The money

How Affiliate Commissions Actually Work

Cookies, attribution windows, refund clawbacks and the numbers nobody explains before you start.

The chain, end to end

1. Someone clicks your link. A cookie is set on their browser.
2. They buy within the cookie window. The sale is attributed to you.
3. The commission is held through the refund period.
4. It is paid out on the platform's schedule, which is rarely immediate.

The four things that surprise people

• Last click usually wins. If they click someone else's link after yours, that person is credited. This is why the last touch before purchase matters more than the first.
• Refunds are clawed back. Your dashboard number is not your money until the refund window has passed.
• Cookies die. Cleared browsers, different devices, privacy settings. Real-world attribution is worse than the stated window implies.
• Payout schedules lag. Budget for money arriving weeks after the sale shows.

What this means practically

Being the last useful thing someone reads before buying is worth more than being the first thing they found. That is an argument for content that answers late-stage questions — pricing, refunds, comparisons — rather than only introductory content.

More on the money