How Affiliate Payouts Are Sent

A sale through your link is the start, not the end. By then the cookie window has done its job. The money still has to reach you. A program's page says how that happens.

Look for three lines. One gives the minimum. One gives the wait. One gives the way it is sent.

The minimum

Many programs hold your commission until it reaches a set amount.

• Surfshark's affiliate page says the minimum payout threshold is $100.
• Printful's affiliate page says earnings can be withdrawn through PayPal, with a $25 minimum.
• Elementor's affiliate page says it pays affiliates once their commission reaches a minimum of $200.

Some have no floor at all. SiteGround's affiliate page says it pays weekly with no minimum threshold.

The wait

A sale can still be refunded or cancelled. So programs often wait before they pay.

iHerb's affiliate page says payments for approved conversions go out about 45 days after the close of the month.

Etsy's affiliate page says commissions are typically validated 30 days after the sale date.

Count the wait from the date the page names. A month end is not the same as a sale date.

The way it is sent

The page also names how the money moves. systeme.io's affiliate page says it pays by PayPal or wire transfer, with a $30 minimum, monthly on the 10th.

Set up that account before your first payout is due. A payout has nowhere to go without it.

Read it on the day you join

Payout lines change. Copy these lines from the program's own page on the day you join. Then you know what to expect from that program, and only that program.