Hold is the period an affiliate programme keeps your earnings before paying out. It exists to filter fraud and reversed deposits. For you it is not an inconvenience but a working-capital requirement.
What happens during hold
You keep paying: accounts, proxies, software, advertising. The money for players already delivered is unavailable. The longer the hold, the more cash must sit with you to keep going.
How to check you have enough
Multiply your weekly spend by the number of weeks of hold and add a buffer. That is your minimum working capital. Without it, a long hold stops you at the worst moment — when the campaign has just started paying.
Count the spend side in full, including the account fleet — method here.
Why hold beats percentage points
A higher rate raises income. A shorter hold raises turnover speed, and over distance speed gives more: the same money works several times. That makes hold a genuine negotiating item — see how to negotiate.
What to ask upfront
Hold length, minimum withdrawal, payout frequency and available methods. The last one usually surfaces on the first payout, sometimes unpleasantly.
Signs it is not the hold
Payments delayed without explanation, their statistics diverging from yours, conversion falling on unchanged traffic. That is a different conversation — see withheld payouts and choosing an offer.