Compliance: Awin’s application process and joining fee
- Written by Emma Cross on
Compliance in the affiliate industry is one of the most important elements of the channel, to ensure its growth, reputation, and reduce unethical activity.
Headquartered in Berlin, with members globally, our dedicated global partner compliance team remain at the forefront of publisher compliance in the digital sphere.
The first layer of Awin’s compliance procedure begins in the publisher application process. Receiving hundreds of publisher applications every day, each application is individually and manually checked, as well as cross-referenced across a number of parameters and third-party tools, including identity verification. Our partner compliance specialists are trained to identify unusual patterns and registrations which are likely to be used for unethical or non-compliant activity, and ensure that potentially unscrupulous affiliates are not permitted to join the network.
What are the requirements for joining the Awin network?
Publishers applying to join the Awin network must complete the application form in full with accurate and comprehensive information, including any URLs, websites or social media pages intended to be used to promote Awin advertisers as well as a description of how their promotions work.
The most unique feature of the sign up process to the Awin network is the requirement of a £5 deposit in order to proceed with the application. As the only network to request this, we want to provide insight into why we do this:
- Credit or debit card providers have had to verify your identity in order to issue a card which adds an extra layer of verification that we can use to ensure the applicant is truly the person applying to join the network. We accept any credit or debit card providers, including American Express. Awin does not have access to any card details as this is handled by a secure third-party provider who verifies associated information for us.
- Implementing a payment within the sign-up process helps us deter unscrupulous users from signing up with multiple accounts and therefore helps to keep our applications dedicated to genuine affiliates.
What happens next?
We aim to process all publisher applications within 24 hours (unless submitted over weekends or bank holidays), however delays can sometimes occur if applications are incomplete or additional information is required.
Once your application has been processed, the £5 payment will be added to your publisher account, and reimbursed to you once you reach your first payment threshold. If your application has been rejected, you can request your £5 payment to be refunded to your associated card. Please contact our partner compliance team who will be able to facilitate this for you. Unfortunately, we are unable to refund this automatically.
Our partner compliance team is the first point of contact for all new publishers and new publisher applications for the Awin network, if you have any questions, either about or during the process please contact the team with your Awin ID (if applicable), email address and website URL.
