How to Set Up Referral Tiers

Referral tiers let you reward affiliate performance with escalating commission rates. Instead of paying every affiliate the same flat percentage, you define spend thresholds that unlock higher commissions as an affiliate drives more referred purchases. An affiliate who has referred $1,000 in sales earns a higher rate than one who has referred $100.

Tier placement is automatic. As an affiliate's cumulative eligible referral spend increases, they move into higher tiers without any manual intervention from you.

How Tiers Work

Each tier has three components:

• Name — A label for the tier (e.g., "Bronze", "Silver", "Gold")
• Spend Threshold — The cumulative dollar amount of eligible referral purchases an affiliate must reach to qualify for this tier
• Commission Percentage — The commission rate the affiliate earns while in this tier (0–30%)

The system evaluates an affiliate's total eligible referral spend against your tiers and applies the highest tier they qualify for. For example:

An affiliate who has driven $750 in referral purchases qualifies for Bronze ($0) and Silver ($500), but not Gold ($1,000). They earn the Silver rate of 5% on new referral commissions.

Steps

1. Navigate to Referrals

Go to Loyalty Program > Referrals in your merchant dashboard.

2. Switch to Tiered Mode

Find the Referring Customer Reward field. Use the toggle addon next to the input to switch between %, $, and Tiered. Select Tiered to enable the referral tiers system.

When tiered mode is active, the commission input field is replaced by the tier editor.

3. Open the Tier Editor

Click Add Tiers (if no tiers exist yet) or Edit Tiers (if you already have tiers configured). This opens the tier editor dialog.

4. Create Your First Tier

Every tier structure requires at least one tier with a $0 spend threshold. This is the entry-level tier that all affiliates qualify for from the start. Create this tier first:

• Enter a Tier Name (e.g., "Starter" or "Bronze")
• Set the Spend Threshold to $0
• Set the Commission % to your base commission rate

Click Create Tier to save it.

5. Add Additional Tiers

Click the + button in the sidebar to add more tiers. For each new tier:

• Enter a Tier Name
• Set a Spend Threshold higher than the previous tier (e.g., $500, $1,000, $2,500)
• Set a Commission % that reflects the higher reward for reaching that threshold

Repeat for as many tiers as you want. Most businesses use 3–5 tiers, but there is no hard limit.

6. Save Changes

Click Save Changes on each tier after editing. Then close the dialog and click Save Changes on the main referrals page to apply your configuration.

Managing Tiers

Editing a Tier

Open the tier editor and select the tier from the sidebar. Update the name, threshold, or commission percentage, then click Save Changes.

Activating and Deactivating Tiers

Each tier has an active/inactive toggle in the sidebar. Inactive tiers are ignored when calculating commissions. This lets you temporarily disable a tier without deleting it.

Deleting a Tier

Select the tier in the sidebar and click Delete. You will be asked to confirm. Deleted tiers cannot be recovered.

How Tiers Interact with Per-Affiliate Commissions

When referral tiers are active, they apply to all affiliates. Per-affiliate custom commission rates (set in the affiliate's individual settings) are overridden by the tier system.

If you switch away from tiered mode back to a flat percentage or fixed amount, per-affiliate custom commissions take effect again. Your tier configuration is preserved but deactivated, so you can switch back to tiered mode later without recreating your tiers.

Viewing Tier Progress in Your Dashboard

When tiers are active, each affiliate's profile in your merchant dashboard shows a progress indicator displaying:

• Their current tier and commission rate
• A progress bar toward the next tier
• The dollar amount remaining to reach the next tier
• A "Highest tier reached" label if they are already at the top tier

To view this, go to Affiliate Program > Affiliates and click on any affiliate.

What Your Customers and Affiliates See

Referral tier progress is also visible to your referrers and affiliates in the Bitcoin Rewards Portal. When a customer or affiliate opens their referral section, they see:

• Current tier status — Their tier name, a color-coded badge, and their current commission percentage
• Progress bar — A visual indicator showing how far they are toward the next tier, with the dollar amount remaining displayed alongside it
• Full tier breakdown — An expandable "Referral Tiers" section that lists every tier, its spend threshold, and its commission rate. The customer's current tier is highlighted, and tiers they haven't reached yet are dimmed

This gives your affiliates a clear picture of where they stand and exactly how much more they need to refer to unlock a higher commission rate. The progress bar updates automatically as new referral purchases come in, so affiliates can track their advancement in real time.

What's Next

• Customize affiliate commissions and customer offers — Adjust per-affiliate settings when not using tiered mode.
• Manage your affiliates — Review applications, approve or deny, and view affiliate details.
• Set up referral rewards — Configure the base referral program that tiers build on.