One Time Reward pays an affiliate only once for each customer they refer. The first referral for a customer is recorded as usual, and later orders from the same customer do not create new referrals for that affiliate. It works like a one-time affiliate bonus per customer.
Use it when you want to pay for bringing a new customer, not for every purchase that customer makes later. It is the opposite of Lifetime Commissions, which pays on every future order of a referred customer.
Before you start
- The One Time Reward add-on installed and active. See Pro Add-ons: what they are and how to install them.
- Customers who buy with an account on your site, so they can be recognized on their next order. In WooCommerce, turn on account creation at checkout. See the WooCommerce guide to Accounts and privacy settings.
- First order
- Olivia clicks Emma’s link and buys a Yoga Mat. Emma gets a referral.
- Second order
- Two weeks later Olivia clicks Emma’s link again and buys a Yoga Block. No new referral is created for Emma.
- Another affiliate
- If Olivia buys a third time through Liam’s link, Liam gets a referral, because it is his first referral for Olivia.
Turn on One Time Reward #
Go to Ultimate Affiliate Pro›Modules and open the One Time Reward card.
Limits each affiliate to one referral per customer. While it is off, affiliates earn a referral for every order a customer places through them.
Default: Off
Saves the setting. The rule applies to new orders from now on.
How One Time Reward decides #
Before a referral is saved, Ultimate Affiliate Pro checks whether the affiliate already has a referral for the same customer account:
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| The affiliate has no referral for this customer yet | The referral is created as usual. |
| The affiliate already has a referral for this customer, in any status and from any source | No new referral is created. |
| The customer is referred by another affiliate | That affiliate gets their first referral for the customer. |
| The order is placed without a customer account (guest checkout) | The referral is created as usual, because there is no account to match. |
Every referral counts, including signup referrals. If you pay affiliates when a referred visitor registers, the registration is that affiliate’s one reward for the customer. See Signup referrals (pay per lead).
Lifetime Commissions and Recurring Commissions
One Time Reward stops every later referral for the same affiliate and customer. If you also use Lifetime Commissions or Recurring Commissions, the affiliate earns only the first commission. With Lifetime Commissions on, the customer also stays linked to the first affiliate, so a later order through another affiliate’s link is credited to the first affiliate.
One Time Reward or New Customer Commissions Only #
Ultimate Affiliate Pro also has the New Customer Commissions Only option in Ultimate Affiliate Pro›Settings›General Settings. The two work differently:
| One Time Reward | New Customer Commissions Only | |
|---|---|---|
| Pays for | The first referral of each affiliate for each customer | Only the first purchase a customer ever makes in your store |
| Returning customer of your store referred by a new affiliate | The new affiliate earns a referral | No referral |
| Same customer, same affiliate, second order | No referral | No referral |
See How commissions are calculated for the general settings.
Test it #
- Log in as a test customer, open an affiliate’s referral link and place an order. A referral is created.
- Open the same referral link again and place a second order with the same customer account.
- In Ultimate Affiliate Pro›Referrals, check that only the first order has a referral for that affiliate.
Frequently asked questions #
What does One Time Reward do?
It lets each affiliate earn only one referral per customer. Later orders from the same customer do not create new referrals for that affiliate.
Can another affiliate still earn from the same customer?
Yes. The limit is per affiliate and customer. Another affiliate who refers the same customer gets their own first referral.
Does a rejected referral count?
Yes. Any existing referral of the affiliate for that customer counts, whatever its status. Delete the old referral if you want the affiliate to earn again.
Does it work with guest orders?
The rule matches customers by their account. Guest orders have no account to match, so they create referrals as usual.
Can I use it with Lifetime Commissions?
The two have opposite goals. With One Time Reward on, the affiliate earns only the first referral for each customer, so later Lifetime Commissions or Recurring Commissions referrals are not created.
