# Affiliate code vs referral code: which one did the brand hand you?

Canonical: https://usecode.sh/guides/affiliate-code-vs-referral-code
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13

An affiliate code typically pays cash commission on sales to anyone who uses it; a referral code typically rewards an existing customer with account credit or perks for bringing in new customers. Same-looking string at checkout, completely different economics for you. Three questions classify any code in a minute.

## The three questions

1. **What do you receive?** Money is the affiliate signature; store or service credit is the referral signature. Dropbox's referral program, a canonical example, pays extra storage space, never cash.
2. **Who can the code convert?** Affiliate codes pay on sales to anyone, strangers included. Referral programs are usually framed as friends-and-family and sometimes restricted to new customers only.
3. **Did you have to be a customer?** Referral programs generally require an account with the brand; affiliate programs recruit promoters regardless.

|  | Affiliate code | Referral code |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical payout | Cash commission per sale | Account credit or perks |
| Audience | Anyone | Often new customers only |
| Scale | Unlimited in principle | Frequently capped |
| Relationship | Marketing partner | Happy customer |
| Terms live in | Affiliate or partner agreement | Program terms on the brand site |

## Why the label on the email does not settle it

Industry vocabulary blurs: affiliate-network glossaries themselves call commissions "referral fees", and "creator code" is marketing language with no fixed payment meaning. Classify by the mechanics above, not the noun in the subject line. If the answer is cash-per-redemption to anyone, treat it as an affiliate deal, including [the attribution questions](/guides/code-commission-without-click) that come with one.

## One thing that does not change either way

Disclosure. The FTC's material-connection rule covers monetary payment AND other benefits, so a credit-paid referral code shared with an audience is disclosable just like a cash-paid affiliate code. The specifics are in [how to disclose affiliate codes](/guides/disclose-affiliate-codes).

## Related guides

- [Promo code vs affiliate link: how each one pays you](https://usecode.sh/guides/promo-code-vs-affiliate-link)
  Codes and links attribute differently, pay differently, and fail differently. What creators should know before leaning on either one.
- [Do creators earn commission when someone uses the code without clicking?](https://usecode.sh/guides/code-commission-without-click)
  It depends entirely on how the deal attributes: commissionable codes pay on redemption with no click; link-only deals pay nothing for typed codes. How to tell which you have.
- [How to disclose affiliate codes and commissions](https://usecode.sh/guides/disclose-affiliate-codes)
  The FTC says a personalized discount code is not, by itself, adequate disclosure. What US creators must disclose, where, and in what words, sourced to the rules.
- [How influencer promo codes actually work](https://usecode.sh/guides/how-influencer-promo-codes-work)
  Who creates the code, how the discount and the commission are configured, how attribution happens, and where the creator fits in the chain.
- [Creator promo-code tracker template](https://usecode.sh/templates/promo-code-tracker)
  A free CSV deal sheet for creators running multiple codes: terms, rates, expiries, deliverables, and payment status, importable to Sheets or Excel.

## Sources

- [Impact glossary (commission, coupon affiliates)](https://impact.com/glossary/) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [Dropbox referral program (credit-based rewards)](https://help.dropbox.com/storage-space/earn-space-referring-friends) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR 255.5 (material connections)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-255) (verified 2026-08-13)