Handling leaked affiliate discount codes

Confirm the leak before changing controls. Find where the code appeared, whether the placement was authorised, whether checkout accepted it and how the affiliate platform credited the order; a code can spread beyond its partner audience and affect discount cost and attribution.

Check likely routes: coupon aggregators or deal sites, sharing by the affiliate, posts by customers on forums, or an old code that remains active. ReferralCandy includes automated coupon monitoring to flag suspicious activity, but check the reported placement and code yourself.

Separate store and affiliate controls. Store discount settings govern who can redeem a code, eligible products and redemption frequency; Shopify is one store platform with discount codes. Affiliate-platform settings govern which partner is credited or paid.

Changing commission rules alone will not stop a discount from being redeemed. Check orders, refunds and customer complaints, and consider a legitimate partner’s scheduled content before deciding what to change.

If the offer is materially exposed, agree a replacement code and cut-off time, then update approved placements. Create a replacement code and, where available, use single-use or limited-use redemption and an expiry; test the old code at checkout to confirm it behaves as intended.

Do not assume a public code can always be technically confined to one person when the commerce platform lacks that control. Assess the impact before rotating the code, and avoid surprising shoppers who saw a valid offer.

On the affiliate side, Impact.com’s Promo Code Exception Lists can set different payable rates, including $0, for selected promo codes, item categories or SKUs. This changes partner payment treatment; it does not control whether the store accepts the discount code.

Impact.com promo codes can be assigned to one partner or media source. Purchases driven by other partners using that code are reported as invalid conversions, so check the assignment before changing attribution rules.

In Impact.com, distinguish a Coupon Ad from a Tracking Promo Code when checking attribution. Coupon Ads are text-link ads partners can host and fall back to the program’s click-crediting logic, which likely requires the partner to be the last click; Tracking Promo Codes use the code and click-path setup to assign credit.

Expiring a partner contract in Impact.com does not expire its assigned code; the code remains assigned. Sales attributed to that code and partner after the contract expires appear in the Invalid Conversions Report.

Record the source of the leak if known, the decision and who informed the partner. Review the agreement’s distribution terms before alleging a breach; the goal is to contain cost without surprising shoppers who saw a valid offer.

Key Actions and Considerations