Bonus Commissions

Available in:

Post Affiliate Pro , Post Affiliate Pro Ultimate , Post Affiliate Network

What are Bonus Commissions?

Bonus commissions are special reward payments beyond standard sale, click, or action commissions. They help you:

• Attract new affiliates with signup bonuses
• Grow your network through referral incentives
• Reward top performers with extra bonuses
• Incentivize specific behaviors with manual rewards

Post Affiliate Pro tracks bonus commissions as distinct transaction types, making them easy to report on and manage separately from regular commissions.

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Types of Bonus Commissions

Post Affiliate Pro supports three main bonus commission types:

Each type serves a different purpose in motivating and rewarding your affiliates.

Signup Bonuses

Signup bonuses are automatic rewards given to new affiliates when they join your program. They help:

• Attract new affiliate registrations
• Show appreciation for joining
• Give affiliates initial earnings to build motivation
• Reduce early dropout rates

Configuring Signup Bonus

1. Navigate to Configuration > Commission Settings
2. Locate the Signup Bonus field
3. Enter the bonus amount (in your default currency)
4. Save the configuration

How Signup Bonuses Work

When signup bonuses are configured:

1. A new affiliate completes the registration form
2. Their account is approved (automatically or manually)
3. A signup bonus transaction is automatically created
4. The bonus appears in their transaction history with type “Signup”
5. The amount is added to their pending commission balance

Signup Bonus Settings

Note: If your program requires manual affiliate approval, the signup bonus is created when you approve the affiliate, not when they register.

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Referral Bonuses

Referral bonuses reward affiliates for recruiting new affiliates who then generate sales. This is different from multi-tier commissions:

Configuring Referral Commissions

Referral commissions are configured per campaign:

1. Go to Campaigns > [Your Campaign]
2. Navigate to Commission Settings > Referral Commissions
3. Click Add Referral Commission or edit existing ones
4. Configure the commission structure

Referral Commission Options

Referral Tiers

You can configure multiple tiers of referral commissions:

Example Referral Structure

Consider this affiliate structure:

Alice (Top affiliate)
  └── Bob (Recruited by Alice)
       └── Carol (Recruited by Bob)

When Carol generates a sale:

• Carol receives her regular sale commission
• Bob may receive a referral bonus for Carol’s sale (Tier 1)
• Alice may receive a referral bonus for Carol’s sale (Tier 2)

Tracking Referrer Information

When configuring referral commissions, you can choose to save referrer information in the transaction:

• Referrer Name - Full name of the recruited affiliate
• Referrer Username - Email/username of the recruited affiliate
• Referrer ID - System ID of the recruited affiliate

This information is useful for:

• Detailed reporting
• Webhook data
• Custom integrations

Extra Bonuses

Extra bonuses are flexible rewards that can be:

• Manually added by merchants
• Automatically triggered by Performance Rewards
• Added via API integration

Manual Extra Bonuses

To add a manual bonus to an affiliate:

1. Navigate to Affiliates > [Affiliate Name]
2. Go to the Transactions tab
3. Click Add Transaction or Add Bonus
4. Select Extra Bonus as the transaction type
5. Enter the bonus amount
6. Add a note explaining the reason
7. Save the transaction

Use Cases for Manual Bonuses

Automated Extra Bonuses (Performance Rewards)

Extra bonuses can be automatically triggered using Performance Rewards . When conditions are met, the system creates an extra bonus transaction.

Bonus Value Types

Performance Rewards supports three bonus calculation methods:

Example: Monthly Sales Bonus

Configure a performance reward rule:

• Condition: Sales count >= 50 in last 30 days
• Action: Add extra bonus of 5% of commissions earned
• Frequency: Check monthly

When an affiliate reaches 50 sales in a month, they automatically receive a 5% bonus on their commissions.

Extra Bonus Notifications

Both affiliates and merchants can receive notifications when extra bonuses are created:

Affiliate Notification:

• Email: “New Extra Bonus Commission”
• Contains bonus amount and reason

Merchant Notification:

• Email when extra bonus is created
• Useful for tracking automated bonus generation

Configure these in Configuration > Email Notifications.

Bonus Commission Reports

All bonus types appear in transaction reports:

Filtering by Bonus Type

In the Transactions report:

1. Click Filter
2. Select Transaction Type
3. Choose:
   • Signup - For signup bonuses
   • Referral - For referral bonuses
   • Extra Bonus - For extra bonuses

Quick Report Statistics

The Quick Report dashboard includes:

• Total signup bonuses
• Total referral bonuses
• Total extra bonuses

These help you track your bonus program’s impact.

Bonus Statistics by Affiliate

View individual affiliate bonus history:

1. Go to Affiliates > [Affiliate Name]
2. View the Statistics section
3. See breakdown of bonus types received

API Support

All bonus types can be managed via API:

Adding Bonus via API v2 (PHP)

// Add extra bonus to affiliate
$transaction = new Pap_Api_Transaction($session);
$transaction->setType('E');  // Extra bonus
$transaction->setUserId($affiliateId);
$transaction->setCommission(100.00);
$transaction->setCampaignId($campaignId);
$transaction->setSystemNote('Manual bonus for Q4 performance');
$transaction->save();

Adding Bonus via API v3 (REST)

POST /api/v3/transactions
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "type": "E",
    "userId": "affiliate123",
    "commission": 100.00,
    "campaignId": "camp001",
    "note": "Manual bonus for Q4 performance"
}

Querying Bonuses

GET /api/v3/transactions?type=B,F,E

Returns all bonus transactions (signup, referral, and extra bonuses).

Best Practices

1. Set Reasonable Signup Bonuses

A signup bonus should be:

• Large enough to be attractive
• Small enough to prevent abuse
• Aligned with expected affiliate value

Consider requiring approval before the bonus is paid to prevent fake registrations.

2. Use Referral Bonuses Strategically

Referral bonuses work best when:

• Your program benefits from network growth
• Affiliates have access to other potential affiliates
• The bonus is significant enough to motivate recruitment

3. Document Manual Bonuses

Always add clear notes when creating manual extra bonuses:

• Reason for the bonus
• What it’s compensating or rewarding
• Any commitments made to the affiliate

This creates an audit trail and helps with future disputes.

4. Combine with Performance Rewards

Use Performance Rewards to automate extra bonuses:

• Less manual work
• Consistent rewards across all affiliates
• Clear, predictable incentive structure

5. Monitor Bonus Costs

Track your bonus spending:

• Review bonus reports monthly
• Calculate bonus cost as percentage of total commissions
• Adjust amounts if costs exceed expectations

Bonus Commissions and Payouts

Bonus commissions follow the same payout rules as other commissions:

• Subject to minimum payout thresholds
• Included in regular payout cycles
• Can be paid via all payment methods
• May require approval before payout (configurable)

Bonuses can be individually held back from payout if needed.

Related Features

• Types of Commissions - Overview of all commission types
• Performance Rewards - Automated bonus triggers
• Commission Groups - Group-based commission structures
• Multi-Tier Commissions - Hierarchical commission structures
• Mass Payments - Paying out bonus commissions