How to Get Facebook Ad Credits

Receiving free credits for Facebook Ads can give your marketing budget a welcome boost, allowing you to test new creative, reach new audiences, or amplify a campaign that’s already working. This guide explains the legitimate ways to get these credits, how to check if you already have some, and what to watch out for to avoid scams.

Graphed

Still Building Reports Manually?

Watch how growth teams are getting answers in seconds — not days.

Watch the Demo

What Exactly Are Facebook Ad Credits?

Think of Meta Ad Credits as a gift card or coupon specifically for your advertising account. They are a promotional offer from Meta (Facebook's parent company) designed to encourage businesses to start advertising or spend more on the platform. When you have these credits, Meta will use them to pay for your ads before charging your primary payment method.

But there are a few important things to keep in mind:

• They aren’t cash. You can't withdraw ad credits to your bank account or receive a payout for them. They can only be used to cover the costs of running ads on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network).
• They cover future spending. Ad credits typically apply to advertising costs you incur after the credit has been added to your account. They won't usually pay off an old, outstanding balance.
• They expire. Most promotional credits come with an expiration date. If you don’t use them before they expire, they disappear from your account. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of any offer you receive.

How to Check if You Have Ad Credits

Sometimes businesses receive credits and don't even realize it. It's always a good idea to check your billing section, especially if you recently set up a new business account or participated in a Meta program. Here’s how to find them:

1. Navigate to your Ads Manager.
2. Click the hamburger menu (the icon with three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner and select Billing & Payments.
3. Once on the Billing page, click on Payment Settings from the navigation on the left.
4. At the top of the Payment Settings page, look for a section called Ad Credits.

If you see a balance, you're good to go! The page will show you the amount, the origin of the credit (what promotion it came from), and its expiration date. If nothing is there, you don't have any active credits in your account.

Graphed

Still Building Reports Manually?

Watch how growth teams are getting answers in seconds — not days.

Watch the Demo

Legitimate Ways to Get Facebook Ad Credits

Unlike some online platforms, there isn't a secret portal where you can just request free ad credits. They are almost always given out promotionally. Here are the most common and legitimate methods to obtain them.

1. Direct Promotional Offers from Meta

This is by far the most common way to get credits. Meta frequently runs promotions to incentivize new advertisers or reactivate dormant accounts.

• New Advertiser Bonuses: If you've just created a new Facebook Business Page or Ad Account, Meta might offer you a "spend $25, get a $25 credit" type of deal. This is their way of helping you get your feet wet with advertising without as much financial risk.
• Email Promotions: Keep an eye on the email address associated with your Facebook Business Account. Meta will periodically send out promotional offers directly to your inbox. The subject line often includes phrases like “We've added a coupon to your account” or “An advertising credit is waiting for you.”
• In-Platform Notifications: Sometimes these offers appear directly within your Ads Manager or Business Suite as a banner at the top of the page. It might prompt you to start a campaign to claim your credit.

These offers are algorithmic and tailored, so there's no way to force one to appear. The best approach is to have your business account set up correctly and monitor your Meta notifications and email.

2. Through Meta's Partners

Many popular SaaS tools and business service providers partner with Meta to offer ad credits as a perk for their customers. This is a powerful, yet often overlooked, method.

• Website and Hosting Providers: Companies like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Squarespace sometimes offer a bundle for new business customers that includes ad credits for both Google and Facebook. Check the "perks" or "marketplace" section of your hosting provider's dashboard.
• E-commerce Platforms: Shopify is a well-known Meta partner. They frequently run introductory offers for new store owners to help them start their first ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
• Email Marketing and CRM Tools: Services like Mailchimp or HubSpot have been known to offer ad credits to new users or those on higher-tier plans as part of their marketing integration packages.

If you already use any of these services, log into your account and look for any available offers. If you're planning to sign up for a new tool, keep an eye out for these promotions, as they can add significant value.

Graphed

Still Building Reports Manually?

Watch how growth teams are getting answers in seconds — not days.

Watch the Demo

3. Participating in Meta Programs, Webinars, and Events

Meta is heavily invested in educating businesses on how to use their tools effectively. They often reward participation with ad credits.

• Meta Boost & Blueprint: These are Meta's educational initiatives. Signing up for virtual workshops, webinars, or in-person events (when available) can sometimes come with a complimentary ad credit as a thank you for attending. Sign up for the Meta for Business newsletter to stay informed about these opportunities.
• Meta for Business Grants: This is much rarer and more substantial than a simple ad credit. On occasion, Meta will launch programs offering cash grants, training, and ad credits to specific types of businesses, such as small businesses recovering from a crisis or businesses owned by underrepresented groups. These are highly competitive but worth watching for on the official Meta for Business News page.

4. Working with a Meta Business Partner Agency

If you work with a marketing agency that is an official Meta Business Partner, they sometimes have access to resources that individual advertisers don't, including ad credits. This is particularly common in situations where a platform bug caused advertising issues. An agency partner can escalate the issue and may be able to secure a "goodwill credit" to compensate for any glitches.

It's important to note you shouldn't hire an agency just to get credits, this is a potential side benefit, not a guaranteed perk.

Warning: How to Spot and Avoid Ad Credit Scams

Where there is demand, there are unfortunately scams. It’s critical to be cautious, as your ad account and payment information are at risk.

• Websites Selling Ad Credits: Any website or online service promising to sell you Meta ad credits for pennies on the dollar is a scam. Ad credits cannot be bought, sold, or transferred between accounts. These sites are either trying to steal your payment information or access your ad account for malicious purposes.
• Phishing Emails and Messages: You might receive an email or a Facebook message claiming to be from Meta, asking you to click a link to claim your credits. Always be skeptical. Hover over the link to see the destination URL. If it's not an official domain (like facebook.com or meta.com), do not click it. Official credits will always show up directly in your account's Billing section.
• Guarantees from "Gurus": Be wary of any individual or consultant who guarantees they can get you free ad credits. Legitimate credits only come from Meta and its official partners.

The golden rule is: if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Graphed

Still Building Reports Manually?

Watch how growth teams are getting answers in seconds — not days.

Watch the Demo

Smart Ways to Use Your Ad Credits

Once you have credits in your account, don't just let them cover your normal business-as-usual campaigns. Since it's essentially "bonus" budget, this is a perfect low-risk opportunity for testing and experimentation.

• Test New Creative: Have you been thinking about testing video ads or user-generated content? Use the ad credits to run a side-by-side test against your current best-performing image ads without dipping into your main budget.
• Explore a Different Audience: Create an experiment to test a lookalike audience or a completely new interest-based targeting set you've been curious about. The credits cover the cost of gathering data to see if that audience is viable.
• Boost High-Performing Organic Content: If an organic post on your Page is getting great engagement, use the credits to put a little advertising spend on it. This amplifies what's already proven to resonate with your audience, extending its reach.

Final Thoughts

Facebook Ad Credits are a great promotional tool for businesses, originating almost exclusively from Meta and its official partners. The best way to secure them is to keep your eyes open for official emails and in-platform notifications, check the perks section of your existing business tools, and participate in Meta's educational events. Always be cautious of third parties offering to sell you credits, as these are universally scams.

When you have ad campaigns running - especially experimental ones funded by credits - it's vital to track if your efforts are translating into actual sales or leads. Instead of getting stuck analyzing rows of data yourself, we designed Graphed to do the heavy lifting for you. We simplify your reporting by connecting directly to tools like Facebook Ads and Shopify, so you can just ask in plain English, “Show me my revenue driven by Facebook campaigns last week,” and get an answer instantly. This helps you understand your actual ROI and make smarter decisions about where to invest your budget next.