Google Expands Shopping Promotions to Cover Subscription Discounts on January 7, 2026
On January 7, 2026, Google broadened which promotion types can run with Shopping ads and free listings, adding support for subscription-fee discounts and loosening restrictions on common retail shorthand. According to Google’s January 7 announcement, the changes apply through Google Merchant Center (Google’s product and offer management tool) and affect how merchants structure and submit promotions that appear alongside product listings in the United States. The update gives subscription sellers a formal path to surface trial and introductory pricing offers in Shopping results.
What changed in Merchant Center promotions?
Google’s update adds three policy changes tied to promotions that can appear across Shopping surfaces.
Merchants can now submit promotions that discount subscription fees, including offers framed as an amount-off discount, a percent-off discount, or a free trial period tied to a subscription cost. Google also said it will accept several widely used abbreviations in promotion titles, including BOGO, B1G1, MRP, and MSRP, a shift aimed at reducing disapprovals when titles mirror standard retail language. The same announcement described a separate rule for Brazil that allows payment-method-conditioned promotions, while noting no stated near-term expansion beyond that market.
How do the rules define an eligible promotion?
Expanded eligibility does not remove the underlying approval checks that control whether a promotion can show in Shopping ads. Google’s documentation frames promotion approval around clarity, value, and redemption transparency rather than creative flair.
The Promotions policies describe eligibility guardrails, including requirements that promotions provide a clear monetary discount or added value at checkout, that redemption conditions are disclosed, and that titles reflect the deal accurately. The guidance also sets boundaries on what counts as added value in different markets and describes limits on promotion duration. The page notes that promotions are limited to 6 months or 183 days and emphasizes that the offer must be confirmed in cart or checkout, with price consistency maintained between the product landing page and the data submitted through Merchant Center. The policy details are outlined in the Promotions policies page.
What needs to change for teams managing Shopping feeds?
Google’s January 7 update includes clear implementation cues for merchants who submit promotions through the Merchant Center UI or via a promotions feed.
For subscription offers, Google said merchants can create a promotion by selecting the eligibility requirement labeled Subscribe and save in Merchant Center, or by setting the redemption restriction field in a promotions feed to subscribe_and_save. The announcement included examples such as a first-month free trial and a steep introductory discount for the first billing cycles, which signals Google intends to accept both trial framing and discounted recurring costs when the offer terms are clear.
For feed-based workflows, the promotions data specification lists the available redemption restriction values and how they fit within a promotion record. Per Google’s Promotions data specification, the redemption_restriction enum includes:
- subscribe_and_save
- first_order
- sign_up_for_email
- sign_up_for_text
- forms_of_payment (limited to India and Brazil)
- custom
Operational checks that often determine approval outcomes remain practical and concrete:
- Ensure the promotion terms appear in cart and checkout, not only on product pages.
- Keep promotion titles aligned with the stated conditions and any minimum thresholds.
- Set effective dates within the 183-day limit described in policy guidance.
Operational checks that often determine approval outcomes remain practical and concrete:
- Ensure the promotion terms appear in cart and checkout, not only on product pages.
- Keep promotion titles aligned with the stated conditions and any minimum thresholds.
- Set effective dates within the 183-day limit described in policy guidance.
What could this mean for Shopping ads in the U.S.?
The policy shift targets a gap between how many merchants sell today and what Shopping promotions historically treated as an acceptable discount. Subscription pricing has spread beyond media into categories such as consumables, personal care, meal plans, and memberships. Allowing subscription-fee promotions means merchants can represent introductory subscription offers directly, rather than forcing those incentives into one-time product markdown formats that do not match recurring billing.
The change on abbreviations carries a separate impact. Retail titles often rely on shorthand to fit character constraints and mirror point-of-sale signage. By accepting common abbreviations, Google reduces a frequent reason for promotion review friction, especially for retailers that run high-volume promotions with standardized naming conventions.
Approval outcomes will still hinge on precision. Redemption conditions, price consistency, and transparent checkout confirmation remain central to whether a promotion shows with Shopping ads. For U.S. advertisers with subscription models, Google’s January 7 rule change creates a defined, documented route to qualify those offers as promotions inside Merchant Center.
Closing: Google’s January 7, 2026 update expands Merchant Center promotions to include subscription-fee discounts and standard retail abbreviations, widening the range of offers that can appear with Shopping ads in the United States. The practical payoff depends on clean feed implementation and strict consistency at checkout, where promotion reviews often succeed or fail.
Ajay Mistry
Ajay Mistry works in digital marketing strategy, AI-driven optimization, and Google advertising, with experience across Google Ads and Merchant Center. He focuses on improving visibility, account health, and conversions by aligning content, data, and campaigns with platform guidelines. He writes practical guides on advertising performance, compliance, and sustainable growth.