AffiliateBase supports two export-assisted payout methods, PayPal and Wise, and Stripe payouts, which send Stripe transfers from your own Stripe balance. This page compares them for account owners and admins choosing how to pay affiliates. You select PayPal or Wise under Payout method in Settings -> General. You turn on Stripe payouts in Settings -> Stripe Payouts.
Available methods
| Method | How it works in AffiliateBase | Affiliate must provide | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Export-assisted payout files; you send the money in PayPal | PayPal email | Teams paying affiliates through PayPal tools |
| Wise | Export-assisted payout files; you send the money in Wise | Wise email | Teams paying affiliates through Wise batch workflows |
| Stripe Connect | AffiliateBase sends a Stripe transfer from your Stripe balance to each affiliate’s Stripe account | A connected Stripe account, set up once from the affiliate portal | Programs that want payouts sent from AffiliateBase without exports |
Stripe payouts
With Stripe payouts, your Stripe account becomes a Stripe Connect platform and each affiliate connects their own Stripe account. When you pay a payout, AffiliateBase sends one Stripe transfer from your available Stripe balance. Stripe moves the money and pays the affiliate’s bank on its usual schedule. AffiliateBase never holds your funds.
Key points:
- It needs your own Stripe Connect platform with an approved platform profile. You set it up once: register for Connect in the Stripe Dashboard, get the platform profile approved (including the loss-liability acknowledgement), set onboarding branding, create a restricted key just for AffiliateBase, and pass the checklist in Settings -> Stripe Payouts.
- Stripe bills you about $2 a month for each affiliate account that receives a payout that month, plus about 0.25% + 25¢ per payout. AffiliateBase adds no markup.
- You file 1099 forms for US affiliates and are responsible for negative balances on affiliate accounts you’re liable for.
- Stripe can pay affiliates in your Stripe account’s country, or across the US, UK, EEA, Canada, and Switzerland when your account is in one of them. Affiliates elsewhere choose PayPal or Wise, and you pay them with an export or by recording the payment.
- Your available Stripe balance must cover each run. If it’s short, nothing is sent and AffiliateBase tells you how much to add.
The full setup, retries, and reversals are in Pay affiliates through Stripe.
PayPal and Wise are export-assisted
AffiliateBase does not auto-send PayPal or Wise transfers. For those methods, AffiliateBase prepares the payout records and a provider-specific export file. You send the money in PayPal or Wise, then select Settle payouts on the export in AffiliateBase.
For PayPal and Wise, AffiliateBase provides:
- PayPal or Wise export file generation from Payouts -> Export
- In-app payout states (
pending,due,processing,paid) - Reconciliation through Settle payouts and the Reconcile report
The step-by-step workflow, including provider-side steps, is in bulk PayPal and Wise payouts.
A payout included in a PayPal, Wise, or CSV export can be settled only from that export, unless you void the export before it is downloaded. Stripe never pays it, even if you later turn on Stripe payouts.
Affiliate profile fields
Affiliates keep these payout fields up to date in the affiliate portal under Settings:
- PayPal email
- Wise email
- Stripe payouts, shown only when your account pays through Stripe: the affiliate connects their Stripe account there, or chooses PayPal or Wise if Stripe can’t pay them. See Get paid through Stripe.
Troubleshooting
PayPal or Wise export missing recipients
Check:
- Affiliates selected in the export have the matching PayPal or Wise email saved.
- You chose the matching PayPal or Wise export format.
Next steps
- Configure setting up payouts
- Set up Stripe payouts
- Run bulk PayPal and Wise payouts
- Plan your payout schedules