Affiliate marketing glossary
Payment threshold
In one sentence
The payment threshold is the minimum validated balance an affiliate must accumulate before a payout is issued.
Thresholds vary by payment method, because transfer costs differ. Digital wallets and stablecoin transfers typically carry low thresholds; bank wires carry high ones because the fixed cost of the transfer has to be justified.
A high threshold on the only available payment method is a genuine problem for a small creator. It can mean waiting many months to be paid at all. It is worth checking before joining any network.
Common questions
Payment threshold, answered
What happens if I do not reach the payment threshold?
The balance rolls forward to the next payment run and keeps accumulating. It does not expire and it is not forfeited. What it does mean is a wait, which is why the threshold on the one method available to you matters more than the lowest threshold on the list.
Why is the bank wire threshold so much higher?
Because a wire costs a fixed amount to send regardless of size, so a small transfer would consume a meaningful share of the payment. Digital wallets cost far less to move money through, which is why they carry the lower threshold.
Does the threshold apply to pending or validated commission?
Validated commission only. Pending commission does not count toward it, because a balance that might still reverse is not a balance that can be paid out.
Can I be paid in my own currency?
Balances here are held in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros, and the threshold applies as the equivalent in the currency you hold. That avoids a conversion at withdrawal for UK and EU partners, which is otherwise a quiet cost on every payout.
Keep reading
More from the glossary
Every term here is written to answer one question completely, then point at the next one worth asking.
Sub-affiliate network
A sub-affiliate network is a company that holds approved relationships with affiliate programs on major networks and lets smaller publishers and creators promote those programs under its account, sharing the commission it receives.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network is a platform that connects advertisers running affiliate programs with publishers who promote them, handling tracking, reporting and payment between the two.
EPC (earnings per click)
EPC is the average commission earned per click sent to an advertiser, calculated as total commission divided by total clicks over a given period.
Cookie window
The cookie window is the length of time after a click during which a resulting purchase is still credited to the affiliate, commonly ranging from 24 hours to 90 days.
Last-click attribution
Last-click attribution credits the entire commission to the final affiliate link clicked before a purchase, which is the default model across almost all affiliate networks.
Attribution
Attribution is the process of determining which marketing touchpoint receives credit for a conversion, and therefore which affiliate is paid.
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