Sources: official terms first
We research each program in a fixed order of sources.
- The official affiliate or partner page. This is where brands publish headline rates, models and application requirements.
- The affiliate terms and conditions or partner agreement. Terms usually define the details that matter most: the commission base, exclusions, duration, payout rules and banned traffic.
- The brand’s help center, FAQ and official announcements. These often contain tier tables, settlement times and minimum payouts that the landing page leaves out.
- The affiliate portal or network listing, where it is publicly visible, such as a program page on an affiliate network.
- Third-party sources, such as affiliate directories and reviews, used only to fill a gap and always labeled as such.
When official sources disagree with each other, we record both versions and say which one is newer or more specific. A landing page might say “within 30 days” while the FAQ says “30–45 days”, or a policy page might still describe weekly payouts after the commission rules moved to daily settlement. We don’t silently pick the more attractive figure.
Each program entry keeps a list of its sources, marked as official or third-party, so you can check the original wording yourself.
The metrics we record
For every program in the catalog we record the same set of fields:
- Commission headline and model: the main rate and whether it is revenue share, CPA, hybrid, per-sale or a flat fee.
- Commission detail: tiers and thresholds, the base the rate applies to (gross fees, net fees, profit), products covered and exclusions.
- Commission duration: lifetime, a fixed period such as 365 days, or one-off.
- Cookie life and attribution: how long a click is remembered and how a referral is bound, for example by link, code or on-chain.
- Payout frequency, minimum payout and payout methods, including the currency or crypto asset.
- Sub-affiliate terms: whether you earn on affiliates you recruit, and how much.
- Allowed and restricted traffic: for example, whether brand bidding, coupon sites or incentivized traffic are banned.
- Affiliate KYC, restricted regions and approval requirements, including audience thresholds.
- Tracking, promotional materials, manager support and user bonuses.
We also keep short pros and cons for each program. These must be concrete facts, such as “No minimum payout” or “Cookie length not disclosed”, never generic praise.
How we use “Not disclosed” and “Custom / Based on traffic volume”
“Not disclosed” means we could not find the value in the brand’s official materials. It does not mean the value is zero, unlimited or unfavorable. Many exchanges, for example, bind referrals through a code at sign-up and never publish a cookie length. Where a third-party source reports a value, we may mention it in the program’s detail text, labeled as unconfirmed, but the main field stays “Not disclosed”.
“Custom / Based on traffic volume” means the brand states that the term exists but sets it individually, usually after reviewing your traffic. Typical examples are invite-only programs and the upper tiers of large exchange programs. If a range is published, we show the range; if only “up to” is published, we show “up to” and explain what we know about the conditions.
How program status is determined
Each program carries a status:
- Active: the brand publishes an affiliate or partner program and accepts applications, either open sign-up or application with review.
- Invite-only: the program exists, but the brand admits partners by invitation or selection, or does not publish open applications.
- Closed: the brand has ended the program or stopped accepting new affiliates. Closed programs are removed from catalog listings; if we published a review, it stays online and explains the status.
When official signals conflict, for example a live landing page alongside an announcement that the program is being restructured, we mark the status as unclear and describe the situation in the program’s status note rather than guessing.
How often terms are re-checked
Crypto affiliate terms change often. Rates move between tiers, payout assets change and programs migrate between in-house portals and networks. We re-check programs on a rolling basis, starting with the largest and most-visited programs. We also re-check a program whenever a reader, the brand or a news item tells us something has changed. Every update goes back to the official sources rather than to the report that prompted it.
We don’t show “last updated” dates on pages. The information is always our latest verified version, and you should confirm the current terms with the brand before you sign up or build a campaign around them.
What we don’t do
- We don’t invent numbers. If we can’t source it, we don’t publish it.
- We don’t publish scores or rankings based on undisclosed criteria. Where we order programs, the page explains the basis.
- We don’t list wagering platforms, all-or-nothing options products or multi-level marketing schemes.
- We don’t give financial, investment, legal or tax advice. See our terms of use.
Corrections policy
If you spot an error, an outdated rate or a dead link, email contact@crypto-affiliate.com with the page URL and, ideally, a link to the official source that shows the correct information. We verify every report against official materials before changing anything, and we correct factual errors whether they make a program look better or worse. Brands can request corrections the same way; the same evidence standard applies. More detail is on our contact page, and background on the project is on the about page.