "payday loan", "salary advance", "repay in 30 days".
MetaPartly prohibited
GoogleRestricted
Last checked5 October 2026
Meta rules Partly prohibited
Allowed with rules, payday/short term prohibited
- Credit cards, loans, insurance: target only people aged 18+
- Prohibited: payday loans, salary/pay-slip advances, bail bonds, 'Short-term Loans of 90 days or less', misleading student-loan consolidation/forgiveness
- Long-term loans over 90 days allowed with 18+ targeting and legally required disclosures
- Ads must not request PII or financial info (bank account, card or routing numbers)
- May need a licence from the regulator in the target country, Meta may review it
- Financial-services verification required when targeting AU, HK, IN, IE, IL, ES, TW, TH, UK, US
- US: 'Financial products and services' Special Ad Category mandatory since 21 Jan 2025, credit ads also need it in Canada and 'certain parts of Europe' (EU/EEA, UK, CH and others)
- Scam rules: no upfront-fee loan offers, no 'guarantee approval without any mention of standard approval criteria'
- Ads promoting credit cards, loans or insurance services must be targeted to people aged 18 or older
- Promote Short-term Loans of 90 days or less
Sources: transparency.meta.com · transparency.meta.com · facebook.com · facebook.com
Google rules Restricted
Restricted
- Personal loans need 'repayment in full in 61 days or longer'. Applies to direct lenders, lead generators and connectors. Payday, title, pawn, cash advance, medical, military and tax loans count as personal loans. Mortgages, auto, student, business loans and credit cards do not
- US: no ads for personal loans with 'an APR of 36% or above'. APR is calculated per TILA (12 CFR 1026). Ads targeting non-US locations show as 'Eligible (limited)'
- Landing page must show the min and max repayment period, the maximum APR (kept separate from the example) and a representative total-cost example with all fees
- All financial ads: physical address, all fees, links to any claimed accreditation. Disclosures can't sit behind a hover or click
- Credit repair ads 'not allowed'
- Debt settlement and debt management need certification. Allowed only in AU, BR, CA, DE, IE, JP, ZA, KR, ES, UK, US
- Loan modification: no guarantees, no upfront fees unless a law firm, no telling users to bypass their lender
- Location-specific financial services verification is required in 42 locations, including UK (enforced from 6 Sep 2021), India (24 Jan 2023), Australia (30 Aug 2022), Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkiye and all EU/EEA states (many EU dates Jul or Sep 2026). US and UAE are not on the list
- Personal-loan violations follow the strike system (1 warning, 3 strikes, then suspension)
Sources: support.google.com · support.google.com · support.google.com · support.google.com
Flagged words and phrases for loans, credit and BNPL ads
19 phrases that often lead to rejection, limited delivery or regulator action. High means the phrase or claim is named in a policy or ruling. Medium means it's our reading of a rule.
| Phrase | Why it's risky | Rule or source | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| payday loan | Product prohibited on Meta, on Google it falls under personal loans and needs 61+ day repayment | Meta: Prohibited financial products · Google: Personal loans transparency.meta.com · support.google.com | High |
| salary advance / paycheck advance | Prohibited on Meta | Meta: Financial services transparency.meta.com | High |
| repay in 30 days / 2-week loan | Meta bans loans of 90 days or less, Google requires 61+ days | Meta: Financial services · Google: Personal loans transparency.meta.com · support.google.com | High |
| guaranteed approval | Meta prohibited loan content when no approval criteria are mentioned | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| no credit check | Implies approval without standard criteria. This mapping is our inference, not quoted policy | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices (inferred) transparency.meta.com | Medium |
| instant cash / money in 15 minutes | ASA treats 'undue emphasis on speed and ease' as irresponsible | ASA guidance on payday loan ads asa.org.uk | High |
| upfront fee / processing fee to release loan | Prohibited advance-fee loan content | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| Are you in debt? / Are you bankrupt? | Asserts a personal attribute (vulnerable financial status) | Meta: Personal attributes transparency.meta.com | High |
| erase your debt in X months | Meta prohibits promises to cut debt by an amount in a set time | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| stop all collection calls / stop lawsuits | Prohibited debt relief content | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| remove bad credit / new credit identity | Prohibited on Meta. Google bans credit repair ads outright | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices · Google: Financial services transparency.meta.com · support.google.com | High |
| credit repair | Not allowed on Google | Google: Financial services support.google.com | High |
| debt settlement / debt consolidation | Google needs Debt services certification. Meta treats it as a credit SAC item | Google: Debt services · Meta: Special ad categories support.google.com · facebook.com | High |
| stop foreclosure guaranteed | Google bans guaranteeing loan modification or foreclosure prevention | Google: Financial services support.google.com | High |
| treat yourself / weekend away loan | ASA upheld complaints about loans for frivolous spending | ASA guidance on payday loan ads asa.org.uk | High |
| 0% APR / buy now pay later | In scope of Meta's US Financial products and services SAC | Meta: Special ad categories facebook.com | High |
| enter your card / bank details here (in-ad form) | Requesting financial info in ads is prohibited | Meta: Financial services · Google: Personalised ads transparency.meta.com · support.google.com | High |
| government loan program / grant money | False government programme offers are prohibited | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| APR omitted / 'low rates' with no max APR | Google requires the maximum APR and a representative example on the landing page | Google: Personal loans support.google.com | High |
Risky creative patterns
- Cartoon or puppet treatments that trivialise borrowing (ASA 'Rudolph's Readies' ruling)
- Shopping bags, nights out or holidays implying the loan funds non-essentials (ASA)
- Themes aimed at children (ASA SRC Transatlantic, 2014)
- Prize promotions that need a loan to enter (ASA FCL 2015)
- Speed or ease emphasised more than cost, such as big '15 MIN' timers (ASA)
- Copy that says 'you/your' plus a debt status (Meta personal attributes)
- Lead forms in the ad asking for SSN or bank details (Meta/Google PII rules)
- APR in hover text or behind a link (Google disclosure rule)
Safer rewrites
Before and after examples. Swap the bracketed parts for your real details.
Before
Are you drowning in debt? We can help.
After
Explore debt management options and see if you qualify.
Before
Get £500 in 10 minutes, no credit check!
After
Personal loans £1,000 to £5,000 over 12 to 60 months. Representative APR shown. Subject to status.
Before
Guaranteed approval, bad credit OK
After
Applications from all credit histories considered. Eligibility checks apply.
Before
Stop collection calls tomorrow
After
Speak to an adviser about your repayment options.
Before
Need cash for the weekend? Borrow now
After
Unexpected boiler repair? Compare loan terms and costs before you borrow.
Policy and enforcement history
ASA upholds rulings against payday ads that trivialise borrowing or stress speed (Ariste 20 Jun 2012, Stop Go 26 Feb 2014 and 28 Jan 2015, SRC Transatlantic 28 May 2014, FCL 25 Mar 2015)
Google bans ads for loans due within 60 days and, in the US, loans at 36%+ APR
Facebook announces a broad ban on deceptive financial products (binary options, ICOs, crypto)
Facebook settles with NFHA, ACLU and CWA. Removes age, gender and zip targeting for housing, employment and credit ads
Google announces a US/Canada ban on gender, age, parental, marital and ZIP targeting for housing, employment and credit ads, to take effect by end of 2020
Google UK financial services verification enforced
Google financial services verification enforced in India, Brazil and others
Meta replaces the Credit SAC with 'Financial products and services'. Mandatory for US from 21 Jan 2025, covers banking, investment, insurance and BNPL
CFPB withdraws its 2024 BNPL Interpretive Rule
Most of the EU Consumer Credit Directive 2023/2225 applies, including the ad warning 'Caution! Borrowing money costs money' or equivalent
Case studies
2015
ASA v Stop Go Networks t/a 'Rudolph's Readies'
The adBright cartoon Santa, reindeer and snowman for a Christmas loan brand
OutcomeUpheld as irresponsible
LessonThe name and imagery alone can trivialise credit
2015
ASA v FCL Consumer Finance
The adPrize draw for students to win a term's rent if they took out a loan
OutcomeUpheld as irresponsible
LessonNo promotions that need borrowing to enter
2012
ASA v Ariste Holding
The adStressed small loan amounts and speed
OutcomeUpheld
LessonCost must not be outweighed by speed claims
Rules by country
US
Google 36% APR cap, Meta FPS SAC mandatory, CFPB BNPL rule withdrawn May 2025
UK
FCA authorisation is needed. Google FS verification since Sept 2021. Meta lists the UK for FS verification and credit SAC rules. ASA covers social-responsibility aspects
EU
Meta credit SAC across EU/EEA, Google FS verification phasing in 2026, CCD2 ad warning from Nov 2026
UAE
Not on Google's FS verification list or Meta's verification list. No UAE-specific ad rule for credit verified
India
Google FS verification (RBI, NHB, NPCI among others) since 24 Jan 2023, Meta requires verification
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Platform
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Your report appears here.Each flag shows the phrase, the rule behind it, a source and a real case where a similar ad got in trouble.
This tool is a pre-launch screen, not legal advice. Meta and Google do not publish banned-word lists, so each flag is a risk signal tied to a published rule, regulator ruling or court case. Policies change often. Data last checked 5 October 2026.