It's a comforting myth that mostly costs you good partners. Net-60 (paying 60 days after month-end) does give you a longer window to spot bad traffic — but fraudsters don't wait around for payment, and quality affiliates avoid programs that hold their money.
The real fraud protection is upstream:
— A validation/lock period tied to your refund window, not an arbitrary 60 days.
— Conversion-level review (de-dupe, IP/device checks) before approval, not delayed payment.
— Clawback terms in writing for reversed or charged-back sales.
The correction: shorten your terms to net-15 or net-30 for trusted partners and reserve long holds only for new or flagged accounts. Speed of payment is one of your biggest recruiting advantages — top affiliates rank it above commission.
Caveat: if your product has a 90-day refund cycle, a longer lock is legitimate — just disclose it clearly up front, never as a surprise.
Got a question? Send it in.
Program Desk
@ProgramDesk
Q: I was told "long payout terms like net-60 protect you from fraud." True?
This post was published in the Telegram channel Program Desk. Subscribe here: @ProgramDesk.