How Commissions Work
When someone you referred makes a purchase, you earn a commission. The amount depends on the program’s commission structure.
Commission Types
| Type | How It Works | Example |
|---|
| One-time | Percentage commission on the initial purchase only | 30% of a 99sale=29.70 |
| Recurring | Percentage commission on each subscription renewal | 20% of every monthly renewal |
| Recurring with limit | Recurring percentage commission capped to a set number of months | 20% for the first 12 months |
Commission Lifecycle
Every commission goes through these stages:
Conversion Created → Pending → Approved → Paid
| Status | Description |
|---|
pending | Conversion recorded, waiting for approval period |
approved | Commission confirmed, waiting for payout threshold |
paid | Included in a payout, money sent to you |
refunded | Customer refunded, commission reversed |
Why Pending?
Commissions start as pending to protect against refunds and fraud. The approval period varies by program – typically 14-30 days. This is standard practice in affiliate marketing.
Viewing Your Commissions
Dashboard
Your affiliate dashboard shows:
- Total commissions earned (all time)
- Pending commissions (not yet approved)
- Available for payout (approved, waiting for threshold)
- Commission history with per-conversion detail
Via API
Use GET /me/earnings for the cross-program overview and GET /me/earnings/{programId} when you want line-item detail for one program.
const headers = {
Authorization: 'Bearer ak_aff_YOUR_KEY',
};
const overview = await fetch('https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/me/earnings', { headers }).then((r) => r.json());
const details = await fetch(
'https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/me/earnings/PROGRAM_UUID?period=30d',
{ headers }
).then((r) => r.json());
Recurring Commissions
Some programs offer recurring commissions on subscription products. If a customer you referred stays subscribed, you earn a commission on each renewal – not just the first payment.
Whether a program offers one-time or recurring commissions is set by the merchant. Check the program details when you join.
Refunds
If a customer requests a refund, the associated commission is reversed. The conversion status changes to refunded and the amount is deducted from your pending balance.
Refunded commissions that were already paid out will be deducted from your next payout.
