Prelinker Payment: Bank Transfer, PayPal, Fees and Tracking

After the questions about commission, the next one is always: how does the money reach my account? With Prelinker, payouts are made in euros, which makes life easier for French and European publishers. Here are the terms, the known fees and the precautions to take.

The two payout methods

Two options are open to you: bank transfer and PayPal.

Bank transfer

This is the most traditional method. Fees depend on the region of your account:

• France: no fee;
• Euro zone: €3;
• International: €20.

These fees, withheld by the network, should be factored into your thinking: a publisher based outside France with small amounts will do better to group payouts rather than multiply them. Always check the terms in force in your area.

PayPal

If you already have a PayPal account, it is a practical alternative, particularly outside the euro zone. Remember to check any fees or currency conversions applied on your side by PayPal, since they do not depend on the network. Our article on getting paid through PayPal details the points to watch: fees, security, limits.

The schedule and the threshold: where to find them

You may be looking for a payment date or a minimum amount. We deliberately do not give them: these items belong to the account terms, which can change. Check them in your publisher area as soon as it opens, when you complete your Prelinker sign up, and plan your cash flow accordingly. Affiliate income should never be used to cover an urgent expense with no margin.

Tracking your earnings through the month

Your publisher area shows your statistics: clicks, signups and earnings. Get into the habit of checking them at regular intervals rather than every hour: daily variations are normal and can cause needless worry.

To go further, assign a SubID to each page, then record everything in a spreadsheet. You will then know not only how much you earn, but where it comes from. The method is detailed in the article on SubID and postback. If you have configured a postback, events also flow back into your own tool, which lets you cross-check against your figures.

A tip for rigor: compare your internal tracking with the amounts in the publisher area from time to time. A large gap deserves a question to support, with the dates and SubIDs involved.

Earnings move with subscriptions

In a revenue share, your commission depends on how long members stay subscribed and on their purchases. It can therefore vary from one month to the next, even with steady traffic. The principle, with an indicative worked example, is explained in our article on Prelinker commission. Never rely on a single month to judge the health of your activity: look at the trend over several months.

Declaring your income: a reflex to adopt

The sums you receive are income. Depending on your situation, you will declare them as a sole proprietor, a company or another status. In the case of a French micro-enterprise, what generally counts is the amount actually collected, meaning what you really received over the period. The article on declaring affiliate income presents the logic and indicates when to seek professional advice.

Keep your supporting documents: publisher area statements, transfer notices, PayPal history. They will help you in case of an audit and make your accountant's job easier.

Securing your payout

Check carefully the IBAN or PayPal address you enter: a single wrong character delays a payment. Stay cautious about emails that pose as the network and ask for your login details: always log in by typing the site address yourself. If in doubt, contact support through the channels shown in your area.

Organizing your cash flow around payouts

Affiliate commissions arrive in waves and depend on members' subscriptions. So do not treat them as a salary. A good practice is to set aside part of the earnings to cover taxes and any contributions, and to reinvest another part in your site: hosting, domain name, measurement tools, possibly a writer or a designer.

If you operate as a micro-enterprise, think about turnover ceilings and VAT, which become important topics if your activity grows. A yearly conversation with an accountant or a chamber of commerce costs little compared with the mistakes it prevents.

Finally, never tell your readers how much you earn as a selling point: that would be misleading, and it would give a false idea of what the activity allows.

One last practical tip: if your amounts are modest at first, avoid multiplying international transfers, because the fees weigh proportionally more. Waiting until you have accumulated more before requesting a payout can be more advantageous, within the limits of your account terms.

Lastly, get into the habit of noting the payments received and comparing them with your schedule. If a payout is late compared with what your terms indicate, contact support, stating the period and amounts concerned.

To understand how all this fits into the overall circuit, read how Prelinker works. All the guides are gathered in the complete Prelinker guide.