Getting money back for invalid traffic, network by network

No IVT-specific credit or refund policy published. A generic, discretionary refund request exists ’for any reason’ via Account Manager or support. Trust Center only says an in-house Anti-Fraud team monitors invalid traffic. Terms make Taboola’s click counts definitive and require invoice objections within 10 days (credit-line advertisers).

How to claim

Account Manager or support@taboola.com (refund request); written objection to invoice for credit-line accounts

Deadline

Invoice objections within 10 days of receipt (credit-line advertisers); none stated for refund requests

Evidence asked

Account name, Account ID and ’as many details as possible’; nothing IVT-specific listed

Limits

Taboola’s measurements regarding Clicks are definitive; invoice objections waived after 10 days

Quality vendor

Not stated for IVT. Official press releases name DoubleVerify and IAS for brand safety, not invalid-traffic credits

• realize.com: “If you feel you should be issued a refund for any reason”
• realize.com: “Taboola has a dedicated global Anti-Fraud team”
• policies.taboola.com: “Taboola’s measurements regarding Clicks are the definitive measurements under this Agreement”
• policies.taboola.com: “Any objection to any invoice shall be stated in writing to Taboola”
• taboola.com: “Taboola and DoubleVerify Partner to Bring Brand Safety and Suitability Targeting Controls”

Advertiser (Amplify) terms, now issued by Teads ’formerly Outbrain Inc.’, contain no IVT credit clause. Billing inquiries, including refund requests, are reviewed case by case at the company’s sole discretion. The other remedies are a generic invoice dispute within 30 days with supporting information, and a good-faith reconciliation when the advertiser’s tracker differs by 10% or more. Below 10% Outbrain’s numbers are conclusive. Separately, the publisher terms say partner revenue is net of invalid clicks/impressions.

How to claim

Written notice to the company, email is sufficient (invoice dispute)

Deadline

30 days from receipt of invoice, otherwise the right to dispute is waived

Evidence asked

Amount disputed and ’adequate information to support any such claim’; advertiser may submit its own Company-compatible tracker numbers

Limits

Final monthly reports are the conclusive basis for fees; discrepancies under 10% are settled on Outbrain’s numbers; refund requests are approved or denied at the company’s sole discretion

Quality vendor

Not named in the terms. Outbrain’s Trusted Partners page lists CHEQ AI Technologies for fraud prevention, and Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify for advertising verification; none is tied to advertiser credits

• outbrain.com: “will provide the conclusive basis for Company’s calculation of Fees owed by Customer”
• outbrain.com: “or the right to dispute shall be deemed waived”
• outbrain.com: “Company shall review all billing inquiries, including refund requests, on a case-by-case basis”
• outbrain.com: “Revenue is net of, inter alia, advertiser fees, third-party data services integrated into Company’s platform, invalid clicks/impressions”
• outbrain.com: “CHEQ AI TECHNOLOGIES”

MGID’s published invalid-traffic methodology says default campaign statistics are net of known IVT and a rejected click is not charged to the advertiser. For billed clicks later found invalid it applies a correction (credit / make-good) when IVT is more than 5% of a campaign’s billed clicks and the amount is no less than USD 5, typically for the last 30 days. Below that threshold it may still correct on request, and no fixed refund SLA is promised. Separately, the advertiser terms allow a written dispute of the Final Report within 30 days with supporting evidence, and unspent balance is refundable via the personal manager.

How to claim

Account Manager or Success Manager (IVT review or correction); written notice for Final Report disputes; personal manager for unspent-balance refunds

Deadline

30 calendar days from receipt of the Final Report for disputes; IVT corrections typically cover the last 30 days; unused funds reimbursable within 30 days after campaign term

Evidence asked

Final Report disputes must identify the disputed portion of the report with ’adequate supporting evidence’; nothing specific is listed for an IVT review, which MGID’s Fraud Monitoring team runs on the available campaign and click data

Limits

Automatic correction only above 5% of a campaign’s billed clicks and USD 5; no fixed refund SLA; Final Report is the conclusive basis for fees; spent funds are not refundable; prepayment retained on advertiser breach

Quality vendor

Pixalate (pre-bid and post-impression) and Anura (post-impression, on demand), alongside MGID’s own filters; TAG Certified Against Fraud

• help.mgid.com: “A rejected click is not charged to the advertiser and is not paid to the publisher”
• help.mgid.com: “Identified IVT is treated as material when it is more than 5% of a campaign’s billed clicks and the corresponding amount is no less than USD 5”
• help.mgid.com: “This article does not promise a fixed refund SLA”
• help.mgid.com: “all funds, except those already spent, are refundable”
• mgid.com: “accompanied with adequate supporting evidence sufficiently detailing the Advertiser’s position”
• mgid.com: “The Final Report will provide the conclusive basis for calculation of the actual Fees”
• mgid.com: “adding a layer of third party verification to monitor traffic quality”

Terms explicitly contemplate claims for ’suspected invalid clicks’ but any refund is at Revcontent’s sole discretion and, under the agreement, only as advertising credit. The advertiser carries the burden of proving its account received fraudulent clicks or traffic. Claims must come within 7 days of the charge.

How to claim

Not specified in the agreement (claim to Revcontent)

Deadline

7 days after the charge (or 7 days after Revcontent requests evidence)

Evidence asked

’Satisfactory evidence’ proving fraudulent actions, clicks and/or traffic, to Revcontent’s satisfaction

Limits

Charges based solely on Revcontent’s measurements; Revcontent has sole judgment on fraud; refunds discretionary and credit-only; deposits forfeited one year after activity ends

Quality vendor

Protected Media (named on Revcontent’s blog)

• help.revcontent.com: “Advertiser waives all claims relating to charges (including without limitation any claims for charges based on suspected invalid clicks) unless claimed within 7 days after the charge”
• help.revcontent.com: “only in the form of advertising credit for use on the RevContent Network”
• help.revcontent.com: “RevContent reserves sole judgment in determining fraud”

Refunds cover unused funds only (6 months from last payment; after a second deposit only balances over $200, minus a 10% fee). No IVT credit clause. The traffic-quality page invites real-time reports of suspicious traffic and says each case is reviewed individually. General claims must be filed within 30 days of the reporting period’s end, and stats discrepancies within 3 days.

How to claim

Written request to contact.us@propellerads.com or ticket at support.propellerads.com, sent from the registration email

Deadline

Discrepancy: 3 calendar days from receipt of server reports; other claims: 30 days from end of Reporting Period; buyer errors: 24 hours

Evidence asked

A ’reasoned report’ of the discrepancy; refund requests must state reasons

Limits

Reporting system prevails; ’All executed transactions are final’; fraud decided at PropellerAds’ sole discretion; bonus funds non-refundable

Quality vendor

ADEX (anti-fraud tool) plus an in-house system

• propellerads.com: “All claims related to the use of the Service ... within 30 days”
• propellerads.com: “Refund will be made in the amount of unused funds.”
• propellerads.com: “All executed transactions are final”
• propellerads.com: “users can always alert us about suspicious traffic activity in real-time”
• propellerads.com: “an in-house anti-fraud system and solutions provided by ADEX”

The strongest written policy found. Payments are not made for visits Zeropark’s internal filter deems invalid. Zeropark refunds invalid purchases ’on an ongoing basis’ as account deposit (not cash). Advertisers can also claim refunds for invalid visits, and Zeropark may ask for evidence. Refunds of the remaining balance exclude the $200 first top-up and bonuses. The FAQ says accounts that request a refund get suspended.

How to claim

Onboarding or Account Manager for suspected bot traffic; support@zeropark.com or payments@zeropark.com for payment questions and refunds

Deadline

Payment questions within 30 days of invoice receipt; none stated for invalid-visit refunds

Evidence asked

’Additional evidence ... to prove that the purchases constituted Invalid visits’ (unspecified)

Limits

Amount due is determined by Zeropark’s reports; IVT refunds go to the ad account only; first $200 top-up and bonuses non-refundable; accounts suspended on refund request

Quality vendor

Not stated (internal filtering system; IVT defined per IAB/MRC guidelines)

• zeropark.com: “Payments shall not be made for purchases deemed invalid by Zeropark’s internal filtering system”
• zeropark.com: “Zeropark refunds the Advertiser the payment made for purchases deemed invalid”
• zeropark.com: “ring fenced only into the Advertiser’s Account (i.e. in the form of deposit)”
• zeropark.com: “reach out to your Onboarding or Account Manager”
• doc.zeropark.com: “Zeropark will suspend accounts of users who request refunds”

Only a balance refund exists: within 6 months of the last payment, if the buyer is dissatisfied and compliant. After a second deposit, only balances over $20 are refunded, minus a 10% fee. No IVT credit mechanism. The terms say nothing obligates ExoClick to give credit to any party.

How to claim

Not documented for IVT (refund of balance: not specified in terms)

Deadline

Balance refund within 6 months of last payment

Evidence asked

Not documented

Limits

Charges solely based on ExoClick ad-server measurements; ’Nothing in these Terms ... may obligate ExoClick to give credit’; terminated buyers get no refund

Quality vendor

Not stated

• exoclick.com: “Charges are solely based on ExoClick Ad Serving Platform measurements”
• exoclick.com: “Nothing in these Terms or an Insertion Order may obligate ExoClick to give credit”
• exoclick.com: “a refund will only be issued for a balance greater than $20.00”

Narrow explicit bot clause. If an ad got an abnormal number of clicks from one IP within one day, the advertiser can request a refund within 5 days of detecting it. RichAds audits for ’booting bots’ and, if confirmed, credits the Personal Account within 30 days. The card-payment rules also allow a return to the bank card, at the advertiser’s choice. Nothing covers other IVT types. No cash-out refunds; a remaining balance on exit is refunded only by signed written application, ’if possible’.

How to claim

Technical support on the site or email from the verified address; hello@richads.com for refunds

Deadline

5 calendar days after detection

Evidence asked

Not specified; RichAds runs its own audit

Limits

Reporting System data is ’the only due means’ to determine credits; no cash-out refunds (ToS); service ’as is’; remaining balance not refunded on exit except by written application

Quality vendor

Adscore (named on the RichAds home page and FAQ for traffic verification; the refund terms name no vendor)

• richads.com: “check whether booting bots took place and, if so, accept the refund”
• richads.com: “Such a refund may be requested within five (5) calendar days after its detection”
• richads.com: “in no event, RICHADS LTD may make any cash-out refunds”
• richads.com: “crediting the Advertiser’s Personal Account or by returning money to his bank card”
• richads.com: “RichAds traffic quality is verified by Adscore”

Only an Available Balance refund by email, with reasons, within 12 months of the last invoice. It is processed within 30 business days to the original account. No IVT credit clause. Charges are based solely on Adsterra’s counts. The advertiser terms linked from the homepage are the ’managed’ version.

How to claim

Email Refund Request (address obfuscated on page)

Deadline

12 months from last invoice (balance refund)

Evidence asked

’details of the reasons for the refund’

Limits

Payment based solely on counts ’determined solely by Adsterra’; refunds may be withheld to investigate fraud; no refund after any breach

Quality vendor

Unnamed ’third-party technologies’ plus in-house systems (Adsterra press release)

• adsterra.com: “You can request a refund of the balance remaining in your Account”
• adsterra.com: “as the case may be and as determined solely by Adsterra”
• newsfilecorp.com: “including third-party technologies and proprietary internal systems”

Unspent funds can be withdrawn any time. No IVT refund or credit for traffic already served. The advertiser page says its anti-fraud system filters proxy, bot and mobile traffic, but quality ’mostly depend[s] on the bid’. The only ’Compensation program’ post (2011) was for server outages, not fraud.

How to claim

Not documented for IVT

Deadline

Not documented

Evidence asked

Not documented

Limits

Terms (publisher-side) make PopAds’ fraud decision final; no advertiser terms clause on disputes found

Quality vendor

Adscore (the PopAds homepage shows a ’Trusted by Adscore’ badge; no page says how it is applied to advertiser traffic)

• popads.net: “Yes, you can withdraw your unspent funds anytime you want.”
• popads.net: “anti fraud system, which filters out all proxy, bot and mobile traffic”
• popads.net: “contact us to if you’d like to participate in the compensation program”
• popads.net: “the decision of PopAds shall be the final”
• popads.net: “Trusted by Adscore”

Unspent funds are refundable within 6 months of the last payment without extra fees. After a second deposit, only balances over $100 qualify, minus 10%. No IVT credit. The only dispute path is a ’reasoned report’ of a reporting discrepancy within 3 days of first seeing it; otherwise PopCash’s numbers stand. Publisher-side terms mention retaining publisher earnings after quality analysis and advertiser reports, but promise nothing to advertisers.

How to claim

Not specified in terms (contact form / contact@popcash.net)

Deadline

3 calendar days from the day the anomaly was first seen

Evidence asked

’a reasoned report of the discrepancy’

Limits

PopCash reporting system prevails; fraud-detection methods not disclosed; terminated accounts get no refund

Quality vendor

Not stated

• popcash.net: “provide PopCash with a reasoned report of the discrepancy within three (3) calendar days”
• popcash.net: “the PopCash reporting system shall prevail”
• popcash.net: “a refund can only be issued for a balance greater than $100”

The terms say you ’make no claim’ to funds already spent, but leave one route open: for a refund of spent funds over traffic quality complaints you must give HilltopAds ’clear evidence of low traffic quality’ for the period. No credit is promised. The publisher help center says earnings from declined ’unacceptable traffic’, including bots, are deducted ’in favour of advertisers who bought low quality traffic’. Advertisers can get their remaining balance back with KYC (a selfie with ID). Stats discrepancies up to 20% against a third-party tracker give no claim at all.

How to claim

Email refund@hilltopads.com stating the reasons (terms). Balance refund: ’Request refund’ in Add Funds tab + email refund@ / support@ / marketing@hilltopads.com

Deadline

No claim deadline stated for traffic-quality complaints. Refunds processed within 30 days (help center) or 30 business days (terms); balance refunds are discretionary within 3 months of payment, with a 10% fee after that

Evidence asked

For spent funds: ’clear evidence of low traffic quality received for requested period (detailed logs, user agents etc.)’. For any refund: KYC selfie with government ID

Limits

Discrepancy up to 20% vs third-party tracker: no financial claims; banned accounts, accounts in breach of the terms and bonuses non-refundable

Quality vendor

Not stated (in-house anti-fraud system)

• hilltopads.com: “you have to provide HilltopAds with a clear evidence of low traffic quality received for requested period”
• hilltopads.com: “deducted from their balance in favour of advertisers who bought low quality traffic”
• hilltopads.com: “can make a refund of the remaining balance”
• hilltopads.com: “In case of such discrepancy you have no financial and other claims”

Terms only refund unused balance (minimum $50, bonuses excluded). The official blog tells advertisers to contact support or their manager and send tracker stats, click logs and LP CTR. It says that with evidence ’you’re protected from financial losses’ and that networks commonly reimburse ’in full’. That is a blog statement, not a contractual commitment.

How to claim

Support team or personal manager; refund requests in writing from the registration email

Deadline

Not documented

Evidence asked

Tracker stats, clicklog (user agent, IP, etc.), LP CTR; check domains and funnel

Limits

Final cost determined from RollerAds statistics; refund amount calculated from RollerAds reporting; no refund on breach

Quality vendor

Not stated (in-house, 20+ metrics)

• blog.rollerads.com: “Provide the tracker stats, clicklog (agent, IP, etc.), and LP CTR.”
• blog.rollerads.com: “common practice for ad networks to reimburse the funds in full”
• rollerads.com: “The minimum refund amount is $50 USD.”
• blog.rollerads.com: “the RollerAds team has come up with a set of 20+ technical metrics”

No advertiser IVT credit. Refunds only for unused funds, and the refund clause cites cases like a campaign that cannot launch. Stats discrepancies need a reasoned report within 3 days; other claims within 30 days of the reporting period. Publisher terms say campaigns run on fraudulent publisher sites are ’not subject to payment’, but no advertiser credit mechanism is described.

How to claim

support@clickadu.com or tickets at support.clickadu.com, sent from the registration email

Deadline

Discrepancy: 3 calendar days; other claims: 30 days from end of Reporting Period; buyer errors: 24 hours

Evidence asked

’a reasoned report determining a discrepancy’

Limits

Billing based on Clickadu reporting system; ’all executed transactions are final’; balance adjustable for fraud at Clickadu’s discretion; after second deposit refunds only above $100 minus 10%

Quality vendor

Not stated

• clickadu.com: “providing Clickadu with a reasoned report determining a discrepancy within three (3) calendar days”
• clickadu.com: “all executed transactions are final”
• clickadu.com: “Publishers websites with fraudulent activities are not subject to payment”

The terms explicitly waive refunds for traffic quality once traffic is delivered. Only the remaining balance is refundable (6-month trial window; later with a minimum balance and a 10% fee), at TrafficStars’ discretion. The widely repeated ’5x refund for fraudulent traffic’ appears only on third-party review sites; it is not on trafficstars.com terms, FAQ or homepage.

How to claim

Support Team (live chat or email) for balance refunds

Deadline

Balance refund within 6 months of initial deposit without fees

Evidence asked

Not documented

Limits

Transactions ’final and non-refundable’ once delivered; advertiser waives refund claims ’based on ... traffic quality’

Quality vendor

Not stated

• trafficstars.com: “all transactions conducted through the platform are final and non-refundable”
• trafficstars.com: “disputes based on performance, revenue expectations, or traffic quality”
• trafficstars.com: “refund requests will be reviewed, approved or rejected at TrafficStars’ sole discretion”

Explicit clause. A prepaid advertiser who proves that charged actions came from a publisher’s fraudulent activity is entitled to request a refund. Post-pay advertisers are simply not invoiced for those actions. The condition is a weekly detailed report of the sources/websites the advertiser considers fraudulent, plus more proof on request. Claims later than 30 days after the last billing date need not be answered. Unused balance at contract end is refundable within 30 days, minimum 50 EUR/USD, minus a 25% administrative fee.

How to claim

Email contact@adcash.com (per the Refunds help article); the terms require a weekly source/website report to Adcash

Deadline

30 days after the last billing date

Evidence asked

Weekly detailed report of sources/websites considered fraudulent; additional proof on request

Limits

Missing weekly reports allow Adcash to refuse; price based on Adcash platform statistics; invoices auto-approved; no crypto refunds; unused-balance refunds carry 25% fee

Quality vendor

None: Adcash says it uses no third-party solutions and detects fraud in-house

• adcash.com: “you prove that the actions ... are based on a Publisher’s fraudulent activities”
• adcash.com: “send to Adcash a weekly detailed report of sources/websites you consider to be fraudulent”
• adcash.com: “not obliged to respond to the claims which come later than 30 days”
• support.adcash.com: “email our support team at contact@adcash.com”
• adcash.com: “Adcash doesn’t work with any third-party solutions”

Refunds only for unused funds (minimum $50) on written request. Support reviews within 10 days, and EvaDav may grant or refuse based on the user’s history, with its ’resolution is final’. No IVT credit or dispute clause. Chargebacks count as fraud and lead to a permanent block.

How to claim

Written request to EvaDav support team

Deadline

Review within 10 days; no claim deadline stated

Evidence asked

Reasons for the refund

Limits

Refund amount from EvaDav’s reporting system; discretionary and final; chargebacks prohibited

Quality vendor

Not stated

• evadav.com: “Refund will be made in the amount of unused funds.”
• evadav.com: “can refund claimed amount to the User or refuse in such refund”
• evadav.com: “resolution is final.”

Unspent funds are refundable any time, within 7 business days, and a transaction fee may apply. No IVT credit. Stats discrepancies need a reasoned report within 3 days; otherwise Mondiad’s reporting system prevails. Publisher terms let Mondiad adjust publisher balances ’due to Advertiser’s complaints or refunds’, but no advertiser claim process is described. The terms are issued by First Media Ltd.

How to claim

No claim process specified; the terms give contact@mondiad.com ’for any inquiries’

Deadline

3 calendar days from receipt of Mondiad server reports; buyer errors 24 hours

Evidence asked

’a reasoned report of such discrepancy’

Limits

Mondiad reporting system prevails; ’All executed transactions are final’; fraud-detection methods not disclosed

Quality vendor

Unnamed ’internal and third party tools’

• members.mondiad.com: “Advertisers may request a refund for any unspent funds at any time”
• members.mondiad.com: “provide Mondiad with a reasoned report of such discrepancy within three (3) calendar days”
• members.mondiad.com: “Due to Advertiser’s complaints or refunds”
• members.mondiad.com: “For any inquiries, you can contact us directly through email at contact@mondiad.com.”
• mondiad.com: “We detect and repress the fraud by using both internal and third party tools.”