How Referral Attribution and Points Work

Updated August 22, 20263 min read

This article explains how a click becomes a redeemable point, and why there is a waiting period before you can cash out.

Before You Begin

You must have joined the affiliate program to see any of these figures.
Attribution is automatic. There is nothing to tag, configure or claim.
Points are only redeemable on confirmed business, which is why a holding period exists.

How Attribution Is Tracked

Attribution is first-party and server-side, designed to survive blocked cookies and month-to-month renewals. The chain is:

Step	What happens
1. Click	Logged on our own domain.
2. First-party cookie	A 60-day window opens.
3. Stamped to account	Made permanent at signup.
4. Conversion	A paid invoice via Stripe.
5. Points	Awarded, including on renewals.

✔ Step 3 is the one that matters. Once a referred organization signs up, they are linked to you permanently, so your points keep coming even if cookies are cleared. Attribution does not expire after the 60-day cookie window once the account exists.

The Point Lifecycle

Points move through five states, shown as a flow on the Affiliate Center page:

State	Meaning
Pending	Refund holdback — the waiting period is running.
Available Points	Ready to redeem.
Processing	Redemption requested, awaiting approval.
Points Redeemed	Paid out or applied.
Clawed back	Reversed because the referred purchase was refunded.

Affiliate Center the point lifecycle flow with the five state counters

Why the Wait?

If a referred organization gets a refund inside the waiting period, the points are reversed automatically — so points are only ever redeemable on confirmed business. The In progress counter shows exactly how many days remain (45 days at the time of writing).

Reading Your Campaign Performance

The Your Campaign Performance table breaks results down per campaign, with columns for Campaign, Code, Clicks, Referrals and Points Earned.

A high click count with zero referrals usually means the audience is browsing rather than buying. Check the Organizations You Referred table, which lists signups that have not yet paid — those are conversions in progress rather than failures.

Affiliate Center Your Campaign Performance table (blur campaign owner and organization names)

Best Practices

Do not panic at a Pending balance. It is the refund holdback doing its job, not a problem with your account.
Compare clicks to referrals per campaign rather than in aggregate — one weak campaign can hide a strong one.
Remember that renewals earn points too. A referred organization keeps paying you over its lifetime, not just at signup.
If a point balance drops, check for a clawback: it means a referred purchase was refunded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Does attribution expire after 60 days?	The cookie window is 60 days, but once the referred organization signs up, the link is permanent.
Do I earn on renewals or only the first payment?	On renewals too. Points are awarded whenever a referred invoice is paid.
Why are my points Pending?	The refund holdback period is running. The In progress counter shows the days remaining.
What is a clawback?	A reversal that happens when a referred purchase is refunded.
I have lots of clicks and no referrals. What now?	Check Organizations You Referred — signups that have not paid yet appear there, not in your referral count.

✔ That’s the money trail. Next, read Sharing Affiliate Links, Codes, and Marketing Materials to put your links to work.

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