A hold period (also called a locking or validation period) is the time an affiliate commission stays in pending status after a conversion is tracked, before the brand approves it for payout. It gives the brand time to see whether the order is returned, the lead is invalid, the payment is charged back or the traffic turns out to be fraudulent.
How it works
- A conversion is recorded and its commission is created as pending.
- During the hold period the brand checks it against its own data: returns, cancellations, duplicate leads, failed verification, chargebacks.
- When the period ends, the commission is either approved and joins the next payout cycle, or rejected with a reason.
Hold periods are usually aligned with the brand's return window or with how long disputes take to surface. A retailer with a 30-day return policy will rarely approve commissions sooner than that. Approval can be manual, or automatic once the period expires without issues.
Example
Example: a store has a 30-day return window and a 30-day hold period, with monthly payouts on net-15 terms. An order placed on March 3 is approved on April 2, included in April's commissions, which close on April 30, and paid by May 15, roughly ten weeks after the sale.
Why it matters
For brands, the hold period is the cheapest refund and fraud control available: rejecting a pending commission is far easier than clawing back a paid one. For affiliates, it directly affects cash flow, because the hold stacks on top of the payout cycle and payment terms. A short hold combined with weekly payouts is a real advantage when recruiting partners, as covered in affiliate programs that pay weekly.
Well-run programs state the hold period in the affiliate agreement, apply it consistently and give a reason for every rejected commission.
Related: commission reversal, net terms, chargeback, affiliate agreement.