Best Affiliate Programs for Traffic Arbitrage

An affiliate program is a traffic monetization system where you earn commission for bringing customers. There are two types: direct advertiser programs (like DraftKings Partners, FanDuel Affiliates) and CPA networks that aggregate offers from different companies (MaxBounty, PeerFly, ClickBank).

How It Works in Practice

You sign up for a direct casino affiliate program. You get an offer with $80 CPA per deposit for Latin America, launch Facebook ads through cloaking with a $2,000 budget. You bring 40 deposits, the casino pays $3,200. Your profit is $1,200 with 60% ROI.

Direct Program vs CPA Network:

Factor	Direct Program	CPA Network
Payouts	20-30% higher	Lower (network takes a cut)
Number of offers	Only their products	Hundreds of different brands
Entry requirements	Often need experience	Accept beginners
Promo materials	Exclusive creatives	Standard set
Dispute resolution	Directly with advertiser	CPA network mediates
Minimum payout	From $300-500	From $50-100

Payment Models: How Affiliate Programs Pay

In traffic arbitrage, several payment models exist, each with its own advantages and pitfalls. Your choice of model directly impacts your work strategy and required starting budget.

CPA - Fixed Rate Per Action

The most popular model where you get paid a specific amount for a target action. Casinos pay $50-200 for first deposit, nutra offers give $15-40 for paid order, dating pays $2-7 for account activation. Predictable income makes CPA ideal for beginners - spent $100 on traffic, brought 5 deposits at $30 each, earned $150. Simple math.

Main downside of CPA is one-time payment. You bring a player who loses a million, but you still get just $100 for the deposit. That's why experienced traders combine CPA with other models or switch to RevShare after testing.

RevShare - Percentage of Revenue

Long-term model for traders with quality traffic. Gambling shares 30-50% of player losses for life, betting gives 25-40% of margin, dating pays 20-30% of all user payments.

Simple calculation shows potential: you bring a player, they lose $1,000 monthly, you get $400. Get 50 such players - that's $20,000 passive income every month. But there's a catch - you need working capital for 3-6 months until the model pays off.

CPL and Hybrid Models

CPL pays for a lead without purchase - registration, form fill, app install. Rates are minimal ($1-20), but requirements are simple. Perfect for cheap traffic: push, pop, email campaigns.

Hybrid combines models for balance. Casino offers $30 CPA + 20% RevShare - you get quick money upfront and passive income long-term. These offers attract experienced traders who know how to retain players.

Top Affiliate Programs by Vertical

Choosing the right program can double or triple your income with the same traffic. Let's look at leaders in each vertical with their pros and cons.

Gambling and Sports Betting

Hundreds of gambling programs exist, but truly reliable ones? Maybe two dozen. Selection criteria are simple: operating 3+ years, have licenses, pay consistently, don't shave conversions.

DraftKings Affiliates leads the US sports betting market. CPA reaches $100-200 for first-time depositors, RevShare up to 40% with no negative carryover (player's negative balance doesn't roll to next month). Feature: multi-tier commissions, earn from sub-affiliates you bring in. Payments via ACH or crypto, support responds within hours.

FanDuel Partners - established player with presence in 20+ US states. They accept most traffic sources that other programs reject. CPA varies $75-150 depending on state, RevShare fixed at 35%. Minimum payout just $50, weekly payments.

BetMGM Affiliates focuses on established markets. For New Jersey and Michigan pays $120-180 per deposit. Main advantage - ready infrastructure: mobile apps, state-specific promos, multiple payment options for players in regulated markets.

Nutra (Health Supplements)

Nutra remains stable thanks to constant audience renewal and predictable seasonality. Summer brings weight loss demand, winter means joint supplements, year-round for male enhancement.

ClickBank dominates US nutra with its vast product selection and reliable tracking. Average payout $25-45 with 50-70% approval rates - record high for a vertical where 30-40% is normal. Built-in gravity score shows which products are hot. Instant commission bumps for top performers. When technical issues happen (landing down, payment gateway fails) they compensate affiliates.

MaxWeb - direct advertiser focused on health and wellness. Exclusive weight loss offers show 5-8% CR with right approach. They accept most traffic sources including questionable ones that other networks reject. Design team adapts creatives for free to match your needs.

HealthTrader stands out for beginner support. After signup, you get a personal manager who helps pick offers, set up campaigns, gives access to private case studies. Activity earns bonuses - trade them for cash or prizes. In-house call centers process leads 24/7.

Dating

Dating attracts with low barrier to entry and simple operation. No expensive tools needed for Facebook, moderation is lenient, conversion to registration hits 20-30%.

CrakRevenue operating since 2010 with 500+ offers database. SOI (single opt-in) brings $1-3, DOI (double opt-in) $2-7. Smart links automatically pick best offer for each user based on 50+ parameters. Lifetime cookies mean commission on all future purchases, even if user returns a year later.

AdultFriendFinder Affiliates specializes in mainstream dating. Some offers pay up to $45 per subscription - more than casino deposits. Accept push and pop traffic without restrictions, important for traders with small budgets.

Dating.com Partners - tech-forward program with AI. Algorithm analyzes user behavior in real-time and picks optimal offer. Conversion rate jumps 30-40% compared to regular landing pages.

How to Choose a Program and Avoid Scams

Dozens of new programs appear yearly, but only a few survive. Learn to spot reliable programs from potential scams - it'll save money and nerves.

Red Flags

Too-high payouts should alarm you immediately. Promising $500 CPA for Tier-3 countries or 80% RevShare - clear scam. Real rates stay within ranges: gambling $50-200, nutra $15-45, dating $1-10. If a program offers 2-3x market rate, they either won't pay or will shave 90% of your traffic.

Missing company info is second warning sign. Normal programs don't hide owners, publish legal address, show licenses. Check Whois for domain registration date - if less than a year old, risks increase. Look for media mentions, founder interviews, conference participation.

Weird payout terms often mask scams. 60+ day hold, $1,000 minimum, withdrawal only to corporate cards from unknown banks - classic signs. Legit programs pay 1-2 times weekly with up to 30-day hold and $50-100 minimum.

Where to Check Reputation

Affpaying and OfferVault are main platforms for checking affiliate programs. You'll find reviews for any CPA network. Pay attention to reviewer registration date and post count - fake accounts are obvious.

For international programs check AffLift and STM Forum. They have stricter moderation, fake reviews get deleted fast. On Reddit, r/Affiliatemarketing is useful - ask about specific programs, get answers from real traders.

Verification Checklist

Before signing up, verify basics:

• Operating 2+ years (domain age checker shows domain age)
• Listed on Affpaying or similar rankings
• Payouts minimum 2x monthly
• Accept major traffic sources
• Have manager contacts, not just tickets
• Provide postbacks and detailed stats
• Rules clearly written, no vague language

Hidden Pitfalls in Affiliate Programs

Even reliable programs can use gray schemes to boost profits. Knowing typical problems helps protect your money.

Shaving - Main Problem in Arbitrage

Shaving is hiding part of conversions. You brought 100 deposits, they show 70 in stats. In gambling they can shave up to 30% of deposits, in nutra "lose" every third order, in dating not count half the registrations.

Protection comes several ways. Use your own tracker (Voluum, Binom) for accurate conversion counting. Demand S2S postbacks - server notifications for each lead. Test in parallel through different programs with same traffic. If discrepancy exceeds 10-15% - they're shaving.

Arbitrary Rejections

Call center rejects 80% of nutra orders as "junk". Casino doesn't count deposits due to "fraud". Dating finds "bots" in your traffic. All ways to avoid paying for real leads.

Protection starts with negotiations. Lock in KPIs and quality criteria in writing beforehand. Don't send incentivized traffic - that's a real reason for rejections. For mass rejections demand specific reasons per lead. If program won't cooperate - public complaint on forums often changes their tune.

Account Ban with Money in Balance

Classic scheme: let you earn $5,000-10,000, then ban for "suspicious activity". Money stays with program, you get banned.

Prevention is simple but requires discipline. Withdraw money immediately upon hitting minimum, don't accumulate balance. With sudden volume spikes warn your manager - jumping from $100 to $5,000 daily looks suspicious. Save all correspondence and stats screenshots - useful for disputes.

Practice: Launching Your First Campaign

Theory without practice is dead. Let's break down step-by-step campaign launch for a beginner with minimum budget and maximum profit chances.

Beginner Case: Nutra via Push Traffic

Choosing nutra for simplicity and predictability. Push traffic is cheap, moderation lenient, no expensive tools like antidetect needed.

Step 1. Sign Up for HealthTrader Program is friendly to beginners, provides training materials, helps with first campaigns. At registration be honest: sources - push and native, experience - beginner. Don't lie about million-dollar revenues, managers will see truth in first campaigns anyway.

Step 2. Pick an Offer Take joint cream for US market. Payout $28 per confirmed order, 45-55% approval. October-March is joint pain season, conversion grows 1.5-2x. US chosen for purchasing power and market size.

Step 3. Get Promo Materials Manager opens access to promo:

• 5 pre-landing pages with different angles (pain, doctors, discounts)
• 20 creatives for push
• Ready English copy
• Landing with order form and tracking pixel

Step 4. Campaign Setup Register in PropellerAds (push network), deposit $300. Campaign settings: $0.015 bid per click, targeting - USA, age 45+, desktop. Daily limit $50 for spend control.

Step 5. Optimization After 500 clicks analyze data. Turn off placements with CTR under 0.1% - they're not interested in offer. Remove creatives with no conversions. Increase bid on placements with good CTR for more volume.

Test Result: Spent $300, got 15 sales × $28 = $420. 40% ROI on first campaign - excellent result. After optimization ROI will grow to 70-100%.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Starting with expensive verticals without experience. Gambling with $100+ deposits requires $3,000+ budget and understanding player psychology. Start with cheap CPL dating ($1-3 per reg) or nutra to practice skills.

Running without tracker - like driving with eyes closed. Don't understand which placements bring profit, which creatives work. Free tracker better than none. Start at least with Google Analytics.

Believing magic case studies. "Spent $100, made $10,000 in a day" - fairy tales for attracting referrals. Real beginner ROI is 20-50% after week of optimization. 100%+ ROI achieved by few after months of testing.

FAQ: Common Questions Answered

Which affiliate program is most reliable? No universal answer. For gambling, direct casino programs are reliable - DraftKings, FanDuel. For nutra, ClickBank and MaxWeb are proven. Among CPA networks, MaxBounty leads for selection and reliability ratio.

How much money needed to start? Depends on vertical and source. Minimum: $500 for nutra/dating via push. Gambling through Facebook requires $3,000 (including tools). Sports betting in Tier-1 countries - from $5,000.

CPA or RevShare - which to choose? Beginners always CPA - quick payback and simple math. RevShare requires working capital for 3-6 months and ability to retain players. Switch to RevShare when you learn to consistently bring quality traffic.

Why does the program require documents? Protection against fraud, multi-accounts, and money laundering. Normal programs request passport only for withdrawals over $1,000. If demanding full document package at registration - likely payout problems ahead.

Can you work from anywhere in 2025? Yes, most programs adapted. Accept payments via PayPal, bank transfer, crypto wallets. Main platforms (Facebook, Google) work globally. Some regional restrictions exist for gambling/betting in certain US states - check compliance requirements.