The Truth About Affiliate Payments: Key Takeaways from the APMA Webinar

On the 14th October, intent.ly CIO David Ayre joined a panel session on “The Truth About Affiliate Payments,” – a webinar that brought together publishers, networks, brands, and agencies to discuss one of the industry’s biggest challenges: slow and inconsistent payments. Hosted by the Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association (APMA), the session tackled not just why payment delays persist, but also how the ecosystem can take practical steps towards real resolutions.

This summary was originally published in full by The APMA here.

Why Payments Matter

Julia Stent, Consultant Strategy Advisor & APMA Board Member opened with the headline findings from APMA’s research. “Over half of publishers in our study said payments impact their commercial progress and growth,” she said. She reminded attendees that the affiliate channel drives about £19 billion of revenue for UK brands. “If cash moved within 30 days, over half of businesses told us they would invest that cash flow in growth. Nearly one in five said they could create more jobs.”

The session is part of APMA’s Payments Project. The APMA has published a payments guide, Everything you need to know about publisher payments, that compares processes across 12 networks. It has run two publisher roundtables over the summer. The next step is a voluntary code of conduct for advertisers that sets clear standards. Julia’s message was simple: “This is not just an admin task. It is a fundamental growth task.”

What Publishers Are Facing

The panel painted a clear picture of the problem: months-long validation cycles, inconsistent rejection rates, and unpredictable reconciliation timelines. Warrick Lambert, CEO at Genie Shopping, described payment delays as “the biggest bottleneck in the channel.”

David Ayre, intent.ly CIO, focused on the day-to-day. “The first of every month is an administrative nightmare,” he said. “We were paid this year for transactions from 2019. It is good to be paid, but six years later is not a system you can plan around.” For David, transparency is as important as speed. “It is not always about cancellations. It is about knowing where the money is across multiple networks and invoices.”

The Network & Accelerator Perspectives

Carla Arrindell of Optimise emphasised that validation and payment are separate challenges, calling for better communication when schedules slip. Tools like “transactions-by-payment” reports are helping close the transparency gap, but consistency remains key.

Meanwhile, Rich Lane of Revving shared that the average affiliate payment (outside of travel) still takes around 100 days, far longer than what’s sustainable for many partners. He shared “Creators have ways to nudge brands on late payments. Affiliates don’t. We need a collective voice.”

When Faster Payments Unlock Growth

The panel shared real-world examples of how faster payments drive tangible business impact:

• Genie Shopping, working with Revving, doubled growth for retailers with accelerated payment terms.
• Optimise’s express pay model pre-pays high-quality partners, leading to stronger performance and trust.
• intent.ly’s own experience shows that strong network relationships and clear communication can resolve blockers and speed up outcomes.

David commented, “We have improved outcomes by working with our network and agency contacts. Sometimes the blocker is on the advertiser side, such as POs or finance workflows. You need someone who can help resolve it.”

Final tips from the panel

• Carla Arrindell, Optimise: “Get closer to contacts who can help, including finance. Build relationships so you get insight and support when things go wrong.”
• David Ayre, intent.ly: “Talk to each other and be transparent, especially through peak. Get involved in the APMA.”
• Rich Lane, Revving: “Share plans. If partners show what faster payments unlock next quarter, everyone understands the value.”
• Warrick Lambert, Genie Shopping: “Leverage peak. Audit commissions, payment terms and rejection rates. Negotiate on timing and approvals, not only on CPA.”

The message across the board was consistent. Faster, predictable payments increase partner investment, reduce waste, and grow programmes. The fixes are known. The work is to apply them, communicate clearly, and measure the results.

Read the APMA’s full webinar summary for actions we can all take now and what’s next from the APMA.