Approval Rate

What is Approval Rate?

Approval rate is the percentage of affiliate commissions that are approved and paid out after the hold period — commissions not reversed through refunds, chargebacks, or policy violations — expressed as approved commissions divided by total credited commissions.

Approval Rate In Practice

Approval rate is the discount you apply to every commission you see credited in your dashboard. A program with an 80% approval rate means 20% of credited commissions will be reversed before payout — which reduces your effective commission rate by the same proportion. A $100 flat bounty with an 80% approval rate has an effective value of $80. A $65 flat bounty with a 97% approval rate has an effective value of $63. The gap is small in this example but compounds significantly at scale and across a portfolio. Approval rates vary by program, niche, and traffic quality. Web hosting programs that attract price-sensitive buyers through coupon or 'cheapest' content see lower approval rates than the same programs promoted through need-based review content. Software programs with generous free trials see lower approval rates if affiliates drive unqualified traffic that signs up to try, then cancels. The two most reliable signals for approval rate before you have your own data: the program's minimum active period requirement (programs that require 30–90 days of customer activity before paying signal they have a reversal management strategy) and affiliate community feedback in forums and groups.

Example of Approval Rate