The headline commission rate is the least useful number on an affiliate signup page. What you earn depends on seven numbers working together, and a program that looks generous on one of them can pay less than a modest-looking rival.
1. Dollars per sale, not percent
Convert every rate into money. 50% of a $20 ebook is $10. 25% of a $60 monthly plan is $15, and it may repeat. Fixed bounties are already in dollars, which is one reason software and hosting programs favor them.
2. Conversion rate
A program that converts twice as many clicks pays twice as much for the same traffic. Networks often publish an EPC, earnings per click, averaged across partners; it blends commission and conversion into one comparable figure. Treat it as a hint, since your audience is not the average.
3. How long payments recur
“Recurring” can mean three months, a year or the life of the account. That single detail can change a customer’s value to you by a factor of five or more. The recurring commissions guide shows the math.
4. Cookie window and attribution
A 24-hour window suits impulse purchases; business software that buyers evaluate for weeks needs 90 days or more. Check the attribution rule too: most programs pay the last affiliate clicked before purchase, so a later click on a coupon site can take a sale you started.
5. Payout threshold, schedule and method
A $50 minimum paid monthly by bank transfer is very different from a $100 minimum paid quarterly by check. If you are starting out, low thresholds keep cash moving. If you are outside the US, check which payment methods and currencies are supported.
6. Reversals and validation
Ask how long sales stay pending and what share are typically reversed. Programs with generous refund guarantees, or those selling to impulse buyers, can reverse a meaningful slice of what you see on the dashboard.
7. Restrictions
Read the prohibited-methods list before you build anything. Common rules ban bidding on the brand’s name in search ads, publishing coupon codes you weren’t given, using email for certain programs, or sending traffic from some countries. Breaking them forfeits commissions.
A worked comparison
Two programs, the same 1,000 clicks, the same 2% conversion rate, so 20 customers:
| Program | Terms | Value per customer | From 20 customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 50% of a $20 one-time product | $10 | $200 |
| B | 25% of a $60 monthly plan for 12 months, 5% cancel monthly | About $138 | About $2,760 over a year |
Program A advertises the bigger rate. Program B pays almost fourteen times more for the same work, though more slowly. The commission calculator runs this for any terms you enter.
The questions numbers can’t answer
- Would you recommend the product to a friend who will hold you to it?
- Does the brand answer affiliate questions, and how fast?
- What do affiliate communities and review sites say about its payment record?
- Does the landing page you send people to actually sell?
A high-paying program for a product your audience regrets buying costs you more in trust than it earns.
Try it: the program matchmaker ranks directory programs against your audience in under a minute.