Use Stripe Promo Codes with Affiliates

Use campaign-generated promotion codes or assign a Stripe code to one affiliate. The Stripe discount controls the customer offer, while the affiliate’s campaign supplies the commission terms.

Generate codes automatically for a campaign

1. In Setup, choose Promo codes only as the attribution path.
2. Choose Generate codes automatically, select the Stripe discount applied to generated codes, and complete setup.
3. Invite an affiliate, or open Affiliates -> Pending applications, select a public applicant, and choose Approve affiliate.

AffiliateBase requests a unique Stripe promotion code when the affiliate becomes active. Invited affiliates become active when they accept. Affiliates who join through a public signup remain pending until you approve them. Generate codes automatically controls code generation, not application approval.

Check the affiliate’s code status after approval. Approval alone does not confirm Stripe sync. If a code needs attention, use the status guidance and Retry sync when available before asking the affiliate to promote. An individual assignment, including a stopped assignment, prevents another automatic code from being generated for that affiliate in the same campaign.

No website script is required. The selected discount controls what the customer receives; the campaign commission controls what the affiliate earns.

Generated codes use the affiliate’s name by default. AffiliateBase does not automatically match codes you previously created in Stripe to an affiliate.

Use codes you choose

Choose Manage codes individually during promo-code setup when you already have Stripe codes or want to choose each affiliate’s code. You can also change this choice in the campaign settings. Then use Manage promo codes on each active affiliate’s profile to assign an existing code or create one with your chosen text.

Changing this choice affects future automatic code creation. It does not rename, deactivate, or remove codes that already exist. If an affiliate already has a generated code, assigning another code adds it alongside that code. Contact support before retiring an unwanted generated code so existing attribution can be checked.

Before you start

• Connect the Stripe account containing the code or discount.
• Choose an active affiliate in an active campaign.
• Use a code that can be shared publicly. Codes restricted to one customer are not supported.

A campaign discount is optional for individually assigned codes. Campaign-generated codes continue to use the discount selected during setup.

Assign an existing code

1. Open Affiliates, select the affiliate, then choose Manage promo codes.
2. Choose Use existing Stripe code and search for the exact code.
3. Select Review assignment beside the matching Stripe code.
4. Check the code, discount, restrictions, expiry, affiliate and campaign.
5. Select Assign code.

Saving the assignment does not change Stripe’s discount or create codes for other affiliates. Tracking begins with new qualifying redemptions after assignment. Earlier redemptions are not imported as historical sales.

Once you assign a code individually, ordinary affiliate updates will not automatically assign another generated code to that affiliate in the same campaign. Stopping the individual assignment does not turn automatic generation back on.

If the code is already assigned to another affiliate, choose another code. Transferring ownership and restarting a stopped assignment are not supported.

Create a new code

Choose Create new code, select an existing Stripe discount, and enter the code. Select Review new code, check the details, then choose Create and assign.

Code text is preserved. If it already exists in Stripe, use the existing-code flow to inspect it. To create a new underlying discount, create it in Stripe first, then return here.

If the result is uncertain, use Check result. This checks the original request so a retry can recover the code without creating another one.

Share and verify

Available assigned codes appear in the affiliate portal with their discount summaries and a Copy code button. Stripe decides whether a code applies to a particular customer, product or checkout.

An assignment confirms setup only. Verify a qualifying paid checkout with the code, then confirm the resulting referral, sale and commission in AffiliateBase. Merely adding code text to payment metadata is not proof of a redeemed Stripe promotion code.

Recognized coupon attribution retains the existing precedence over conflicting link or customer evidence. Multiple codes belonging to different affiliates require review rather than choosing an arbitrary owner. Unclear provider evidence holds processing for retry or review.

A zero-value invoice can establish a referral, but does not itself earn a monetary commission through an individually assigned code. A later paid renewal can qualify under the campaign’s normal rules.

Troubleshooting

• Pending affiliate with no code: open Affiliates -> Pending applications, review the applicant, and choose Approve affiliate. You do not need to assign a separate code while they are pending.
• Approved affiliate with no generated code: check that the campaign generates codes automatically and has a Stripe discount selected. Existing individual assignments are preserved; manage those codes individually. If Stripe sync needs attention, use the shown recovery action or contact support with the affiliate and code status.
• Reconnect Stripe: go to Settings -> General, click Reconnect Stripe, complete the connection for the Stripe account containing the code, then search again.
• No matching code: check the exact code and the connected Stripe account and test/live mode.
• Code unavailable: review its expiry, redemption limit and customer restrictions in Stripe. Use an active code that is not restricted to one customer.
• Already assigned: use a different code; an existing assignment cannot be moved to another affiliate.

Stop tracking or change a discount

Stop tracking ends attribution from new code redemptions and removes the code from the affiliate’s shareable list. It preserves history and established customer commission rules. The code stays redeemable in Stripe.

To change redemption availability, use View in Stripe and manage the promotion code there. Refresh checks its latest Stripe availability; it does not verify a paid conversion.

For API clients, use the plural promo-code endpoints in the REST API reference. The singular coupon endpoint continues to represent the campaign default.

For an AI connector, follow Manage promo codes with MCP for permissions and preview/execute examples.