Refunds, chargebacks, and disputes

What this is

When a sale you referred is later refunded, returned, or charged back, the related commission can be reduced or reversed to reflect that the sale did not ultimately hold.

Why it matters

A reversal is a normal, legitimate part of affiliate commissions, not a penalty against you. It reflects the fact that the underlying transaction no longer stands, in full or in part.

How it works

1. A merchant's program terms describe, under "Reversals, refunds and chargebacks," exactly how a refunded or charged back order affects your commission, for example a proportional reversal matching the refunded amount.
2. A commission's status can move to Reversed, and the amount reversed is tracked separately from the original commission amount, so you can see both figures side by side.
3. Reversals are always limited to the original commission amount; a program can never create a negative balance on your account from a reversal, which is a platform-wide rule that supplemental program terms cannot override.
4. You can safely practice this using the Test Tracking page: record a test sale, then send a refund, partial refund, or chargeback event against the same test order reference, and watch the resulting test commission's reversed and net amounts update.

What happens next

A partially reversed commission still has a remaining net amount, which continues toward payment as normal. A fully reversed commission does not count toward your unpaid balance or a payout minimum.

Common mistakes

Do not assume every refund automatically means your commission drops to zero. Check the specific program's terms, since some programs reverse proportionally rather than fully.

In short

Refunds, returns, and chargebacks can reduce or fully reverse a commission, but a reversal can never take you below zero, and the platform's rules guarantee that limit for every program.