> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/how-cashback-works/the-life-of-an-order.md).

# The life of one cashback order

Everything else in this guide assumes this page. It is worth ten minutes.

Follow one purchase from a member clicking a link to money leaving your bank account.

```
Member clicks  →  buys at the shop  →  network reports the sale
                                              ↓
                                    order arrives, PENDING
                                              ↓
                                    network approves it
                                              ↓
                                   cashback becomes AVAILABLE
                                              ↓
                                    member requests a payout
                                              ↓
                                     you pay them yourself
                                              ↓
                                        marked PAID
```

### 1. The member clicks

A logged-in member opens one of your shop pages and presses **Go to shop**.

They land on the merchant's site. The link they followed carried a hidden tag that says, in effect, *"this visitor is member 412 on this site"*. The affiliate network stores that tag against whatever happens next.

That tag is the whole mechanism. It is why a member has to be **logged in** for cashback to work, and why a member who clears cookies between clicking and buying may not get credited — that part is the network's business, not the plugin's.

{% hint style="warning" %}
There is no record on your site at this point. Nothing is saved when someone clicks. The plugin first hears about a member's purchase when the network reports the sale, which can be hours later.
{% endhint %}

### 2. The network reports the sale

Some time after the purchase — usually hours, sometimes a day or two — the network says a sale happened, for how much, and against which tag.

That reaches you one of two ways:

* **On a schedule.** The plugin asks each network for new orders regularly.
* **Immediately**, if you have set up [postbacks](/affiliate-networks/postbacks.md). The network pushes the sale to your site the moment it happens.

Either way it lands in `Cashback Tracker` → `Orders`.

### 3. The order arrives pending

The plugin reads the tag, works out which member it belongs to, applies your cashback rate to the commission, and records the member's share.

It is **pending**. The member can see it in their account — which matters, because otherwise they assume tracking failed — but they cannot request it yet.

Pending is honest, not cautious: the network has not paid you either. Purchases get returned, orders get cancelled, and a network can decline a sale weeks after reporting it.

### 4. The network approves it

Networks validate on their own timetable, typically 30 to 90 days — long enough for the shop's returns window to close.

When approval arrives, the member's cashback moves from **pending** to **available**, and they can request a payout.

If you have set a **holding period**, the move happens that many days after approval instead. See [Order statuses and the holding period](/how-cashback-works/order-statuses-and-holding-period.md).

If the network **declines** instead, the cashback is removed. The order stays visible so both of you can see what happened.

### 5. The member requests a payout

Once their available balance passes the minimum you set, a member can request payment from their account page, choosing a method you have offered.

The request appears in `Cashback Tracker` → `Payouts`. Their available balance drops straight away, so the same money cannot be requested twice.

### 6. You pay them

**This is the step the plugin does not do.** It never holds or moves money.

You send the payment yourself — PayPal, bank transfer, gift card, whatever you have agreed — and then mark the request paid. See [Handling a payout request](/members-and-payouts/handling-a-payout-request.md) and [What the plugin never does](/how-cashback-works/what-the-plugin-never-does.md).

### Where to watch each stage

| Stage                | Screen                                      |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Sale reported        | `Orders`                                    |
| Pending or approved  | `Orders`, and the member's own account page |
| Member balances      | `Members`                                   |
| Payout requested     | `Payouts`                                   |
| Something went wrong | `Logs`                                      |

### How long all of this takes

For a typical purchase, from click to money in the member's hands:

|                        | Typical                                    |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Click to reported sale | hours, or seconds with postbacks           |
| Reported to approved   | 30–90 days, set by the network             |
| Approved to available  | immediate, unless you set a holding period |
| Requested to paid      | however long you take                      |

Two months from click to payout is normal, and almost all of it is the network's validation. Say so on your site — it is the single most common member complaint, and it is entirely avoidable by setting the expectation early.