Glossary · Payout models
CPS— what it means in affiliate marketing
Cost per sale: a fixed amount or a percentage of order value, paid when the purchase completes.
The cleanest model to audit and the hardest to scale, because everything before the payment is unpaid. E-commerce and travel run on it; verticals with weeks between click and purchase mostly do not.
Related terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| CPA | Cost per action: a fixed fee for one defined user action — a registration, a deposit, a completed sale. |
| Attribution | Deciding which channel or partner gets credit for a conversion. |
Entry updated 21 July 2026. All 276 terms in one page.
