How to Get $100 in Pinterest
Advertising on Pinterest can drive significant traffic to your Shopify store, Amazon listings, or any other website. But what if you could get your first $100 in ad spend completely free? There is a repeatable method to claim a $100 Pinterest advertising credit by leveraging Shopify's partnership with Pinterest, and you don't even need a fully built store to qualify. This guide breaks down the exact process, the tools required, and the nuances to ensure you can replicate it successfully.
What Is This Offer?
Shopify and Pinterest have a collaboration that gives eligible new advertisers a $100 credit to spend on Pinterest ads. The credit is typically available when you connect your Shopify store to Pinterest and set up a new Pinterest Business account or link an existing one. While the offer is meant for legitimate store owners, the barrier to entry is remarkably low, making it accessible even to those just starting out.
Prerequisites and Preparation
Before you begin, you'll need:
A stable internet connection and a browser.
An email address (any Gmail works; you can use a temporary one, but a real one is safer).
A U.S.-based address: This is critical because the offer is location-dependent. You don't need to live in the U.S.—you just need to enter a valid U.S. address during setup. Use any real U.S. address (a random street, city, and state like Florida, with a legitimate ZIP code).
A payment method: The system requires a card for verification, but it does not charge you anything unless you spend beyond the $100 credit. The speaker uses virtual cards (like those from Wise, Payoneer, or virtual Visa cards) repeatedly to exploit the offer, but any valid card works.
Step-by-Step Process
1. Set Up a Shopify Account
Go to shopify.com and start a free trial. When signing up, ensure your store location is set to United States, even if you are in another country. This is the most crucial setting because it triggers the regional offer eligibility.
Click "Start free trial."
Choose to sign up with an email address or Google account.
For the business location, select United States from the dropdown. The language should be English.
Skip the store name and category steps (they can be filled in later or left blank).
Enter your U.S.-based address details: a street address, city, state (e.g., Florida), ZIP code, and country as United States. Use a real address if you can find one; otherwise, a fictitious but complete address will pass the system checks.
2. Navigate the Shopify Dashboard
Once your account is created, you'll see the Shopify dashboard. The trial is free for a limited time, and you don't need to add products. Your goal is simply to access the Pinterest sales channel.
Ignore the setup guide and "Add product" prompts; you can dismiss them.
The dashboard shows your store is already configured with the U.S. location, which is exactly what we need.
3. Install the Pinterest Sales Channel
In the Shopify dashboard, go to the search bar and type "Pinterest." Look for the Pinterest sales channel app and click Install. Follow the on-screen prompts to connect your Pinterest account.
If you don't have a Pinterest Business account, you can create one during this process. The system will guide you.
The app will request permissions to access your Pinterest account and manage ads. Accept the terms.
After connecting, the channel is added, and the interface will show the option to claim the ad credit.
4. Claim the $100 Ad Credit
Inside the Pinterest channel within Shopify (or sometimes in the Pinterest Ads dashboard), there will be a banner or prompt to claim a $100 credit. Usually, you simply click **"Claim Offer"** or a similar button, and the $100 is immediately added to your ad account balance.
Important: The credit is valid for a certain period (often a few months; the speaker mentioned an expiration date in May 2027 in his case). Check your balance in the Pinterest Ads manager to confirm.
You'll see a "Ad credit available" under Billing. You can start creating campaigns and spending the $100 without any actual financial outlay.
5. Running Ads and Spending the Credit
Now you have $100 to spend on Pinterest ads. You can direct traffic to your Shopify store (even if it's empty), an Amazon product listing, an affiliate link, or any landing page. Pinterest works on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) basis, so your credit can bring in a good number of visitors.
To withdraw or "cash out," you simply spend the credit on ads that drive traffic to your monetized destination. There is no direct cash withdrawal; you convert the credit into valuable traffic.
The speaker used the credit to promote various things and noted that after the initial $100, the account balance remained at $74 leftover in one instance, meaning he had already used some of the credit.
Important Nuances and Reusability
The method can be repeated by creating new Shopify trials and new Pinterest Business accounts, each time using a different email and U.S. address. The speaker mentions reusing virtual cards to bypass the unique payment method requirement—each new account needs a card on file even if it won't be charged. However, be cautious:
Shopify and Pinterest may eventually flag accounts that are clearly not genuine businesses. Use fresh emails, avoid VPNs that raise suspicion, and don't overdo it.
Virtual cards from services like Wise, Payoneer, or Revolut can be used as long as they are valid. Some virtual cards may decline the $0 verification hold; test with a small number first.
The credit often has a "must be used by" date, so plan your ads accordingly.
If you have a real business, this is a legitimate way to test Pinterest ads risk-free.
Final Thoughts
This free $100 credit is an excellent way to kickstart your Pinterest advertising without initial investment. By following the steps exactly—using a U.S. location, connecting the sales channel, and claiming the offer—you can drive traffic to any site you want. For those with established stores or affiliate sites, this is essentially free traffic. For beginners, it's a low-risk introduction to paid ads.
Just remember: treat each account as a unique entity, and always provide a real-looking U.S. address to avoid triggering fraud filters. Done correctly, you can replicate this multiple times and build a consistent stream of free visitors.
