# Merchant FAQ Answers about Refermate creator discovery, commission-only costs, fee tiers, merchant controls, and verified creator availability. - Canonical URL: https://partners.refermate.com/faq - Current pricing: https://partners.refermate.com/pricing ### Does Refermate have creators we can work with, or must we recruit everyone ourselves? Refermate supports creator discovery and applications to participating programs, so you can work with creators already using Refermate and invite your own partners. Merchants control participation and program terms, and creators choose which opportunities to pursue. Installing the app does not guarantee recruitment, promotion, or sales. ### Are upfront fees, subscriptions, advertising, or free samples required? Joining Refermate and installing the Shopify app are free. The Refermate Stripe App for Stripe Checkout is also free to install when offered in Partners. The commission-only referral program has no monthly subscription or setup fee: you pay the creator rewards you set plus the Refermate fee on approved referred sales. Paid ads, samples, and separately negotiated content work are distinct from the referral program. Any additional campaign costs should be agreed in advance; creator participation is not guaranteed. ### How do the 0.5% and 1% fees work? The default Refermate fee is 0.5% of the first $5,000 USD in lifetime approved referred sales per program, then 1% above that threshold. It is separate from the creator reward you set, and it is not a monthly allowance. Charges apply only to approved conversions and never before their refund hold ends. Shopify charges appear on your Shopify bill within your authorized spending cap; that cap is not an upfront charge. Stripe App and Developer Integration stores add a payment method in Partners for Refermate billing, processed by Stripe on Refermate's account. Installing the Stripe App does not configure this separate billing relationship. Creator withdrawals have separate funding, verification, and account-tier minimum rules. See Pricing for the current merchant terms. ### Can we set commissions, approve creators, track sales, and handle refunds? Yes. You set creator reward terms and program access, review applications when approval is required, and review attributed conversions in Partners. Each program has a refund hold of 1 to 60 days, defaulting to 30. Fully refunded or canceled sales during the hold and rejected conversions are not billed. Refund and cancellation handling depends on the hold and billing state; do not assume automatic reversals after billing. Referral tracking also depends on qualifying link attribution and applicable privacy settings. ### How many active creators are available for our country and product category? We do not publish a verified active-promoter count by country and category in this FAQ. Ask us for a current, qualified snapshot for your business. Registered accounts, discoverable profiles, and creators with recent attributable activity are different measures. A profile or program listing does not guarantee available commission-only sellers, promotional reach, or sales for your store. ### What is an affiliate program? An affiliate program rewards approved partners for sales they refer. A brand sets the program terms, gives each partner a trackable link, attributes qualifying purchases, and pays commissions on verified performance. ### What is an affiliate marketing platform? An affiliate marketing platform helps brands manage partners, create trackable links, attribute sales, review conversions, and pay commissions from one system. ### What is a creator referral program? A creator referral program lets a brand approve creators and influencers to recommend its products. Each approved creator receives a referral link, and the brand can attribute sales and commissions to that relationship. ### Is Refermate an affiliate network? Refermate gives brands affiliate-network capabilities while keeping partner approval and program terms under merchant control. Approved partners receive merchant-domain referral links, and rewards are tied to attributed purchases. ### Who can join a Refermate partner program? Creators, influencers, affiliates, publishers, and customer advocates can apply to participating brand programs. Each merchant controls its approval criteria and program terms. ### How does Refermate track referrals and sales attribution? Refermate uses each approved partner's referral link to attribute qualifying purchases. Merchants review conversion activity, approve eligible performance, and fund commission payouts. ### Can brands use Refermate with UGC creators? Yes. Brands can approve creators, collect short-form videos and images, review submissions, define usage periods, prepare eligible content for Meta Partnership Ads, and connect attributed sales to the responsible creator. ### Does Refermate replace a brand's ecommerce storefront? No. Refermate connects to a supported storefront and adds affiliate, creator referral, attribution, commission, and payout workflows around it. ### How can a brand connect its store to Refermate? A brand can claim an existing Refermate store page, connect Shopify through the Refermate Shopify app, connect supported Stripe Checkout workflows through the Refermate Stripe App when Stripe App installation is available in Partners, or create a Developer Integration for a custom storefront. The Stripe App supports attribution for Payment Links, Buy Buttons, Pricing Tables, and Checkout Sessions. Stripe App installation and Refermate billing setup are separate steps. Once connected, the brand can manage partner relationships, referral attribution, and commissions in Refermate.