Hold (CPA)
A hold is the period during which the payout for an approved lead is frozen so the advertiser has time to verify its quality.
In plain words
A lead is approved, but the affiliate does not get paid right away. First comes the hold, a period set aside for checks. During this time the advertiser may find out that the application was fake, the client does not exist or the action was taken only to trigger a payout.
The hold period is set in the offer and depends on the product: sometimes a few days are enough, sometimes you need to wait for the client’s first payment.
How it looks in practice
An application came in on Monday and was approved on Tuesday. The hold is 14 days. If the advertiser has not rejected the lead by then, the network moves it to payout. If fraud is discovered, the lead is rejected and there is no payout.
Why it matters to an owner
The hold is the main tool for protection against low-quality traffic. Without it you pay immediately and investigate later, when getting the money back is hard.
At the same time a long hold is bad for the affiliate: their money is frozen, while they have already paid for the traffic. The longer the hold, the fewer partners want to work with the offer. The balance between protection and attractiveness is the owner’s decision.
Common mistake
Setting a hold but checking nothing during it. A hold only makes sense if someone actually reviews quality during that time: did the lead reach a conversation, were there duplicate numbers, did the client take a real action. Otherwise it is just a delayed payment for the same traffic.
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