Pay Per Trial lets you reward affiliates the moment one of their referrals starts a trial — without waiting for that trial to convert into a paying customer. It's the trial-equivalent of Pay Per Lead (CPL): a fixed commission tied to a specific user action.
How it works
- You configure a Pay Per Trial incentive in a group (or as an affiliate-level override).
- A referred customer signs up and starts a trial.
- As soon as we receive the trial-start event from your payment provider, we create a fixed-amount commission for the referring affiliate.
The trial commission is always paid, even if the user never converts. There is no clawback on trial cancellation.
Fixed amount only
Pay Per Trial incentives must use a fixed amount (for example, €5 per trial). Percentages are not allowed, because there is no sale value at the moment the trial begins. This matches how Pay Per Lead works.
Which payment providers are supported?
| Provider | Supported |
|---|---|
| Stripe | ✅ |
| Paddle | ✅ |
| Creem | ✅ |
| Polar | ❌ |
| Dodo Payments | ❌ |
If your team is only connected to Polar or Dodo, the Pay Per Trial option will appear disabled in the incentive selector, with a tooltip explaining why.
Approval types
Pay Per Trial supports the same three approval types as any other commission:
- Immediate — paid out right away when the trial starts.
- Hold Period — held for a configured number of days before becoming payable.
- Manual — held until you approve it.
This lets you protect against bad-actor trials while still rewarding legitimate referrals.
Example use cases
- €5 per trial start — reward affiliates a small fixed amount for every qualified trial signup.
- €5 trial + 20% recurring sale — combine a small trial bonus with a regular percentage commission once the user pays.
- Higher-ticket B2B — pay $25 per booked demo / trial when your average customer LTV justifies it.
FAQ
Does the affiliate get paid twice if the trial converts?
Yes. The trial commission and the later sale commission are both paid out. They are independent events — the trial start triggers the trial incentive, and the first paid subscription triggers the sale incentive.
What happens if the trial is cancelled before converting?
Nothing changes for the affiliate. The trial commission stays. We do not claw it back. Pay Per Trial rewards the act of starting a trial, full stop.
What if the same trial event fires twice from my payment provider?
Only one trial commission is created per referral.
Can I set Pay Per Trial with a percentage instead of a fixed amount?
No. There is no sale amount at the moment a trial starts, so percentage-based trial commissions aren't supported. Use a fixed amount instead.
