The afsrc=1 parameter is an industry standard tracking parameter that can appear on merchant links to signal that an affiliate referral has already been established.
Overview
When a shopper arrives at a merchant's site through your affiliate referral, the afsrc=1 parameter can signal that you have already referred that shopper. Other publishers—such as browser extensions, toolbars, or coupon tools—can recognize this signal and stand down, meaning they refrain from generating a new referral or interfering with your existing one.
What This Means for You
- The
afsrc=1parameter helps protect your existing referral from being overridden by other publishers, when the merchant has Stand-Down Policy enabled. - This does not guarantee you will receive a commission. It only signals that a referral has already been established.
- Stand-Down Parameter is enabled by default for merchant programs, but individual merchants may have it disabled.
Checking a Merchant's Stand-Down Setting
You can check whether a specific merchant has Stand-Down Parameter enabled from the "Merchant Details" page.
- From your AvantLink dashboard, navigate to "Merchants" > "Details/Apply" next to the merchant name > "Stand-Down Parameter".
- Review the stand-down status listed for that merchant.
Important Notes
- For more information on the AvantLink Stand-Down Policy requirements, see AvantLink Stand-Down Policy
Additional Questions?
If you have any questions about the afsrc=1 parameter or the AvantLink Stand-Down policy, please contact AvantLink Support.