Per Affiliate payout methods

AffiliateWP lets each affiliate choose how they receive their commissions via PayPal, Stripe, Store Credit, or manual payment. This guide explains how to set your program’s default payout method, how to give affiliates the ability to choose their own method, and how AffiliateWP determines which method routes each payout.

Set the default payout method

The default payout method applies to every affiliate who has not selected their own. Configure it from the Payouts settings page.

1. Navigate to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. In the Payout Settings card, open the Default Payout Method dropdown.
3. Select your preferred method.
4. Click Save Changes.

The dropdown shows only methods that are currently enabled. If you add or remove a method later, the list updates automatically.

Let affiliates choose their payout method

By default on upgraded sites, all affiliates use the site default method, and affiliates cannot change their method. You can enable self-selection so each affiliate can pick their preferred method.

1. Navigate to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. In the Payout Settings card, enable Allow affiliates to choose their payout method.
3. Click Save Changes.

Once enabled, affiliates will see a payout method dropdown on the Settings tab of their Affiliate Area, but only when at least two selectable methods are available.

If only one method is enabled, there is nothing to choose between, so the dropdown is replaced with a plain status line (for example, “Paid via Stripe”).

What affiliates see

When self-selection is enabled, and at least two methods are available, affiliates will see the How you’ll be paid section on the Settings tab of their Affiliate Area with a Payout Method dropdown.

The dropdown includes:

• A site default option for affiliates who want to use whatever method the admin has configured
• Each selectable method the affiliate is eligible to use

When an affiliate picks a method and saves, that choice is stored on their account and used for all future payouts.

When self-selection is off, or when fewer than two methods are available, affiliates see a static status line (for example, “Paid via PayPal”) instead of the dropdown.

Setting up each payout method 

Depending on the payout method, affiliates may need to complete additional setup before receiving payouts.

PayPal

Affiliates paid via PayPal need to enter a payment email (the email address on their PayPal account). This field appears in the How you’ll be paid section of their Affiliate Area settings and only shows when PayPal (or Manual) is their active method.

For full setup instructions, see PayPal Payouts.

Stripe

Affiliates paid via Stripe must complete Stripe Connect onboarding. A Set Up Stripe Payouts button appears in the How you’ll be paid section. Once the affiliate completes Stripe’s verification process, Stripe is automatically saved as their payout method, with no extra save step needed.

For full setup instructions, see Stripe Payouts.

Store Credit

Affiliates paid via Store Credit receive commissions as credit they can spend in your store. Their available balance is displayed in the How you’ll be paid section of their Affiliate Area settings.

For full setup instructions, see Store Credit.

Manual Payout

Manual Payout is an admin-only method. It never appears in the affiliate-facing picker. Affiliates whose effective method is Manual see “Paid directly” as a status line in their Affiliate Area, and an admin handles the actual payment outside AffiliateWP.

Override an affiliate’s payout method

Admins can set a payout method for a specific affiliate directly from the Edit Affiliate screen, regardless of the affiliate’s own preference or the site default.

1. Navigate to AffiliateWP » Affiliates.
2. Click the affiliate’s name or anywhere on their row.
3. Scroll to the Payout Method field.
4. Open the Override dropdown and select a method.
5. Click Update.

While an override is set, the affiliate cannot change their own payout method. To restore affiliate self-selection, set the override back to No override and save.

Send payouts

Payouts are sent from AffiliateWP » Payouts using the Pay Affiliates button. Per-affiliate method preferences are applied automatically during the batch, you don’t need to configure each affiliate’s method at the time of payment.

In the Payout method section of the batch configuration, you have two options:

• Use each affiliate’s configured method: Each affiliate in the batch is paid via their effective method. You can optionally filter to specific methods if you want to run, for example, only PayPal affiliates in this batch.
• Pay everyone this batch via: Choose a single method to override all per-affiliate preferences for this batch only. Their saved method preferences are not changed.

Before the money moves, the preview screen shows the batch grouped by method. You can see exactly how many affiliates are assigned to each method and the total amount per method. Review the breakdown, then click Process payout to submit.

For a full walkthrough of the Pay Affiliates flow, see Paying your affiliates.

After submitting, track each payout’s status from AffiliateWP » Payouts. You can also check the Payout Method column on AffiliateWP » Referrals at any time: unpaid referrals show the method that will be used on the next batch run, and paid referrals show the method that was used at the time of payment.

Auto-email and auto-retry for failed payouts

When a payout fails because the affiliate needs to take action (for example, their PayPal email is unverified or their Stripe account is not connected), AffiliateWP can notify them automatically and retry the payout once they resolve the issue.

Navigate to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts and find these toggles in the Payout Settings card:

• Auto-email affiliates about failed payouts: sends the affiliate an email explaining what they need to do to receive their payout.
• Auto-retry failed payouts: automatically retries the payout after the affiliate has completed the required action.

Both settings are on by default for new installations. On sites upgraded from a previous version, both default to off to avoid unexpectedly emailing affiliates about historical payout failures. You can enable either or both at any time.

How AffiliateWP assigns payout methods

Every affiliate in AffiliateWP has a single effective method — the method that will actually be used when they are paid. AffiliateWP determines this in order:

1. The affiliate’s saved choice: if the affiliate has selected a method in their Affiliate Area settings and that method is currently enabled, it is used.
2. The site default: if the affiliate has no saved choice, or if their saved method is no longer enabled, the Default Payout Method from your settings is used.
3. Manual fallback: if the site default is also disabled, AffiliateWP falls back to Manual Payout so no affiliate is silently skipped.

You can see each affiliate’s effective method in the Payout Method column on the Referrals list:

• Unpaid referrals show the method that will be used when the referral is paid (this updates live as the affiliate or admin changes the method).
• Paid referrals show the method that was used at the time of payment. This is a permanent historical record.

Frequently Asked Questions

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That’s everything you need to configure affiliate payout methods in AffiliateWP. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team.