Affiliate marketing glossary
Validated commission
In one sentence
Validated commission is commission the advertiser has confirmed as payable after checking for returns, cancellations and fraud, as distinct from pending commission, which may still be reversed.
The gap between pending and validated earnings is the single biggest source of disappointment for new affiliates. In high-return categories such as fashion and footwear, reversals of 15% to 30% are normal.
Validation typically takes 30 to 60 days from the transaction date. Travel is slower still, because commission is often confirmed only after the stay has taken place.
Common questions
Validated commission, answered
What is the difference between pending and validated commission?
Pending commission is a sale the advertiser has recorded but not yet checked. Validated commission is the same sale after the return window has closed and the order has been confirmed as genuine. Only validated commission is payable, and the gap between the two is the single biggest source of disappointment for new affiliates.
How long does validation take?
Typically 30 to 60 days from the transaction date in retail, longer in travel where commission is confirmed only after the stay has taken place. The wait exists because the advertiser cannot know whether the order is real until the customer has had the chance to return it.
Why do you show validated earnings by default?
Because a pending figure is a forecast presented as a balance, and planning against it produces exactly the shortfall it looks like it prevents. Showing the validated number first means the figure on the dashboard is the figure you can actually withdraw.
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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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