# Promo code vs affiliate link: how each one pays you

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

An affiliate link pays when someone clicks it and buys inside an attribution window. A promo code pays, if your deal is set up that way, when someone uses the code at checkout, no click required. Links are easier to get; codes survive the gap between watching your content and actually buying.

## The mechanical difference

|  | Affiliate link | Promo code |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Attribution | Click plus cookie or tracking parameter, within a window | Code entered at checkout, whenever that happens |
| Survives device switching | Usually not: a click on a phone rarely credits a laptop purchase | Yes: the code travels in the buyer's head or clipboard |
| Follower benefit | None built in | A discount, which gives people a reason to use yours |
| Typical failure | Attribution window expires or the cookie is lost | Code expires, gets typo'd, or leaks to coupon sites |

## Which one you get, and from where

Affiliate programs and platforms like LTK hand out links by default. Codes usually come from direct brand relationships, and increasingly from platforms too: ShopMy, for example, supports brand-issued commissionable codes that credit you whenever the code is used, even with no click. If a brand offers you either, ask for both: the link for people ready to tap, the code for everyone else.

## The measurement asymmetry

Links come with click counts. Codes, from the creator's side, often come with nothing: the brand sees redemptions and you see silence. That is why a code-first bio page counts code copies, the one signal on the code path a creator can own. It measures interest, not sales, and it fills the gap between posting a code and the brand's monthly report. More in [promo-code tracking for creators](/guides/promo-code-tracking).

## Practical rules

- Say the code out loud and show it on screen; put the link where it can actually be tapped. The two paths reinforce each other.
- Keep code and link together on one page per brand, so a buyer who arrives with half the information finds the other half.
- Confirm with the brand whether your code is commissionable or discount-only before you build a campaign on it. A discount-only code helps your audience but pays you nothing directly.

## Related guides

- [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.
- [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.
- [Promo-code attribution explained](https://usecode.sh/guides/promo-code-attribution)
  How a redemption gets credited to a creator: code-based vs click-based attribution, windows, last-click rules, leakage, and what each model means for your numbers.
- [Affiliate code vs referral code: which one did the brand hand you?](https://usecode.sh/guides/affiliate-code-vs-referral-code)
  Cash commission on sales to anyone, or account credit for referring friends: how to classify the code a brand gave you and what it means for payment.
- [Promo-code tracking for creators: what you can and cannot know](https://usecode.sh/guides/promo-code-tracking)
  What a creator can actually measure about their promo codes without the brand's sales data: views, taps, copies, and what each one means.

## Sources

- [ShopMy for brands: commissionable discount codes](https://brands.shopmy.us/discount-codes/4RtfsRxmAt9LS7W9VwpM5s/why-should-i-include-discount-codes-as-part-of-my-strategy-/4RtfsRxmAvoN8KyCNufCh3) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [TUNE: promo codes track influencer campaigns without a click](https://www.tune.com/blog/promo-codes-track-influencer-campaigns-without-click/) (verified 2026-08-13)