A two-tier affiliate commission rewards qualifying sales generated by an affiliate you referred. Your own customer commissions are the first tier; the referred affiliate's qualifying sales can generate a separate override for you. Registration alone is not the sales reward.1,2
Before comparing percentages, find out what the percentage applies to. A share of a customer sale and a share of another affiliate's commission produce different results.1,2
Follow the reward from referral to payment
This is a simplified reading model. Use the actual agreement to fill in each stage; approval, qualifying events and payment rules differ.1,3,4
- 1. You refer another affiliate
The correct referral link, enabled feature and any required approval bind that affiliate to you.
- 2. Their customer qualifies
An eligible customer purchase meets the program's product, payment and validation conditions.
- 3. Your override is calculated
The documented percentage is applied to its eligible sales or commission base.
- 4. Approved becomes payable
Check holds, reversals, minimum balance, payment method and withdrawal conditions separately.
Generated does not mean paid. Cloudways says its two-tier commission is approved alongside the original sale; its FAQ requires the referred customer to pay at least two invoices for that original approval. Cash payout has separate conditions.1
Similar labels can describe different rewards
Read the trigger, rather than relying on the word “tier.”
| Reward | What creates it | Public example and limit |
|---|---|---|
| Two-tier sales override | Qualifying sales generated by a referred affiliate | Cloudways and Text describe this model, with different percentage bases.1,2 |
| Your own performance tier | Your sales volume changes your direct rate | Sheet Music Plus: prior-month shipped volume sets the next month's rate. Its public agreement is dated May 2018; this is not another affiliate's sales.5 |
| New-customer bounty | A qualifying customer enrollment | TrueFire: a bonus for new annual All Access customers is offered to selected affiliates. It is not universal affiliate recruitment credit.6 |
| Fixed referral milestone | A referred publisher meets specified conditions | Travelpayouts: current rules tie fixed bonuses to eligible Paid-booking revenue and successful withdrawal. These are not an ongoing percentage override.4 |
| Network revenue share | A referred publisher generates commissions for a network | FlexCash shares a portion of FlexOffers' resulting network revenue. The public page does not specify the percentage; approved active-publisher conditions apply.7 |
| Recurring customer commission | Your referred customer makes an eligible renewal | Virtual Sheet Music: its in-house offer includes member renewals. Customer renewal is optional and differs from referring another affiliate.8,9 |
Apply the percentage to the right base
Hypothetical example: one eligible customer sale has a $200 commissionable value. The selling affiliate earns an approved $40 direct commission. The two fictional offers below use different bases.
| Fictional offer | Calculation | Override |
|---|---|---|
| A: 5% of eligible customer sales | $200 × 5% | $10.00 |
| B: 7% of the selling affiliate's commission | $40 × 7% | $2.80 |
The larger percentage gives the smaller reward in this example. These invented amounts assume one qualifying, approved sale, before expenses and taxes. They are not provider terms, an earnings forecast or cash received. Do not apply either rate to an unknown base.
Two real offers illustrate why the distinction matters:
- Cloudways: 7% of the referred affiliate's per-sale commission. Opt in through the affiliate profile. Its published illustration assumes the Slab model; coverage of other models and maximum override duration need confirmation.1
- Text/LiveChat: 5% of qualifying referred-partner sales. The agreement calculates referral fees net of deductions including taxes, discounts, refunds and processing fees. Help also uses “earnings” shorthand; do not treat that phrase as proof of an affiliate-commission base.2,10
A stated rate is still only part of the answer. HighLevel reserves discretion over second-tier designations and calculation. Its agreement uses “Qualified Purchases made by Second-Tier Affiliates” wording; the precise eligible base and relationship binding need confirmation. Customer qualification includes at least 45 days in good standing without a pause.3
Save five answers before relying on an offer
Use this as a decision card. Save the source and date for each answer; write Unknown where the agreement leaves a gap.
- Approval and binding: Is two-tier enabled for your account? How is the new affiliate linked to you, and can that designation change?
- Trigger and base: Which products and sales qualify? Is the percentage of eligible sales, net fees, affiliate commission or network revenue? Which deductions apply?
- Duration and recurrence: Does credit expire? Are later sales or renewals included? What happens when either account closes?
- Attribution: Which rules track the customer purchase, and which bind the referred affiliate? Record them separately rather than assuming a customer cookie answers both.
- Cash and reversals: When is a reward approved, withdrawable and paid? Record the hold, threshold, fees, cancellations and exit conditions.
These questions come from the differing public examples above, not a universal payment schedule.1,2,3,4,8
Choose a useful program first
Shortlist an offer that fits your readers, then fill in the decision card. A downstream reward is one commercial consideration; it does not establish product quality or audience fit.
Use the program-selection lesson for that first decision, or the recurring versus one-time guide for payment duration. Then compare documented two-tier offers, recording each offer's base and conditions.
Sources and open questions
Official pages were checked October 8, 2026. These are public terms and help pages, not accepted owner agreements or firsthand tracking/payment tests.
Text's sales/earnings shorthand remains inconsistent. HighLevel's precise base and referred-affiliate binding remain incomplete. Travelpayouts' help and current rules differ on transition dates and some onboarding language; its current fixed milestones should not be presented as the old percentage offer for new referrals.2,10,3,4,11