What is Link Status
Link Status indicates whether your affiliate links are online (active) or offline (inactive), based on your account’s available balance. When your balance falls below $0, Link Status switches to offline, and all tracking links redirect to partner-defined fallback URLs.
Note
Link Status is only available for advertisers who have migrated from ShareASale to Awin and are using the new prepayment model.
When and how does Link Status activate
Link Status is triggered when your Available Account Balance drops below $0 and your program runs out of prepaid funds. This can happen due to:
Tracked transactions depleting your available balance.
Failed auto-deposit attempts.
Manual deposit delay or processing times.
How this works:
Your available balance hits $0.
The program’s Traffic Light status turns amber.
Link Status goes offline and all affiliate traffic is redirected to the partner’s fallback URL.
Once funds are restored and balance is positive, the Traffic Light returns to green and your affiliate links resume as normal. No manual reset is required.
When Link Status goes offline, an email will be sent to you prompting to add funds.
How does it affect your affiliate partners
Partners do not lose traffic. Instead, their links are redirected to alternate pages they’ve selected (usually a product category, homepage or message).
This protects partners from unpaid clicks and encourages them to continue promoting active programs.
How to prevent Link Status from going offline
To avoid disruptions, it’s essential to keep your balance above zero:
Enable auto-deposit: Set a trigger and top-up amount in your Pre-payment Settings.
Monitor the Available Account Balance: This is updated in real time in the Awin platform.
Review payment failure alerts: If an auto-deposit fails, Awin retries on day 1, 3 and 7.
Top up manually: If auto-deposit is off or fails (via ACH, wire or card).
Note
Only account owners and admins with two-step verification (2SV) enabled can manage deposit settings.
Where to manage Link Status and pre-payment settings
In the platform:
Go to Account > Pre-payment settings.
Set or update your:
Deposit type (auto or manual)
Deposit amount (minimum $50)
Low balance trigger (minimum $50)
Payment method (ACH, wire, credit card. PayPal is not supported)
Changes are effective immediately.
Low balance trigger
To help you stay online and avoid interruptions, we offer two ways to monitor your account balance:
If auto deposit is enabled: When your funds drop below your minimum balance, we’ll automatically attempt to make a deposit for the amount you’ve set in your Auto Deposit amount.
If auto deposit is disabled: You can set a Low Balance Alert to receive an email notification when your balance falls below your specified amount. This gives you time to manually top up before your account goes offline.
Make sure your Low Balance Alert is set high enough to give you time to add funds and avoid any service disruption.
How do I know if Link Status is active on my program
You can check your program’s Link Status under the Summary section in the Account > Overview in the Awin platform.
Link Status (online / offline)
An online / offline status is visible, giving you a near real-time snapshot of whether your program is active or not.
If you’re on prepayment, your program will show as Online unless the Link Status is explicitly flagged as Offline.
If you’re on postpayment, your program defaults to Online.
This also shows within the Advertiser Directory, providing a clear signal to understand which programs are available for promotion.
Payment Status (Traffic Light)
You can also refer to the familiar Payment Status system in your Awin account, which reflects the financial/credit health of the advertiser:
Green: You are within your credit limit. Approved commissions will be paid as usual.
Amber: You have exceeded your credit limit. Approved commissions are only paid when you pay Awin.
The traffic light doesn’t update in real time. If your balance drops below zero during the day, the amber status will only reflect the next morning.
To get an up-to-date view of your program status, always check your Available Account Balance in the Awin platform. If it’s $0 or below, Link Status is likely offline, even if your traffic light still shows green.
For further help, please contact us. If you have a dedicated Awin contact, please reach out to them. If not, you can get in touch with our support team by filling out the contact form.