---
title: "Can You Offer a Discount for a Review? Rules by Platform"
description: "Can you offer incentives for Google reviews? Google and Amazon bar discounts, gift cards and raffles for reviews. See each rule and what to do instead."
url: "https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-09-28"
modified: "2026-09-28"
author: "Cal Hewitt"
tags: ["online-reviews","online-reputation","small-business"]
image: "https://webleveling.com/og/blog-can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review.jpg"
alternates:
  es: "https://webleveling.com/es/blog/puede-ofrecer-un-descuento-a-sus-clientes-por-una-resena.md"
---

# Can You Offer a Discount for a Review? Rules by Platform

Can you offer incentives for Google reviews? Google and Amazon bar discounts, gift cards and raffles for reviews. See each rule and what to do instead.

![A small stack of blank paper coupons and a closed metal tin on a plain wooden counter.](https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/review-incentives-featured.jpg)

You are staring at a competitor with hundreds of reviews while your own count has barely moved. Maybe you have already typed up a card that says "leave a review, get 10% off." Maybe a customer joked about a raffle, or a marketing provider suggested a gift card. So, can you offer incentives for Google reviews? On Google and Amazon, the answer is no: a discount, gift card or free item in exchange for a review is not allowed. Under the federal rule that took effect in 2024, a reward tied to a positive or negative rating is also off the table. This post walks through each platform's rule, what can happen to your profile, and what to do tonight instead.

**Key Takeaways**

**Skip the discount**

Google prohibits payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review.

**The FTC rule is narrower, the platforms are stricter**

The federal rule bans rewards conditioned on a positive or negative rating, but Google and Amazon prohibit the reward itself.

**Disclosure does not fix it**

Telling readers about the reward does not cure a platform violation, and a reward for a five-star review breaks the FTC rule even when disclosed.

**Ask everyone, offer nothing**

A neutral request, a direct review link and a reply to every review are all allowed.

## Is it allowed to give a discount, gift card or raffle entry for a review?

Not on the platforms that matter most to a small business. Google's [prohibited and restricted content policy](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7400114) bars payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review. That covers the ten percent off card, the free coffee, the gift card and the "reviewers are entered to win" raffle, because each one is a benefit connected to a review.

Amazon is even more specific. Its [customer product reviews policy](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/YRKB5RU3FS5TURN) prohibits financial rewards, discounts, free products, refunds, prize entries, gift cards and other compensation in exchange for reviews. Yelp [strongly discourages businesses from soliciting reviews](https://business.yelp.com/resources/articles/using-customer-reviews-to-promote-your-business-and-inspire-your-staff/) because feedback should stay unbiased. Meta's [Community Guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/help/477434105621119) prohibit offering money or giveaways for engagement and prohibit fake or misleading reviews and ratings.

The size of the reward does not change the answer. A small coupon is still a benefit tied to a review. The question to ask about any promotion is whether anything is connected to the act of posting a review, not whether it is big enough to matter.

![A small stack of blank paper coupons squared up on a wooden counter beside a closed metal tin.](https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/blank-discount-coupons-stack.jpg)

Any coupon connected to a review is a reward for a review, whatever its size.

## What do Google, Yelp, Facebook, Amazon and the FTC each say?

The platforms and the federal rule do not all say the same thing, and a practice that clears one can still break another. The table below compares them.

Review incentive rules by source

| Source | Rule on rewards for reviews |
| --- | --- |
| Google | Prohibits payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review |
| Amazon | Prohibits financial rewards, discounts, free products, refunds, prize entries, gift cards or other compensation for reviews |
| Yelp | Strongly discourages businesses from soliciting reviews so feedback stays unbiased |
| Meta (Facebook) | Prohibits money or giveaways for engagement, and fake or misleading reviews and ratings |
| FTC | Prohibits compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative |

The federal piece is the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, effective October 21, 2024. Its [questions and answers page](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers) says a business may offer an incentive for a review only when the incentive is not expressly or implicitly conditioned on a positive or negative sentiment. Incentives can also raise disclosure duties under the FTC Act and the Endorsement Guides. The rule is written up in the FTC's [announcement of the final rule](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials), and the FTC has also published a [post for businesses on complying with the review rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2025/12/warning-letter-or-ten-businesses-comply-ftcs-consumer-review-rule).

That narrower federal wording is where a lot of confusion starts. A rule that is lawful under the FTC's wording is not automatically allowed by the platform where the review appears. Google and Amazon prohibit the incentive itself, so a reward for "any review, good or bad" still breaks their rules.

## Does asking for any review, good or bad, make a reward okay?

No. Changing the wording of the request does not change the rule. A card that says "leave any review, positive or negative, and get 10% off" is no longer sentiment-conditioned under the FTC rule, but it is still a discount in exchange for a review, and Google prohibits that outright. The same goes for a raffle that requires a review for entry.

Disclosure does not rescue it either. Telling readers that a reviewer got a reward does not cure a violation of Google, Yelp, Meta or Amazon policy. A reward for a five-star review breaks the FTC rule even when the reviewer discloses it, and the FTC says knowing violations can lead to civil penalties.

Two related offers are worse. Paying or rewarding someone to change or remove a negative review is exactly what Google's policy names. And asking only your happiest customers for reviews is a different problem; see [what Google says about review gating](https://webleveling.com/blog/is-review-gating-allowed/) for that.

![A closed ballot-style box with a narrow slot sitting next to a pile of blank paper slips on a plain table.](https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/raffle-box-and-blank-slips.jpg)

A raffle where a review is the entry ticket is still a benefit tied to a review.

## What happens if you offer one and get caught?

The consequences depend on the platform, and all of them cost more than a missing coupon would have. Google can remove incentivized reviews, temporarily prevent new reviews, unpublish existing ones, show a warning that fake reviews were removed, or apply [Business Profile restrictions](https://support.google.com/business/answer/14114287). Its [consumer alerts](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/15178562) are the public-facing side of that.

Amazon says violations can lead to permanent withdrawal of selling privileges, withheld funds, removal of all product reviews, prevention of future reviews, permanent product delisting, legal action and public disclosure of seller information. Meta may remove violating content, disable accounts or impose other restrictions. Yelp may filter or fail to recommend reviews that do not meet its standards.

The practical cost is rarely the fine. It is losing the review record you built. A business can end up with reviews removed, a warning on its profile, and a campaign that bought nothing lasting. For a business that depends on its Google profile to be found, that is a heavy trade for a ten percent coupon.

If you are also wondering what a missing profile or lost reviews would cost you to fix, [what reputation management costs](https://webleveling.com/blog/how-much-does-reputation-management-cost/) puts numbers on the options.

## What should you check in your own review requests tonight?

Do this before anything else, and do it even if you never planned an incentive. Open every email, text message, receipt, package insert, QR-code card, automation and staff script that asks for a review. Search each one for these words: discount, coupon, gift, gift card, free, refund, rebate, raffle, contest, entry, reward, five-star, positive.

Remove any benefit tied to posting, changing or removing a review. Replace it with a neutral request, such as "Please share your experience," followed by a direct review link. Then check each platform separately, because something allowed on one may break another's policy.

If a provider or software tool sends your requests, read what it actually sends. A tool can run prohibited wording across every message without anyone on your team noticing. Ask the provider in writing which platform and legal rules its process follows.

![A thin folder of printed pages lying open on a desk next to a closed pen and a small adhesive flag.](https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/folder-of-printed-review-requests.jpg)

Pull every version of your review request into one folder and read the wording line by line.

## What can you do instead to get more reviews?

You can ask. Google's [tips for getting more reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122) allow direct review links and QR codes, follow-up notes, replies to reviews and valuing both positive and negative feedback. Your request should not require a specific rating, specific wording or a review written on your premises.

Four moves are all allowed:

- **Ask every customer, not a hand-picked few**: A neutral follow-up after a completed job or purchase.
- **Make the review page one tap away**: A direct link in the text or email, or a [review QR code](https://webleveling.com/blog/google-review-qr-code/).
- **Send one follow-up**: A short note that does not mention any reward.
- **Reply to every review**: Positive and negative, politely and promptly.

A negative review is not a policy failure, and you do not need every review to be five stars. Google says balanced reviews help potential customers decide. For the full set of ways to ask, see [how to get more reviews](https://webleveling.com/blog/how-to-get-more-reviews/).

![Several blank thank-you cards fanned out on a shop counter beside a small standing card holder.](https://webleveling.com/blog/can-you-offer-customers-a-discount-for-a-review/review-request-cards-by-register.jpg)

A card that asks and offers nothing in return is allowed and carries no rule risk.

## What if a provider suggested it, or you already ran one?

If a marketing provider proposed a discount for reviews, a responsible answer is for them to decline to build it, explain Google's and Amazon's rules, and flag the FTC sentiment and disclosure issues. They can still be hired for the allowed work: auditing review requests, rewriting neutral messages, setting up direct links or QR codes, training staff, monitoring reviews and replying to them. If what a vendor sells is a way to buy five-star reviews, do not buy it.

If you already ran a campaign, stop it today. Keep copies of the messages, cards and posts that mentioned a reward, because you may need them later. Do not contact customers or the platform to ask for reviews to be changed or removed until you have talked to a qualified lawyer. Fixing existing incentivized reviews is a bigger job than fixing future wording, and legal advice belongs at the start of it.

Whether to do that cleanup yourself or hire help is a separate question; [DIY reputation management versus hiring help](https://webleveling.com/blog/diy-reputation-management-vs-hiring-help/) lays out where each makes sense. If your review process is already working, two related posts cover the questions that tend to come next: [how many Google reviews a business needs](https://webleveling.com/blog/how-many-google-reviews-does-a-business-need/) and [whether to pay someone to respond to reviews](https://webleveling.com/blog/should-you-pay-someone-to-respond-to-reviews/).

**Quiz: Can you reward a review?**

1. A customer offers to leave a review if you give them 10% off. What do Google's rules say?
   - It is fine if the reviewer tells readers about the discount
   - It is fine if the discount is small
   - Discounts in exchange for a review are prohibited **(correct answer)**
   - It is fine if you ask for a five-star review
2. Which reward does the FTC rule specifically ban?
   - A reminder email
   - A reward conditioned on a positive or negative rating **(correct answer)**
   - A direct review link
   - A reply to a review
3. What is a safe way to ask for a review?
   - Ask only customers you expect to be happy
   - Offer a coupon after the review is posted
   - Send every customer a neutral request with a direct review link and no reward **(correct answer)**
   - Ask for five stars in the message

## Frequently Asked Questions About can you offer incentives for google reviews

**Can I offer a discount for a Google review?**

No. Google prohibits discounts, free goods or services and payment in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review. See Google's [prohibited and restricted content policy](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7400114).

**Can I reward customers for any review, not just a five-star one?**

The FTC rule does not prohibit every neutral incentive, only those conditioned on a positive or negative sentiment. Google and Amazon still prohibit the reward itself on their platforms, so a neutral incentive is not safe to use.

**Does disclosing the reward make it acceptable?**

No. Disclosure does not cure a violation of Google, Yelp, Meta or Amazon policy, and a reward for a five-star review breaks the FTC rule even when it is disclosed.

**Can I run a raffle where leaving a review is the entry?**

No. A raffle entry that requires a review is a benefit tied to a review. Amazon lists prize entries among the compensation it prohibits.

**What can happen if I break the rules?**

Google can remove reviews, show a warning and restrict your Business Profile. Amazon can withdraw selling privileges and remove product reviews. Meta can remove content or disable accounts, and the FTC rule allows civil penalties for knowing violations. The [FTC's questions and answers page](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers) covers the rule.

**Can I ask every customer for a review?**

Yes, as long as the request is neutral and does not pressure the rating or the wording. Use a direct link or QR code, send a follow-up and reply to every review.

## Final Thoughts

For a small business, the answer is to skip the reward and ask every customer. A discount, gift card or raffle entry for a review breaks Google's and Amazon's rules, Yelp and Meta discourage or prohibit the same thing, and the FTC bans rewards tied to a rating. What you give up is small; what you can lose is reviews and a profile you spent years building.

You can run the first audit yourself in ten minutes. Open your emails, texts, receipts and cards, search for reward words, and cut every one. Help only pays off when your requests spread across many channels, your provider or software sends them, or a past campaign needs to be cleaned up.

If you want a second set of eyes on that, [Web Leveling](https://webleveling.com/) can review your requests across every channel and set up a neutral process. Our [online reputation](https://webleveling.com/services/online-reputation/) work covers the audit, the wording, review links and replies, and you can [contact us through the contact page](https://webleveling.com/contact/) to talk it through. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas.

## Terms

Review incentive words in this post

Tap a term to see what it means.

**Incentivized review.** A review a business rewards with money, a discount, a gift, a refund or an entry into a prize drawing.

**Review gating.** Asking only certain customers, usually the happiest ones, for a review.

**Sentiment.** Whether a review is positive or negative, which the FTC rule says an incentive cannot depend on.

**Business Profile.** A business's free listing on Google Search and Maps.

**Civil penalty.** A money penalty a court can impose for knowing violations of the FTC review rule.

**Disclosure.** A statement that a reviewer received something of value in connection with a review.

- [Anonymous Google Review: Can You Find Out Who Left It?](https://webleveling.com/blog/find-out-who-left-an-anonymous-google-review/): Got an anonymous Google review you can't match to a customer? See what Google shows, how to report it, how to reply, and when a lawyer makes sense.
- [Review extortion scam: what to do in your first hour](https://webleveling.com/blog/review-extortion-scams/): A review extortion scam demands money to stop fake one-star reviews. Do not pay. Save the evidence, file Google's extortion report, and protect your profile.
- [How Many Google Reviews Do You Need? Set a Real Target](https://webleveling.com/blog/how-many-google-reviews-does-a-business-need/): There is no fixed number of Google reviews you need. Compare your three closest competitors, set a 90-day target, and decide if paying for help is worth it.