Field guide / Affiliate programs
The working reference for brands, agencies, and teams responsible for partner spend. Learn who does what, how a commission is credited, and what to verify before money leaves the program.
Credited to
VIP Deals Extension
Commission claimed
$64.00
Network lock
in 4 days
01 / Vocabulary
A healthy program depends on knowing who owns the customer relationship, the referral, the record, and the review.
Brand
Sets the rules, owns the order
Publisher
Sends the visitor
Network
Tracks and credits the sale
Agency / OPM — optional
Can run the whole program on the brand’s behalf, including payout review.
The business running the program. It defines commission rules, approved partners, attribution terms, and the conditions under which a sale can be reversed.
What to check: Keep an up-to-date record of approved coupon codes, partner permissions, and refund rules.
A content creator, comparison site, loyalty platform, coupon site, or other partner that promotes the brand in exchange for a tracked commission.
What to check: Compare the partner credited for a sale with the source that actually introduced the customer.
The system that creates tracking links, records clicks and conversions, attributes sales, and reports commissions. Some programs use more than one.
What to check: Reconcile network claims against your own order IDs, especially when several platforms run at once.
An outside team that can recruit partners, manage program terms and operations, and review channel performance on a brand’s behalf.
What to check: Agree on ownership of payout review, disputed claims, and a repeatable reporting cadence.
02 / Attribution
A sale is not the same as an earned commission. Follow the evidence through each stage.
A tracked link records the referral, often with a click ID or cookie. The attribution window determines how long that referral may count.
Tracked link
brand.com/?clickid=8f2a91c
Watch for: Tracked links are built differently by each network; the parameters you can see vary by platform.
The store records the order; the network reports a conversion and credits a publisher according to the program’s attribution rules.
Matched
Watch for: Order data and network claims live in separate systems. Matching them is what makes review possible later.
A pending claim may remain reversible for a limited period. Refunds and cancellations should be reflected before approval and payout.
Watch for: Check the actual network deadline; lock windows vary by program.
If a claim appears unearned, the manager reviews the order and program terms, then requests a reversal or prepares a dispute through the appropriate channel.
Watch for: A signal is not proof. Preserve evidence and avoid automatic reversals without review.
03 / Where leaks start
Most leakage hides in a handful of places: coupon codes that were never approved, the same order claimed on two networks, and refunds that never reach the commission record.
Unapproved code
SAVE15 · Deal Finder
Not on approved list
Same order, two claims
#88415 · CJ + Impact
Paid twice
Refunded, still paying
#88433 · refunded
Commission pending
Field guide
Coupon hijacking, cookie stuffing, duplicate claims, unreversed refunds and leaked codes — what each one looks like in your order data, and a repeatable process to catch them before payouts lock.
Read the detection guide
New to the channel? The vocabulary and attribution sections above give you the groundwork; the guide turns it into a working checklist.
04 / Platform references
A starting point for comparing how your program is tracked and reported. Features and access depend on the account and contract.
Check contract terms, attribution rules, and whether your account permits conversion changes.
Confirm reporting fields and the claim-correction process before the commission locks.
Compare transaction status and validation periods with your store’s refund data.
Review order references, publisher attribution, and advertiser-side dispute procedures.
Check conversion exports, network access requirements, and available attribution fields.
Confirm your account’s reporting access and the fields available for order matching.
05 / Agency references
Examples of independent agencies brands may encounter. Inclusion is not an endorsement or a claim of current pricing, clients, or audit results.
Ask them: How will your team review attribution and measure incremental partner value?
Ask them: Who owns commission validation and exception handling each month?
Ask them: How do you handle coupon policy enforcement and duplicate claims?
Ask them: What evidence and reporting will the brand receive when a claim is disputed?
When comparing partners, ask for a sample report, clarify who validates commissions, and confirm how disputes are documented. Verify all current terms directly with the provider.
Put the reference to work
Now that you know the players and the flow, follow a sample order through evidence review to a proposed reversal. Nothing touches a live network. For the specific fraud patterns, read the detection guide.