Explanation conversions status
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A conversion is a sale or a lead attributed to a publisher through their tracking link. Every conversion carries a status showing where it stands in the advertiser’s review, and a lock showing whether the related commission is final.
Where to find your conversion statuses
Conversions do not live in the main sidebar: they sit inside the program menu (advertiser side) or the profile menu (publisher side).
- Advertiser: in the sidebar, open Manage programs, then in the Manage my programs panel open your program and click Conversions.
- Publisher: in the sidebar, open Manage profile, then in the Manage my profiles panel open your profile and click Conversions.
- Open the Conversions menu of the relevant program or profile.
- Pick the date range you want to review with the selector at the top of the screen.
- Look at the Status column: it shows the status pill and, right next to it, the locking information.
- Narrow the list down with the Status: All dropdown.
- Click the magnifier in the Conversion funnel column to open the detail of a sale (clicks, ads, products).
The three conversion statuses
There are only three statuses, and a conversion has exactly one of them at a time.
You read the lock straight from the Status column: a padlock appears next to the pill once the conversion is locked, and the text Will be locked on followed by a date appears while it is not locked yet.
The life cycle of a conversion
- The conversion is created by the tracking when the order is placed, or added manually by the advertiser.
- Pending: it waits for a decision, unless the commission rule sets Status of new conversions to accepted, in which case it is accepted on creation.
- Accepted or Refused: the advertiser decides, one line at a time or in bulk. As long as the conversion is not locked, the decision can still change.
- Locked: at the end of the waiting period the conversion freezes automatically. The padlock replaces the Will be locked on message.
- Commission eligible for payment: once the conversion is accepted and locked, the commission enters the payment flow and shows up in the Payments menu.
A refused conversion gets locked too, but it never generates a commission.
The waiting period, set by the advertiser
The waiting period is the time during which the advertiser can still refuse a conversion. It is set in the program Configuration menu, Commission Rules tab, field Delay before payment demand (in days). The field help reads: « Period you can refuse conversions. Can be set to 0 to null period. »
- Default value: 0 day. With no specific setting, conversions therefore lock immediately.
- The delay is defined rule by rule: two rules of the same program can use different delays.
- The locking date is simply the conversion date plus the delay. That is the date shown after Will be locked on.
- On the advertiser side, when you validate a batch of conversions subject to a delay, Affilae asks: « Do you want to lock conversions now? If yes, they immediately become eligible for payments. » Answer with Validate and lock now to skip the delay, or Validate anyway to let it run its course.
Why these statuses matter
- Know what is truly earned. Only conversions that are accepted and locked turn into payable commissions.
- Plan your cash flow. The date shown after Will be locked on tells you when the commission enters the payment flow.
- Spot problems early. A pile of Pending conversions points to a late review, a high refusal rate points to a product, tracking or traffic issue.
- Discuss facts, not impressions. Publisher and advertiser see the same list with the same order IDs, which makes conversations much easier.
Best practices
- Advertiser: align the waiting period with your real product return window. Too long and publishers walk away, too short and you cannot cancel a returned order.
- Advertiser: for large volumes use Accept/Refuse conversions at the top of the screen instead of handling rows one by one, and always fill in the Reason when you refuse.
- Publisher: filter on Not locked yet to see what can still move, and on Locked to see what is secured.
- Publisher: before joining a program, check its Validation rate in the Marketplace. A modest commission rate that gets approved often beats a high rate that rarely does.
Real-world examples
- Camille, fashion publisher. She sees a €249.00 order marked Accepted, followed by Will be locked on 08/05/2026. So she knows her €14.94 is approved and will become claimable on August 5.
- Marc, sports equipment advertiser. He set a 15 day waiting period to match his return window. Every month he accepts the previous month’s conversions and refuses returned orders, always stating the reason.
- Lea, digital products advertiser. Since there are never any returns, she leaves the delay at 0: her conversions are accepted and locked immediately, and her publishers can request payment right away.
Related articles
- Validate large volumes of conversions with a CSV file
- Add a conversion manually
- Configuring commission rules
- Tracking and requesting your commission payments
- Understanding partnership statuses
Frequently asked questions
Because the program commission rule puts new conversions on hold and the advertiser has not reviewed them yet. Many advertisers validate in batches, often once a month. If the wait looks unusually long, contact the advertiser from your Messages.
No. The waiting period is 0 day by default, which locks conversions immediately. Each advertiser sets their own value, rule by rule, in Configuration then Commission Rules, field « Delay before payment demand (in days) ». There is no standard value.
That the conversion is not frozen yet. Until that date the advertiser can still change its status. From that date on, a padlock replaces the message and an accepted commission becomes eligible for payment.
No. That label does not exist in the interface. A conversion holds a single status among Pending, Accepted and Refused. Locking is separate information, shown by a padlock next to the status pill.
Yes, as long as it is not locked. That is exactly what the waiting period is for: it gives the advertiser time to cancel a returned or unpaid order. Once locked, the status is final.
Select the relevant rows, then in the validation banner choose Validate and lock now. The message reminds you that the conversions then immediately become eligible for payments. The Validate anyway option instead lets the waiting period run to its end.