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docs: referral program specification and non-technical overview
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‎docs/REFERRAL-OVERVIEW.html‎

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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<head>
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<meta charset="utf-8" />
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<meta name="generator" content="pandoc" />
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" />
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<title>CipherPay Referral Program</title>
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<style>
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font-size: inherit;
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vertical-align: middle;
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.display.math{display: block; text-align: center; margin: 0.5rem auto;}
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</style>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="data:text/css,body{font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;max-width:700px;margin:40px auto;padding:0 20px;line-height:1.6;color:%23333}h1{border-bottom:2px solid %23333;padding-bottom:8px}h2{margin-top:32px}h3{margin-top:24px}table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%}th,td{border:1px solid %23ccc;padding:8px 12px;text-align:left}th{background:%23f5f5f5}hr{border:none;border-top:1px solid %23ddd;margin:24px 0}" />
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1 id="cipherpay-referral-program">CipherPay Referral Program</h1>
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<p><strong>Private draft – not for public distribution</strong></p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="what-is-it">What is it?</h2>
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<p>A referral program that rewards people who bring new merchants to
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CipherPay. Referrers earn a percentage of the payment volume processed
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by the merchants they refer. Referred merchants get a reduced fee to
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start.</p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="who-can-refer">Who can refer?</h2>
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<h3 id="existing-merchants">Existing merchants</h3>
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<p>Any CipherPay merchant can generate a referral code from their
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dashboard and share it. Their earnings are credited against their own
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CipherPay fees.</p>
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<h3 id="advocates-non-merchants">Advocates (non-merchants)</h3>
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<p>Community members, influencers, or Zcash enthusiasts who don’t
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process payments themselves. They register with a Zcash payout address
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and receive their earnings directly in ZEC.</p>
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<p>Non-merchant referrers are invite-only during the initial
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rollout.</p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="what-does-the-referrer-get">What does the referrer get?</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>0.5% of referred merchant’s payment volume</strong> for
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<strong>12 months</strong></li>
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<li>Earnings are calculated on every confirmed payment the referred
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merchant receives</li>
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<li><strong>Choose your payout method:</strong>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Fee credit</strong> (default) – earnings are deducted from
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your CipherPay fees</li>
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<li><strong>ZEC payout</strong> – earnings are paid out directly in ZEC
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to a wallet address you provide</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Minimum payout threshold for ZEC payouts: 0.5 ZEC</li>
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</ul>
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<h3 id="example">Example</h3>
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<p>Bob refers Ledger. Ledger processes 100 ZEC in payments over 12
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months.</p>
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<p>Bob earns 0.5% of 100 ZEC = <strong>0.50 ZEC</strong> total over the
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year.</p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="what-does-the-referred-merchant-get">What does the referred
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merchant get?</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Half-price fees for the first 3 months</strong>: 0.5%
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instead of the standard 1%</li>
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<li>After 3 months, the standard 1% fee applies</li>
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<li>The discount is automatic – applied at signup when the referral code
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is used</li>
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</ul>
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<h3 id="existing-merchants-1">Existing merchants</h3>
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<p>Already using CipherPay but don’t have a referral code? You can apply
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one at any time. You get the full discount (0.5% for 3 months from the
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date you apply it), and the referrer earns their commission for 12
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months.</p>
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<p>One code per merchant, one time, no exceptions.</p>
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<h3 id="example-1">Example</h3>
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<p>Ledger uses Bob’s referral code when signing up.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Months 1–3: Ledger pays <strong>0.5%</strong> on every payment
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received</li>
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<li>Month 4 onward: Ledger pays the standard <strong>1%</strong></li>
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</ul>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="how-it-works">How it works</h2>
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<ol type="1">
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<li><strong>Referrer generates a code</strong> – from the dashboard
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(merchants) or on registration (advocates)</li>
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<li><strong>New merchant signs up with the code</strong> – entered
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during registration</li>
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<li><strong>Discount activates immediately</strong> – 0.5% fee for 3
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months</li>
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<li><strong>Commissions accrue on every payment</strong> – 0.5% of
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volume for 12 months</li>
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<li><strong>Earnings are credited or paid out</strong> – fee credits for
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merchants, ZEC payouts for advocates</li>
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</ol>
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<p>Referral codes look like <code>CPREF-A3K9M2X7</code>. Custom vanity
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codes (e.g. <code>CPREF-ZCASH</code>) are available on request.</p>
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<p>Referrers get a shareable link:
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<code>cipherpay.app/ref/{code}</code></p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="who-pays-for-this">Who pays for this?</h2>
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<p>The referrer’s commission comes from CipherPay’s fee – not from the
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merchant. Merchants never pay more than the standard 1%.</p>
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<p>During the 3-month discount period, CipherPay absorbs the full cost
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as a merchant acquisition investment.</p>
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<table>
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<thead>
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<tr>
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<th>Period</th>
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<th>Merchant pays</th>
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<th>Referrer earns</th>
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<th>CipherPay keeps</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<tr>
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<td>Months 1–3</td>
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<td>0.5%</td>
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<td>0.5%</td>
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<td>0%</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Months 4–12</td>
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<td>1.0%</td>
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<td>0.5%</td>
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<td>0.5%</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>After month 12</td>
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<td>1.0%</td>
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<td>0%</td>
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<td>1.0%</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="when-do-commissions-activate">When do commissions activate?</h2>
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<p>To prevent gaming, commissions become payable only after the referred
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merchant shows real activity:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>At least <strong>3 confirmed payments</strong> received</li>
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<li>Activity spread over at least <strong>14 days</strong></li>
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<li>At least <strong>0.5 ZEC in fees</strong> generated</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Until these conditions are met, commissions are tracked but not
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payable.</p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="fair-use-rules">Fair use rules</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>No self-referrals</strong> – you cannot refer your own
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account</li>
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<li><strong>One code per merchant</strong> – apply once, anytime, full
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discount</li>
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<li><strong>Existing merchants</strong> can apply a referral code at any
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time and get the full 3-month discount</li>
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<li><strong>12-month limit</strong> – commissions expire after one year
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per referred merchant</li>
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<li><strong>Minimum activity to refer</strong> – merchants need at least
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7 days of account history and 3 confirmed payments before they can
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generate a referral code</li>
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</ul>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="tracking-and-transparency">Tracking and transparency</h2>
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<p><strong>For merchant referrers:</strong> - Referral tab in the
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dashboard - See referred merchants, their status, volume, and your
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earnings - Total earned, total credited to fees or paid out in ZEC -
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Switch between fee credit and ZEC payout at any time</p>
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<p><strong>For non-merchant referrers:</strong> - Lightweight portal
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with API key login - See referral count, total earned, total paid, and
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pending balance - Payout history</p>
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<hr />
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<h2 id="questions">Questions?</h2>
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<p>This is an early draft – we’re looking for feedback before building
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it. Let us know what you think.</p>
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</body>
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</html>

‎docs/REFERRAL-OVERVIEW.md‎

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# CipherPay Referral Program
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**Private draft -- not for public distribution**
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---
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## What is it?
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A referral program that rewards people who bring new merchants to CipherPay. Referrers earn a percentage of the payment volume processed by the merchants they refer. Referred merchants get a reduced fee to start.
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---
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## Who can refer?
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### Existing merchants
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Any CipherPay merchant can generate a referral code from their dashboard and share it. Their earnings are credited against their own CipherPay fees.
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### Advocates (non-merchants)
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Community members, influencers, or Zcash enthusiasts who don't process payments themselves. They register with a Zcash payout address and receive their earnings directly in ZEC.
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Non-merchant referrers are invite-only during the initial rollout.
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---
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## What does the referrer get?
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- **0.5% of referred merchant's payment volume** for **12 months**
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- Earnings are calculated on every confirmed payment the referred merchant receives
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- **Choose your payout method:**
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- **Fee credit** (default) -- earnings are deducted from your CipherPay fees
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- **ZEC payout** -- earnings are paid out directly in ZEC to a wallet address you provide
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- Minimum payout threshold for ZEC payouts: 0.5 ZEC
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### Example
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Bob refers Ledger. Ledger processes 100 ZEC in payments over 12 months.
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Bob earns 0.5% of 100 ZEC = **0.50 ZEC** total over the year.
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---
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## What does the referred merchant get?
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- **Half-price fees for the first 3 months**: 0.5% instead of the standard 1%
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- After 3 months, the standard 1% fee applies
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- The discount is automatic -- applied at signup when the referral code is used
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### Existing merchants
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Already using CipherPay but don't have a referral code? You can apply one at any time. You get the full discount (0.5% for 3 months from the date you apply it), and the referrer earns their commission for 12 months.
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One code per merchant, one time, no exceptions.
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### Example
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Ledger uses Bob's referral code when signing up.
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- Months 1--3: Ledger pays **0.5%** on every payment received
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- Month 4 onward: Ledger pays the standard **1%**
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---
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## How it works
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1. **Referrer generates a code** -- from the dashboard (merchants) or on registration (advocates)
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2. **New merchant signs up with the code** -- entered during registration
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3. **Discount activates immediately** -- 0.5% fee for 3 months
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4. **Commissions accrue on every payment** -- 0.5% of volume for 12 months
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5. **Earnings are credited or paid out** -- fee credits for merchants, ZEC payouts for advocates
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Referral codes look like `CPREF-A3K9M2X7`. Custom vanity codes (e.g. `CPREF-ZCASH`) are available on request.
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Referrers get a shareable link: `cipherpay.app/ref/{code}`
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---
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## Who pays for this?
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The referrer's commission comes from CipherPay's fee -- not from the merchant. Merchants never pay more than the standard 1%.
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During the 3-month discount period, CipherPay absorbs the full cost as a merchant acquisition investment.
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| Period | Merchant pays | Referrer earns | CipherPay keeps |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| Months 1--3 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0% |
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| Months 4--12 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
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| After month 12 | 1.0% | 0% | 1.0% |
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---
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## When do commissions activate?
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To prevent gaming, commissions become payable only after the referred merchant shows real activity:
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- At least **3 confirmed payments** received
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- Activity spread over at least **14 days**
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- At least **0.5 ZEC in fees** generated
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Until these conditions are met, commissions are tracked but not payable.
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---
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## Fair use rules
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- **No self-referrals** -- you cannot refer your own account
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- **One code per merchant** -- apply once, anytime, full discount
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- **Existing merchants** can apply a referral code at any time and get the full 3-month discount
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- **12-month limit** -- commissions expire after one year per referred merchant
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- **Minimum activity to refer** -- merchants need at least 7 days of account history and 3 confirmed payments before they can generate a referral code
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---
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## Tracking and transparency
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**For merchant referrers:**
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- Referral tab in the dashboard
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- See referred merchants, their status, volume, and your earnings
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- Total earned, total credited to fees or paid out in ZEC
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- Switch between fee credit and ZEC payout at any time
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**For non-merchant referrers:**
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- Lightweight portal with API key login
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- See referral count, total earned, total paid, and pending balance
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- Payout history
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---
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## Questions?
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This is an early draft -- we're looking for feedback before building it. Let us know what you think.

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