Google Launches a Credit Card for Small UK Businesses

By Jane McEntegart
published

So you can more easily pay for AdWords.

Google announced the launch of a new credit card aimed at small businesses in the United Kingdom. The idea is to help out small business owners who might be struggling with the ebb and flow of seasonal business or similar issues by providing some extra credit that allows for a little bit of wiggle room. Of course, the catch is that this card doesn't allow you to buy just anything. Instead, Google is hoping to take the pressure off of local businesses by providing them with a card to pay for Google AdWords.

Google explains that the AdWords Business Credit project was piloted in the US last summer to make it easier for small businesses to track their spending and pay for their AdWords campaigns. With 74 percent of respondents to the pilot now using AdWords Business Credit as their primary form of AdWords payment, Google has decided to bring the program to the UK.

Google is teaming up with Barclaycard for the UK program, which will pack a variable 11.9 percent APR. When the search giant extends additional invites to U.S. SMBs later this month, it'll be through Comenity Capital Bank with APRs ranging from between 8.99 percent to 18.99 percent (depending on your credit).

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Jane McEntegart
3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • zander1983
    And I thought I could go on a shopping spree on Google's credit!
    Reply
  • outlw6669
    9412849 said:
    Google is teaming up with Barclaycard for the UK program, which will pack a variable 11.9 percent APR.
    Yeah, big FU to that!
    Reply
  • This is much more likely to be a desperate attempt by Google to stem the massive amounts of fraudulent AdWords activity. Having worked for a company who utilised AdWords heavily, the amount of times the company credit cards were compromised was frankly mind boggling. Every single time, the initial response form Google was that details must have been harvested elsewhere on the web. Once it was pointed out that certain cards were exclusively used for AdWords, their policy changed somewhat.
    Was Google's customer database being ransacked by unchallenged villains ? They would certainly never admit it, but the evidence is both overwhelming and really quite damning.
    Reply