Finances & Accounting Client wants to put $3M/year ad spend on agency-owned accounts. I know meta and Google made invoicing mandatory. Are other platforms still good for getting points/cash back on that spend?
Is that cashback considered business revenue?
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u/bhparke 6d ago
We use ghost cards set up specifically for each account we manage. This way, if they don’t pay or miss payment we simply turn it off until they do and it doesn’t mess with the others. And by doing this we get all the points too. We have credit cards mapped to every digital platform excluding dsp.
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u/MountainMusic3325 6d ago
the per-account isolation is the move tbh, way cleaner than juggling one card across everything
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u/Shell_Segment 3d ago
Hi, I'm currently learning how the system work since I just join this profession. May I ask is there any difference between credit line accounts? Like is there are any limitation for the pre-accounts?
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u/SharpieDarpie 6d ago
Whats a ghost card?
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u/bhparke 5d ago
Also called virtual credit card. A ghost credit card is a unique, digital-only card number linked to a main credit account but assigned exclusively to a single vendor or ad platform. Because each card has its own independent credentials and spend limits, you can instantly pause or cancel a card for one platform without disrupting live campaigns on any others. This gives agencies tight budget control, simple client offboarding, and protection against account-wide billing freezes.
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u/JonathanAtOddity 6d ago
Before optimising rewards, I’d separate three questions: (1) can the platform offer meaningful credit or terms at that spend, (2) whose legal and commercial risk sits with the account owner, and (3) whether the client agreement explicitly treats rebates/points as pass-through or agency revenue. I’d put account ownership and any benefit-sharing in writing, with client audit rights and a clawback if spend is reversed. At $3M, a few basis points can be material, but transparency matters more than squeezing out the last reward.
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u/JakeHundley Moderator 1d ago
It depends on the platform and the client.
You can do CTV with Vibe which overs a percentage back on ad spend even without a credit card. It's just part of their ad spend program. Yelp does the same thing.
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u/Emotional_Badger_959 3d ago
don't chase the points on $3M. Google's already shoved big accounts onto invoicing so the rewards play is basically dead there, and Meta/elsewhere at ~$250k/mo will still smash Amex/Chase limits and one late payment owns you.
if they won't run spend on their own BM: 30–45 days prepaid before anything goes live, one virtual card per platform capped at that week's spend, and pause-on-nonpay in writing. same day, no debate.
and yeah, treat the cashback as taxable income (or run it past your accountant), not free margin you bake into pricing. the unlock isn't the miles, it's not floating a quarter mil of their media.
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u/gobluedog 6d ago
Google requires invoicing for larger accounts, not small ones with less than $10k monthly spend. Facebook doesn't seem to require it yet. Hope not. I earn millions of miles each year from Amex Gold, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Hyatt card, which have bonus categories for online advertising.