Filtering and Transaction Rules Plugins

Available in:

Post Affiliate Pro , Post Affiliate Pro Ultimate , Post Affiliate Network

Post Affiliate Pro provides a comprehensive set of filtering and transaction rules plugins that give you precise control over how commissions are generated, validated, and approved. These plugins help you automate routine tasks, prevent fraudulent or low-value transactions from generating commissions, and ensure fair attribution for your affiliates.

Sale Filter Plugin

The Sale Filter plugin gives you granular control over commission generation based on transaction value. This is particularly useful for campaigns where you want to apply different commission structures for orders of varying sizes.

How it works

The Sale Filter plugin evaluates each incoming transaction against minimum and maximum total cost thresholds that you define at the campaign level. Based on where the transaction falls within these thresholds, the plugin can:

• Apply the standard campaign commission for transactions within the acceptable range
• Apply a custom commission rate for transactions below the minimum threshold
• Apply a different commission rate for transactions above the maximum threshold
• Prevent commission generation entirely for out-of-range transactions

Configuration options

When configuring the Sale Filter for a campaign, you can set the following parameters:

Minimum Total Cost - Sets the lower threshold for standard commission calculation. Transactions with a total cost below this value will trigger the alternative commission rule.

Commission if Below Minimum - Defines what commission to apply when a transaction falls below the minimum threshold. You can specify:

• A fixed amount (e.g., “5” for a $5 commission)
• A percentage (e.g., “%10” for 10% of the transaction value)
• Different rates for multi-tier structures (e.g., “%20;%10;5” for 20% first tier, 10% second tier, $5 third tier)
• A dash ("-") to prevent the commission from being saved at all

Maximum Total Cost - Sets the upper threshold for standard commission calculation. Transactions exceeding this value will trigger the alternative commission rule.

Commission if Over Maximum - Defines the commission for transactions above the maximum threshold, using the same format as the minimum threshold setting.

Custom Commission Based on Remnant - When enabled, this option calculates commissions based on the portion of the transaction that exceeds the maximum threshold. For example, if your campaign commission is 30%, maximum total cost is $100, and commission over maximum is 10%, a $150 sale would generate: 30% of $100 ($30) plus 10% of $50 ($5), resulting in a $35 total commission.

Applying to action commissions

By default, the Sale Filter only applies to sale-type commissions. However, you can enable it for action commissions as well through the plugin configuration settings. This is useful when you want to apply the same filtering logic to lead generation or other action-based commission types.

Minimum Total Cost Plugin

The Minimum Total Cost plugin provides a simpler approach to filtering low-value transactions. Unlike the Sale Filter which is configured per campaign, this plugin is set up per commission type, giving you more flexibility when different commission types require different thresholds.

Key features

Per-Commission-Type Configuration - Set minimum order values for each commission type independently, allowing different thresholds for sales versus actions.

Commission Group Support - Optionally configure different minimum values for each commission group within a campaign. This allows VIP affiliates to earn commissions on smaller orders while requiring standard affiliates to meet higher thresholds.

Flexible Below-Minimum Behavior - Choose what happens when a transaction falls below the minimum:

• Do not save the commission (the transaction is tracked but generates no affiliate payout)
• Create a zero commission (the transaction appears in reports but with no value)

Lifetime Commission Exclusion - When used with the Lifetime Commissions plugin, you can optionally apply the minimum total cost constraint only to new customers. Repeat purchases from existing customers would generate commissions regardless of order value.

Use cases

The Minimum Total Cost plugin is particularly valuable for:

• Preventing affiliates from gaming the system with numerous tiny orders
• Ensuring commission payouts are cost-effective relative to transaction processing overhead
• Differentiating commission eligibility between affiliate tiers
• Filtering out test or sample orders that should not generate affiliate payouts

Automatic Approval of Commissions

Managing commission approvals manually can be time-consuming, especially for programs with high transaction volumes. The Automatic Approval of Commissions plugin automates this process by changing pending commissions to approved (or declined) status after a specified waiting period.

How automatic approval works

When enabled, this plugin runs as a scheduled task that evaluates all pending commissions. For each commission type, you can configure:

Auto-Approve After X Days - The number of days after commission creation before automatic status change occurs. Setting this to 0 disables automatic approval for that commission type.

Status Setting - Choose whether to automatically approve or decline commissions. The decline option is useful for commission types that should expire if not manually approved within a certain timeframe.

Auto-Approval Note - Add a note to each automatically processed commission, making it easy to identify which transactions were handled by the plugin versus manually reviewed.

Workflow integration

The plugin respects your existing approval workflow:

• If you manually decline a commission before the auto-approval date, it remains declined
• If you manually approve a commission, the plugin skips it
• Only pending commissions are affected by the automatic process
• Refund and chargeback transactions linked to approved commissions are also automatically approved

Merchant notifications

You can optionally enable email notifications to inform merchants when commissions are automatically approved. This provides visibility into the automated process without requiring manual monitoring.

Commission types supported

The automatic approval plugin works with:

• Sale commissions
• Action commissions
• Recurring commissions

Each commission type can have its own approval timeline and settings, allowing you to apply stricter review periods for high-value transaction types while streamlining approval for routine conversions.

Cookie Overwrite Prevention

The Don’t Overwrite Cookie for X Days plugin protects affiliates from losing their commission when a customer clicks multiple affiliate links before completing a purchase.

The attribution challenge

In standard last-click attribution models, the most recent affiliate click determines who receives the commission. This can be problematic when:

• A customer clicks an affiliate link, browses products, then later clicks a different affiliate’s link before purchasing
• Competing affiliates attempt to overwrite each other’s cookies through aggressive promotion
• Customers encounter multiple touchpoints during an extended buying journey

How cookie protection works

This plugin adds a protection period after the initial affiliate click. During this period, subsequent clicks from other affiliates will not overwrite the original tracking cookie. The protection is configured on a per-affiliate basis, allowing you to:

• Set different protection periods for different affiliates
• Reward early-funnel affiliates who drive initial awareness
• Prevent last-click hijacking from undermining affiliate relationships

The protection period is calculated from the affiliate’s approval date, giving established affiliates time-based advantages in cookie retention.

Configuration

The cookie overwrite protection setting is managed through individual user attributes in the affiliate profile. Merchants can set the number of days during which that affiliate’s cookies cannot be overwritten, providing granular control over attribution rules.

Transaction Validation Rules

Beyond the specific plugins described above, Post Affiliate Pro supports additional transaction validation through its plugin architecture. Common validation scenarios include:

Order ID validation

Prevent duplicate commissions by validating order IDs against existing transactions. This catches scenarios where:

• Thank-you pages are refreshed, triggering multiple tracking calls
• Integration issues cause the same order to be reported multiple times
• Customers complete the same checkout process in multiple browser sessions

IP-based validation

Combine transaction filtering with IP analysis to:

• Identify and flag transactions from banned IP addresses
• Detect patterns of suspicious activity from single IP sources
• Apply geographic restrictions to commission eligibility

Custom field validation

Use transaction data fields to apply custom validation logic:

• Filter based on product categories or SKUs
• Validate against customer type (new versus returning)
• Apply campaign-specific rules based on tracking data

Best Practices

When implementing filtering and transaction rules, consider the following guidelines:

Start conservative - Begin with minimal filtering and add rules based on observed patterns. Over-filtering can inadvertently block legitimate commissions.

Test thoroughly - Use test transactions to verify that your filtering rules work as expected before applying them to production campaigns.

Document your rules - Keep clear records of why specific thresholds or rules were implemented. This helps when reviewing performance or troubleshooting issues.

Monitor edge cases - Regularly review filtered or modified transactions to ensure legitimate conversions are not being incorrectly processed.

Communicate with affiliates - Ensure your affiliates understand any minimum order requirements or special commission rules that may affect their earnings.

Plugin activation

All filtering and transaction rules plugins can be activated through the Plugin Directory in your Post Affiliate Pro merchant panel. Once activated, configuration options appear in the relevant campaign or commission type settings screens.

For detailed setup instructions, consult the Post Affiliate Pro support documentation or contact our support team for assistance with your specific configuration requirements.