> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guides.paynow.gg/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guides.paynow.gg/marketing/affiliate-links.md).

# Affiliate Links

Affiliate links let you partner with creators, influencers and community members who promote your store in exchange for a commission. Purchases are tracked by referral URL, such as `store.example.com/?aff=example`, or by a code entered at checkout.

*Dashboard → Marketing → Affiliate Links. Needs `affiliate_link_read` and the **Pro** plan or above. See* [*Billing*](/payments-and-payouts/billing.md)*.*

PayNow takes no additional cut of affiliate sales. You get built-in analytics, custom commissions per affiliate, optional discounts tied to the affiliate code, and direct payouts: commissions are credited to the affiliate's PayNow payout account.

Your affiliates do not need a store of their own. They register for PayNow, choose **Setup Payouts** at first login, and receive settlements without ever creating one. See [Setting Up Your Payout Account](/getting-started/payout-account.md).

## Setting one up

<figure><img src="/files/3DynKakaNC5vDn2nu59k" alt="The affiliate link creation form showing code, commission, discount and URL link details."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### 1. General Details

| Field              | What it does                                                        |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Affiliate Code** | The unique code, used at checkout or in the referral URL.           |
| **Payout ID**      | The affiliate's PayNow payout identifier, where commission is paid. |

The affiliate provides their own Payout ID. Get it from them rather than guessing.

### 2. Lifetime & Renewal

| Field                                | What it does                                                          |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enabled**                          | Activates the link.                                                   |
| **Credit for Subscription Renewals** | Whether commission applies to recurring payments, not just the first. |

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Credit for Subscription Renewals is the expensive setting.** Left on, the affiliate earns on every renewal for as long as that customer stays subscribed, potentially for years, off a single referral. That can be right for a creator driving high-quality signups and badly wrong as a blanket default. Decide deliberately, and tell your affiliates which model they are on before they start promoting.
{% endhint %}

### 3. Commission Details

**Commission Type** is percentage or fixed, and **Commission Amount** sets the figure per sale. **A percentage commission is capped at 30%**; the form rejects anything higher.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**The percentage is a split of the whole transaction, tax and fees included.** It is not calculated on what you take home.

A customer pays **$20.00**. A 10% affiliate earns **$2.00**, taken off the top. Tax, the gateway fee and the platform fee then come out of your remaining $18.00, not out of the affiliate's share.

Work your rates out from that. A 25% commission on a low-margin product can cost you more than the sale earns once tax and fees land on your side of the split.
{% endhint %}

Check [Transactions](/payments-and-payouts/transactions.md) to see what a given sale actually nets you.

If you credit affiliates for renewals, **Commission Steps** lets you set a different rate for each successive renewal, tapering a 20% first-payment commission down to 5% by the fourth, for example. **Repeat last step forever** applies the final step to every renewal after it. Without that, renewals past the last step pay nothing.

### 4. Discount Options

Optionally give customers a discount for using the affiliate's code. It is what makes the code worth sharing: the audience gets something, not just the creator.

### 5. Tracking Settings

| Field               | What it does                                            |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Referrer Type**   | Whether the **first** or **last** referrer gets credit. |
| **Tracking Length** | How long the tracking cookie stays valid, e.g. 7 days.  |

Referrer type decides who gets paid when several affiliates touch one customer. **Last** rewards whoever closed the sale; **first** rewards discovery, which suits programmes built around creators introducing new players. PayNow's own default is **First Referer**, and a new link starts at a 7-day tracking window; the field accepts 1 to 365 days.

## Running a programme

Start with a small number of affiliates and a modest commission, because raising it later is easy and cutting it is not. Give each affiliate their own code, or performance is unattributable. Check the numbers after a month, since an affiliate whose referrals all refund or charge back is costing you money. And be explicit about renewals in whatever you agree.