Can I advertise loans, credit cards, and mortgages on Meta, Google, and TikTok?
Direct answerLicensed credit cards, mortgages, and many personal loans can be advertised. You must declare Meta’s Financial products Special Ad Category (US), meet Google’s disclosure and US APR/term rules, and on TikTok US/Canada use licensing plus the HEC toggle. Credit repair is not allowed on Google. Payday-style high-APR short loans fail Google’s 61-day and 36% tests. Targeting limits are not optional extras.
This is not the Special Ad Category explainer
How lookalikes and zip targeting drop off is documented in What are Meta Special Ad Categories? This page is the credit-and-loans operating checklist: which products, which certifications, which landing-page numbers. Crypto exchanges still belong on prohibited vs restricted.
What counts as a credit / financial ad
Meta’s ads for financial products and services page includes, for US/Canada/certain Europe, credit cards (including brand ads), loans (auto, mortgage, personal, business), long-term financing, debt recovery, and debt consolidation. In the US it also lists banking, prepaid cards, investments, pensions, insurance, consumer payments, and 0% APR / BNPL installments. It excludes gift cards, store rewards, B2B-only financial products, and tax/accounting services.
TikTok’s HEC policy (updated April 2026) treats as credit any ad that promotes a credit opportunity, including credit cards and personal, student, business, mortgage, and auto loans.
Google’s product-specific gates
Under Financial products and services, you must show a physical address, associated fees, and proof of implied affiliations — immediately visible, not rollover text. Then apply the product row:
| Product | Google’s published position |
|---|---|
| Personal loans | Allowed only if full repayment is required in 61 days or longer; extra APR and cost-example disclosures |
| US high APR | Personal loans at 36% APR and above are not allowed for US targeting (direct lenders and lead gen) |
| Credit repair | Ads are not allowed |
| Debt settlement / management | Only in eligible locations after Debt services certification |
| Loan modification / foreclosure rescue | No guaranteed modification, no upfront fee except a law firm, no title transfer schemes |
| Binary options | Not allowed, including “education” sites about binary options |
Country-specific financial-services verification (for example via Google’s listed vendor process) is additional in some locations. Recheck Apply to advertise certain products inside the account — applications moved into Google Ads itself from June 2026.
Meta and TikTok setup
- Meta: choose Financial products and services at campaign creation when the US rules apply. Skipping it is a documented rejection reason.
- TikTok US/Canada: financial services may allow licensed loans and cards with disclosures and 18+. Not-allowed examples include payday loans, credit repair, bail bonds, and get-rich-quick schemes. Turn on the HEC toggle for credit so age, gender, zip, and marital/parental targeting are removed.
| Risky copy | Safer if the product is actually eligible |
|---|---|
| “Guaranteed approval — bad credit OK, cash today.” | State the product, APR range, and that approval depends on underwriting |
| “Are you drowning in debt?” | Product-first line — personal attributes still applies |
| APR buried in a PDF linked from footer | Google: fees and APR visible without an extra click |
Preflight
- Name the product: credit card, mortgage, personal loan, BNPL, insurance, crypto, credit repair, payday. The bucket picks the policy.
- If it is credit repair (Google and TikTok US) or a US personal loan at 36% APR or with full repayment under 61 days (Google), stop — copy will not save it.
- On Meta, declare Financial products and services (and accept targeting limits). On TikTok US/Canada credit, turn on the HEC toggle.
- Put Google’s required disclosures on the first screen: address, fees, APR, repayment window, representative example.
- Rewrite ‘guaranteed approval’ and ‘you’re drowning in debt’ — those are claims and personal-attributes problems after the license is done.
If Google also flags remarketing lists on a loan campaign, that is personalized advertising / access-to-opportunities, not this certification checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use Meta’s Financial products Special Ad Category for a credit card ad?
If you are a US advertiser or showing financial-product campaigns to US audiences, Meta has required the Financial products and services category since January 21, 2025. Credit remains in scope as a subset (US, Canada, and certain parts of Europe). Meta’s credit examples include credit cards, loans (auto, mortgage, personal, business), debt consolidation, and — in the US — banking, insurance, investments, and BNPL. Gift cards and B2B-only financial products are listed as out of scope.
Can I advertise a payday loan on Google in the United States?
Google defines personal loans as nonrecurring consumer lending not for a fixed asset or education, and only allows personal loans that require repayment in full in 61 days or longer. For US targeting it also disallows personal loans with an APR of 36% and above. Short-term high-APR products fail those two rules. Google separately does not allow ads for credit repair services.
What must be on a personal-loan landing page for Google?
Google’s Financial products and services policy requires a physical business address, associated fees, and links to third-party accreditation when you imply affiliation — disclosures must be immediately visible, not behind a hover or extra click. Personal loans additionally need min/max repayment period, maximum APR (or local equivalent) separate from the representative example, and a representative example of total cost including fees.
Are loan ads allowed on TikTok in the US?
TikTok’s US/Canada financial-services table (as reviewed) may allow licensed products with disclosures and 18+ targeting. It lists payday loans, credit repair, get-rich-quick schemes, and several speculative products as not allowed. Credit campaigns targeting the US or Canada must also use TikTok’s Housing, Employment, and Credit (HEC) Special Ad Category toggle, which removes age, gender, zip, and marital/parental targeting.
Sources
- Meta: About ads for financial products and services
- Google: Financial products and services
- TikTok: Financial services
- TikTok: Housing, Employment, and Credit (HEC)
Lending ads are heavily regulated. This page is a reading of public platform articles as of September 18, 2026, not TILA/ECOA advice and not a license determination.
Scan the loan landing page before you scale
LaunchGuarding will not certify a lender. It will catch personal-attributes copy and missing-offer mismatch once the product is actually eligible.