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 |
partially_refunded | Customer received a partial refund, commission reduced proportionally |
refunded | Customer fully 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 receives a partial refund, the commission is reduced proportionally and the conversion can move to partially_refunded. If the customer receives a full refund, the conversion status changes to refunded and the commission is reversed.
Refunded commissions that were already paid out are deducted from your next payout.
