Payment Considerations

Almost as important as HOW MUCH you get paid is WHEN you get paid. If your merchant runs their affiliate program through an affiliate network, like Commission Junction, you will be compensated when the affiliate network sends out payments. Most affiliate networks send out payments monthly.

These payments generally include all of the prior month’stransactions. For example, if you made 10 sales in January for a merchant, you would receive your commissions the following month (February). This allows merchants to verify all of the transactions before a payment is issued. This is necessary because in some cases a sale may be reversed because of a fraudulent or problematic order.

If your merchant runs an independent affiliate program, you will be compensated on their time-table. Some merchants may pay their affiliates every 2 weeks, while others pay them once a quarter (Amazon.com). Generally speaking, most independent merchants compensate their affiliates on a monthly basis similar to the affiliate networks.

Many international affiliates (outside of the US and Canada) may experience additional payment delays. If you are an international affiliate, check with your merchant or affiliate network for more details about your payment schedule. In most cases the delay is minimal.

How Do You Get Paid?

Most merchants and affiliate networks will send you a commission check. Many merchants now offer direct deposit. This is my preferred method of payment. You tend to get your payment faster and it’s more reliable than the postal service.
Plus, I hate trying to track down checks every month; it’s nice to know the money is in the bank!

Do They Offer Custom Payouts for Top Affiliates?

Merchants will often reward their top affiliates by offering them better payouts and commission rates. Look for merchants that offer bonuses and increased commissions for top performers. Some merchants will publish their custom rates in their program terms, while other merchants have unpublished commission rates. If you don’t see anything published in the merchant’s program terms, you will want to call or e-mail the Affiliate Manager to find out if they have unpublished payouts for top affiliates.

Tip:
It’s worth talking to your merchants about custom rates. Some of the Merchants I promote pay me double their published