First Bill (Firstbill) — a term from traffic arbitrage slang related to the first advertising charge under a postpaid billing model. Originally, it refers to the first invoice issued by an advertising platform after an account has spent the set amount.
However, in traffic arbitrage chats and media, «First Bill» often refers to a fraudulent scheme: ads are run until the first charge, while the platform’s invoice is intentionally left unpaid. Those who use this scheme are called First Billers.
How First Bill works
First Bill became possible due to the postpaid model. An advertising platform may first allow an account to spend a certain amount and request payment later. When spending reaches the set billing threshold, a charge is attempted.
After a failed payment, the Ads Manager may be restricted, while the payment method may be subjected to additional checks. Large-scale fraud also forces advertising platforms to strengthen payment anti-fraud systems: tightening checks on cards and accounts and lowering available thresholds.
Therefore, it is important to consider the context. When referring to Ads Manager billing, First Bill may mean a regular first invoice or charge. When people say «run traffic on First Bill», «First Billing», or «First Biller», they are referring to intentionally not paying for advertising traffic. This usage is especially common in the traffic arbitrage community.
Why First Bill is considered fraud
When referring specifically to «running traffic on First Bill», the affiliate marketer receives advertising traffic and intentionally does not pay for it. Therefore, platforms combat such schemes through payment checks, restrictions on new accounts, low initial thresholds, and other anti-fraud mechanisms.
First Bill also creates problems for media buyers who do not use fraudulent schemes. The more often a platform encounters unpaid traffic and other payment fraud, the stricter its checks become. As a result, Ads Managers without violations may also be subjected to them.
