> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/affiliate-referral-scheme/setting-up-the-scheme.md).

# Setting Up the Scheme

A step-by-step guide to switching on the affiliate referral scheme and choosing rewards, spend thresholds, hold periods, approvals and terms.

Everything about the affiliate referral scheme is controlled from a single settings page. This guide walks you through each option, explains what it does, and suggests sensible starting values.

***

### Opening the Affiliate Settings

1. Log in to your **admin panel**.
2. In the left-hand menu, find the **Content** group and click **Settings**.
3. In the Settings side menu, click **Affiliate**. The page title at the top reads **Affiliate Programme**.

The page has three sections:

* **Affiliate Programme**, which holds the main on and off switch.
* **Reward Settings**, which holds the reward amounts, spend rules, limits, hold period and approval switch.
* **Terms & Conditions**, which holds your affiliate terms.

{% hint style="info" %}
When the scheme is switched off, you only see the **Affiliate Programme** section. The **Reward Settings** and **Terms & Conditions** sections appear as soon as you turn on **Enable Affiliate Scheme**, so do that first.
{% endhint %}

Below the **Save Settings** button there is a panel called **How the Affiliate Programme Works**. It is a short reminder of how the scheme fits together, with a link back to this documentation. It has nothing to fill in.

***

### Quick Start

If you just want to get going, follow these steps. You can fine-tune everything later.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Switch the scheme on

Turn on **Enable Affiliate Scheme**. The **Reward Settings** and **Terms & Conditions** sections appear.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Choose your rewards

Enter a **Referrer Reward Amount** (for example 5.00) and a **Referred User Reward Amount** (for example 2.00).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Set a minimum spend

Enter a **Minimum Spend Threshold** (for example 10.00) and leave **Threshold Type** on **Single Order**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Decide how much control you want

Turn on **Require Manual Approval** if you want to check every reward before it is paid. Leave it off to pay rewards automatically.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Add your terms

Write your rules in **Affiliate Terms & Conditions**, or leave it empty to skip the terms step for customers.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Save

Click **Save Settings** at the bottom of the page. A green message confirms "Affiliate settings saved successfully". You can also press Ctrl and S (or Cmd and S on a Mac) to save.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

Your customers will now see **Affiliates** in their account menu. Read on for a full explanation of every setting.

***

### Enable Affiliate Scheme

This is the main switch for the whole programme. When it is on:

* Customers see an **Affiliates** link in their account menu, where they can get their referral link.
* Clicks on referral links are counted, and new sign ups are linked to the customer who referred them.
* Rewards are worked out and paid when referred customers make qualifying purchases.
* The **Referrals** page appears in your admin panel under **Management**, and each customer's account page gains the affiliate actions and a **Referrals Made** tab.

See [What Happens When You Switch the Scheme Off](#what-happens-when-you-switch-the-scheme-off) before turning it off again.

***

### Reward Settings

The reward fields are amounts in your site's currency. Enter them as plain numbers, for example `5` or `2.50`. None of them can be negative.

#### Referrer Reward Amount

The fixed amount of site credit paid to the customer who **shared** the link, once their friend makes a qualifying purchase.

* Enter an amount, for example 5.00, to reward referrers.
* Enter 0 if you only want to reward the new customer.

#### Referred User Reward Amount

The fixed amount of site credit paid to the **new customer** who signed up through the link, once they make a qualifying purchase.

* Enter an amount, for example 2.00, to give new customers a welcome reward.
* Enter 0 if you only want to reward the referrer.

{% hint style="info" %}
This amount also changes what new customers see. When it is above 0 and there is no hold period, newly referred customers are shown a **Welcome Bonus** page straight after signing up. The default share message your customers copy also mentions the welcome reward. See [How Users Participate](/affiliate-referral-scheme/how-users-participate.md).
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you set **both** reward amounts to 0, referrals are still tracked and still move through the statuses, but nobody receives any credit. This can be useful if you only want to measure word of mouth, but most sites will want at least one reward above 0.
{% endhint %}

#### Minimum Spend Threshold <a href="#minimum-spend-threshold" id="minimum-spend-threshold"></a>

How much the new customer must spend before any reward is paid.

* Enter 0 for no minimum. Any qualifying purchase triggers the rewards.
* Enter an amount, for example 10.00, so that only meaningful purchases trigger rewards. This protects you from paying a large reward for a very small order.

#### Threshold Type

Decides how the **Minimum Spend Threshold** is measured. It only matters when the threshold is above 0.

| Option                         | How it works                                                                                                                                                                                                     | Good for                                                     |
| ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Single Order** (the default) | The new customer must place **one** qualifying order where the amount they pay is at least the threshold. Smaller orders do not count towards it, but a later order that is big enough will trigger the rewards. | Making sure the friend makes a decent first commitment.      |
| **Cumulative Spend**           | The amounts the new customer pays on their orders are **added together**. Rewards are triggered by the qualifying order that takes their running total to the threshold or above.                                | Sites where customers tend to buy lots of low-price tickets. |

{% hint style="info" %}
Not every order counts. The qualifying order must be paid by card. Orders paid entirely from site credit, and wallet top ups, never count and are left out of the running total too. When an order is paid partly with credit, only the part paid by card counts towards the threshold. See [What Counts as a Qualifying Purchase](/affiliate-referral-scheme/setting-up-the-scheme/what-counts-as-a-qualifying-purchase.md) for the full rules and the edge cases that catch people out.
{% endhint %}

#### Maximum Referrals Per User

The most people a single customer can refer.

* Enter **0** (the default) for no limit.
* Enter a number, for example 10, to cap each customer at that many referrals.

Things to know about the cap:

* It counts **every** person the customer has referred, whatever happened next. Referrals that are still **Pending**, and referrals you have **Rejected**, count towards the limit just like rewarded ones.
* Once a customer reaches the cap, friends who click their link can still browse and sign up as normal customers. They are simply not linked to the referrer, and no rewards are paid for them.
* The customer is not told they have reached the cap, so if you use one, mention it in your affiliate terms.

#### Reward Hold Period (Days)

How many days rewards wait before they are added to wallets.

* Enter **0** (the default) to pay rewards instantly, as soon as the qualifying purchase is made (or as soon as you approve it, if you use manual approval).
* Enter a number of days, for example 14, to hold the rewards first. While they wait, the referral shows as **Held**. When the hold period ends, the rewards are added to both wallets automatically, with no action from you. Your site checks for finished hold periods regularly throughout the day, so the credit lands shortly after the hold ends.

{% hint style="warning" %}
A hold period **delays** rewards, but on its own it does not let you stop them. There is no button to cancel a reward that is already **Held**, and cancelling or refunding the qualifying order does not take the reward back. If you want to be able to refuse a reward (for example because the order was refunded), turn on **Require Manual Approval** as well and only approve once you are happy.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
A hold period also hides the **Welcome Bonus** page from newly referred customers, because their reward would not appear in their wallet straight away. See [The Welcome Bonus Page](/affiliate-referral-scheme/how-users-participate/welcome-bonus-page.md).
{% endhint %}

#### Require Manual Approval

Decides whether rewards are paid automatically or wait for you.

* **Off** (the default). Qualifying referrals are paid automatically, either straight away or after the hold period.
* **On**. Each qualifying referral moves to **Awaiting Approval** and nothing is paid until you act on it. When you click **Approve**, the rewards are paid straight away, or start the hold period if you have set one (the hold starts from the day you approve). When you click **Reject**, nothing is paid and the referrer is emailed to let them know.

Manual approval is a good idea for high-value rewards, for new programmes while you learn how your customers use them, or whenever you want to keep a close eye on the scheme. Remember that someone will need to check the **Referrals** page regularly, otherwise customers will be left waiting. See [Managing Referrals](/affiliate-referral-scheme/managing-referrals.md#approving-and-rejecting-referrals).

***

### Terms & Conditions <a href="#terms-and-conditions" id="terms-and-conditions"></a>

The **Affiliate Terms & Conditions** box lets you write the rules of your referral programme using a rich text editor (you can add headings, bold text, lists and links).

1. With the scheme switched on, scroll down to the **Terms & Conditions** section.
2. Type or paste your terms into **Affiliate Terms & Conditions**.
3. Click **Save Settings**.

What customers see:

* **If you have written terms**, the first time a customer opens their **Affiliates** page they see your terms and an **I Accept the Terms & Conditions** button. Their referral link only appears once they have accepted.
* **If you leave the box empty**, there is no acceptance step. Customers see their referral link straight away.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Each customer only accepts once. If you change your terms later, customers who have already accepted are **not** asked to accept again. If you make a significant change, let your customers know another way, for example by email.
{% endhint %}

Ideas for what to cover in your terms:

* Who can take part, and that rewards are paid as site credit, not cash.
* The reward amounts and the minimum spend, or a note that these can change.
* That only orders paid by card count, and that orders paid entirely with site credit, and wallet top ups, do not.
* Any limit on how many people one customer can refer.
* That you can hold, reject or reverse rewards where a referral breaks your rules.

***

### Settings Reference

| Setting                          | Section             | Default      | What it does                                                                     |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enable Affiliate Scheme**      | Affiliate Programme | Off          | Main switch for the whole programme.                                             |
| **Referrer Reward Amount**       | Reward Settings     | 0            | Site credit for the customer who shared the link. 0 means no referrer reward.    |
| **Referred User Reward Amount**  | Reward Settings     | 0            | Site credit for the new customer. 0 means no welcome reward.                     |
| **Minimum Spend Threshold**      | Reward Settings     | 0            | What the new customer must spend before rewards are paid. 0 means no minimum.    |
| **Threshold Type**               | Reward Settings     | Single Order | **Single Order** or **Cumulative Spend**.                                        |
| **Maximum Referrals Per User**   | Reward Settings     | 0            | Most people one customer can refer. 0 means unlimited.                           |
| **Reward Hold Period (Days)**    | Reward Settings     | 0            | Days to wait before paying rewards. 0 means instant.                             |
| **Require Manual Approval**      | Reward Settings     | Off          | Makes every qualifying referral wait for your approval.                          |
| **Affiliate Terms & Conditions** | Terms & Conditions  | Empty        | Rules customers accept before seeing their link. Empty means no acceptance step. |

***

### Important Things to Know

#### When Your Changes Take Effect

The reward amounts are fixed for a referral **at the moment the friend makes their qualifying purchase**, using whatever amounts are set at that time. So when you change a reward amount:

* Referrals that are already **Awaiting Approval**, **Held** or **Rewarded** keep the amounts they were given.
* Referrals that are still **Pending** will use your new amounts when they eventually qualify.

The hold period works in a similar way. Referrals that are already **Held** keep their original release date. If you use manual approval, the hold period that applies is the one set on the day you click **Approve**.

#### What Happens When You Switch the Scheme Off <a href="#what-happens-when-you-switch-the-scheme-off" id="what-happens-when-you-switch-the-scheme-off"></a>

When you turn off **Enable Affiliate Scheme** and save:

* The **Affiliates** link and page disappear from your customers' accounts.
* Referral links stop working. Clicks are not counted and new sign ups are not linked to anyone.
* No new rewards are triggered, even if a referred customer places an order that would otherwise qualify. Their referral stays **Pending**.
* The **Referrals** page, the affiliate actions on customer accounts and the **Referrals Made** tab are hidden from your admin panel. Your referral history is kept safely and reappears when you switch the scheme back on.
* Rewards that are already **Held** are still paid on schedule, so customers who have already earned a reward are not penalised.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Referrals that are **Awaiting Approval** cannot be approved or rejected while the scheme is off, because the **Referrals** page is hidden. Deal with them before you switch off, or switch the scheme back on briefly to clear them.
{% endhint %}

To restart the programme, turn **Enable Affiliate Scheme** back on and click **Save Settings**. Customers' existing referral links start working again.

***

### Related Pages

* [What Counts as a Qualifying Purchase](/affiliate-referral-scheme/setting-up-the-scheme/what-counts-as-a-qualifying-purchase.md)
* [How Users Participate](/affiliate-referral-scheme/how-users-participate.md)
* [Managing Referrals](/affiliate-referral-scheme/managing-referrals.md)
* [Site Credit & Wallets](/additional-settings/site-credit-and-wallets.md)