On 12 November 2026 Google announced a new "Invalid traffic" card in Google Ads. In one place, it shows an advertiser how much spend was never charged because the clicks were invalid, and how much was credited back for invalid clicks that Google caught later. Until now that information was split between a column in the campaigns table and an adjustments line on the billing page, and most small advertisers never went looking for it.
An invalid click is one Google doesn't count as genuine interest: accidental double clicks, automated software, or someone clicking a competitor's ad over and over to drain its budget. Google says it doesn't charge for that traffic, and that since the start of 2026 it has cut advertisers' exposure to invalid leads by an average of 30%.
The card is rolling out gradually. Google's help center says it may not be in every account yet. The announcement doesn't limit it to particular countries, so advertisers outside the US, Israel included, should see it as the rollout reaches them.
Two figures on the Overview page
The card sits on the Overview page under the Campaigns menu and shows two numbers. Estimated savings is the cost Google saved through its automated filters and the manual reviews it runs on its own initiative. Credited cost is the amount returned for invalid activity found only after a billing period had closed.
Clicking "View details" opens a page with a daily graph, a breakdown across every campaign in the account, and direct links to the invoices that carry the credits. If you run several campaigns side by side, say a Performance Max campaign next to a standard Search campaign, you can finally see which one is catching more of these clicks.
Clicks caught after billing
According to the help center, an invalid click caught before the billing cycle ends is simply removed from your metrics and your bill, so there is nothing to refund. A click identified as invalid after the cycle has closed is credited automatically in the next billing cycle, "when appropriate and possible", as an adjustment. Those credits also show on the billing page, in the adjustments menu of the monthly card, on a line labelled invalid activity.
One detail trips advertisers up. Campaign metrics are not revised after a credit. To see clicks, cost and conversion rate net of credits, run the invalid activity credit report in the Google Ads report editor. Google also notes that a high count of filtered clicks next to a small credit on the invoice is normal, because the two figures aren't directly linked.
A 60-day window to ask for a review
If a budget seems to vanish for no reason, such as dozens of clicks in an hour with no enquiries, you can ask Google to investigate. The request goes through the click quality form in the help center and covers only activity from the last 60 days. A review usually takes a few business days. After 60 days the window is gone, which is a good reason to glance at the new card once a month rather than only when something looks off.
If the clicks are real and the enquiries still don't come, the traffic probably isn't the problem. In that case it pays to check why the website brings no leads before raising the budget.
On the books
Google advertising is a deductible business expense, recorded from the invoices Google produces. A credit for invalid clicks lands as an adjustment on the next cycle's invoice, so a month's charge can come in below the budget set in the campaign. The card links straight to those invoices, which makes it easy to hand your accountant the right document and explain why one month cost less.