Commission
A commission is the payment an affiliate earns for each qualifying conversion they drive, set as a percentage of the sale or a fixed amount per action.
Commission structures vary: a percentage of order value (e.g. 20% of the sale), a flat fee per action (e.g. $50 per signup), tiered rates that increase with volume, or recurring commission paid for the lifetime of a subscription. The structure defines how affiliates are motivated.
Commissions are usually created when a conversion is attributed, then move through states — pending, approved, paid — as they clear a refund or attribution window and are reviewed before payout.
See also
- Conversion
A conversion is the qualifying action — such as a sale, signup, lead, or subscription — that triggers an affiliate commission.
- Recurring Commission
A recurring commission pays the affiliate a share of every renewal payment a referred customer makes, not just the first sale.
- Payout Threshold
A payout threshold is the minimum balance an affiliate must accumulate before the program will release a payment.
- Clawback (Chargeback)
A clawback is the reversal of a previously credited affiliate commission when the underlying sale is refunded, cancelled, or charged back.
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