Understanding program terms

What this is

Program terms are the document affiliates agree to when they join your program. They are built from a structured set of fields covering commission structure, commission event, attribution window, lead protection, approval method, payout schedule and minimum, reversal handling, self referral, coupon use, paid search, trademark use, promotional methods, recurring commissions, geographic eligibility, and optional supplemental notes.

Why it matters

Clear terms prevent disputes about what earns a commission, how refunds are handled, and what affiliates are allowed to do. All required fields must be completed before terms can be published.

How to do it

1. Open a program's workspace and go to its terms section to answer each required field in plain language.
2. Use the Supplemental notes field only to add extra rules; it cannot loosen platform-wide protections.
3. Review the mandatory platform rules that always apply regardless of what you write, including: Diversified Affiliates never holds affiliate funds and merchants pay affiliates directly; commission reversals are limited to the original commission amount and can never create a negative balance; affiliates keep access to their own performance records and payment history; terms cannot waive the platform agreement, acceptable use policy, or privacy commitments; and affiliates cannot be charged a fee to join or stay in a program.
4. Publish the terms document once every required field is complete.

What happens next

The published document is versioned. See Program Terms Builder for the guided editing tool and Changing Program Terms for how updates are versioned and communicated.

Common mistakes

Do not write supplemental notes that conflict with the mandatory rules; the platform actively checks for language that tries to waive platform rules, create a negative balance, charge a joining fee, refuse to pay approved commissions, block affiliate access to records, or claim Diversified Affiliates holds funds. Any of these will be flagged before you can publish.