FAQs
To help you find answers to your frequently asked questions about the Affiliate experience.
Distributor Focused:
Q. Do I need to be commission qualified to sponsor an Affiliate?
A. No. But you do need to be commission qualified to be eligible to receive the Affiliate Bonus.
Q. What do I earn from Affiliates I personally sponsor?
A. You earn a 20% Affiliate Bonus based on commissions your Affiliate earns from their customer purchases. (e.g. Affiliate earns $200 in Affiliate Commissions. You earn $40 (20% of $200). Also, 40% of any volume generated by your Affiliate’s customers will roll up the tree.
Q. Do the points generated by my personally sponsored Affiliate count toward PaceSetter or Platinum PaceSetter? And do they count as an enrollment a Distributor needs to qualify?
A. Yes and yes.
Q. Does the Affiliate bonus count toward rank advancements and/or incentive trips?
A. Yes.
Q. Will my upline earn commissions from Affiliates on my team?
A. Yes. 100% of Affiliate order volume rolls up the tree. And 40% of the volume from their customers also rolls up.
Q. Do Affiliates show in my downline?
A. Yes.
Q. Am I able to choose where Affiliates are placed in my organization?
A. Yes, when using the Direct Enrollment Links. If you do not specify where you want them, or if they come in through your personal website, they will be placed based on your default placement settings in Profile Manager.
Q. Is there a 10-day period to move my Affiliates within my organization?
A. Yes, to modify the placement of an Affiliate you have a 10-day grace period so that you can move them to the desired placement. Placement changes are not recommended unless there has been an error.
Q. If a Distributor changes to an Affiliate, can I put them in a different place in the tree?
A. No, a Distributor who changes to an Affiliate will keep their original place in the tree.
Q. Is the 20% Affiliate Bonus earned on dollars or volume?
A. The 20% bonus is based on sales generated by your personally sponsored Affiliate. The commissions they earn are based on the total price of the products (excluding logo gear and tax and shipping costs), not volume.
Q. Does a Distributor earn the Affiliate Bonus on Affiliates referred by another Affiliate?
A. No, a Distributor only earns the Affiliate Bonus from Affiliates they personally sponsor.
Q. How much volume rolls up to the Distributor from Affiliate purchases?
A. The sponsoring Distributor will receive 40% volume roll from Affiliate sales made to customers and 100% volume roll from Affiliates’ personal purchases whether they are personally sponsored or referred by another Affiliate.
Q. How does an Affiliate keep track of their referral so the Distributor receives compensation?
A. Affiliates’ personalized links automatically tie them to their referrals, meaning they’re automatically linked to you as well.
Q. Do Affiliates need to know about PVC?
A. Affiliate compensation is based on sales dollars, not SVP. Affiliates can track their commissions in their Affiliate Dashboard.
Q. Why do Affiliates earn 15–20% on customer orders when Distributors only earn 10%?
A. Affiliates do not earn any volume from orders they bring in—they only earn 15–20% on personally sponsored sales. Distributors earn 10% on personally sponsored purchases, but they can earn even more from their team’s Distributor, Affiliate, and PC volume generated through USANA’s Base Compensation Plan. Plus, Distributors earn 20% of anything their Affiliates earn and can qualify for several additional travel and sales incentives.
Q. What is the advantage of converting a Preferred Customer (PC) to an Affiliate?
A. PCs can currently share links and earn 10% back in USANA product credits through our Refer a Friend program. If they enroll as an Affiliate, they earn up to double—15–20% back for each sale they make. Plus, they’ll earn cash instead of product credits. A PC moving to Affiliate will likely share more products and purchase products for longer.
Q. Can current Distributors earn 15–20% by becoming Affiliates?
A. Yes. Current Distributors can switch to an Affiliate and earn 15–20% on future customer purchases. To keep customers enrolled prior to the Affiliate Program launch, they need to call customer service to switch their account. These customers will still be paid out at 10%, given they were enrolled prior to becoming an Affiliate.
Q. What stops an Affiliate from switching to another team?
A. An Affiliate must enroll with a unique email address, phone number, and physical address. If any of these duplicate, the Affiliate will be placed back with their original Distributor sponsor.
Distributor Reports:
Q. What information will be available to Distributors regarding Affiliates and/or customers I’ve sponsored?
A. Affiliates have been included in many of the reports that are available to Distributors in Team Manager. You will find Affiliates in your Order History Report, your Sponsorship Report, your 4-Week Summary report, and more. You can filter these reports to show only Affiliates on your team. Keep in mind, Affiliates and customers can opt to hide their contact information, so you will only be able to see their information if they indicated we can share that information with you.
Q. Can a Distributor see what their Affiliate sees on their sites so we can support them?
A. Multiple trainings in The Hub will allow Distributors to become familiar with the Affiliate experience. Distributors are not able to access an Affiliate account on their own.
Q. Will reports show a Distributors history so we can approach them with this opportunity?
A. USANA’s reports show records in agreeance with our data privacy laws. If a Distributor is currently active, you will see their information. If they are inactive, you’ll only see information from the last two years.
Q. Will the Affiliate Program be added to the USANA Customer Connect enrollment type?
A. Yes.
Misc.
Q. Which markets is the Affiliate Program available in?
A. The Affiliate Program is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Q. Will the sponsor of an Affiliate need to be commission qualified to receive the Affiliate Bonus?
A. Yes
Q. What percentage of volume rolls up from my Affiliate’s order?
A. 100%
Q. Will USANA have a special program for markets in Asia?
A. The Affiliate Program will launch in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to start. We will then assess whether to make it available in other markets, including those in Asia.
Q. What is the financial benefit of being a team builder versus an Affiliate?
A. Affiliates earn supplemental income two ways: through personal sales and sales from referrals. They do not generate commission based on rolling volume. Team builders, or Distributors, have six different ways they can earn, with greater earning potential if they are committed to building a team. Distributors can participate in USANA’s Base Compensation Plan, where commissions are earned based on sales volume generated by you and your team. Plus, Distributors can qualify for additional bonuses and incentives not available to Affiliates.
Q. Have you evaluated the risk if several Distributors become Affiliates? How will this affect me as a Distributor?
A. Yes. It is possible some Distributors may choose to become Affiliates, and this may impact your business and volume. Based on our data, it’s not beneficial for Distributors with multiple Business Centres to switch to Affiliates, as their earning potential is greater as a Distributor. The Distributors likely to switch to Affiliates are those who haven’t been very involved in building a business.
Transitions:
Q. What is the process to transition to a different customer type (Distributor/Affiliate)?
A. All transitions are currently manual. To transfer your account, you’ll need to email affiliatesupportMX@USANAinc.com. This type of account transfer takes between one and three days.
Q. Can an existing/inactive Distributor become an Affiliate by simply completing the Affiliate application (without contacting customer service)?
A. Current Distributors who want to be an Affiliate should email affiliatesupportMX@USANAinc.com to convert their account to an Affiliate account. This ensures current customers remain connected to them. If they cancel their account and create a new one, they’ll no longer receive any benefits from previously sponsored customers and will be unable to return to their original account.
Q. If a Distributor decides to become an Affiliate, are they able to keep their customers?
A. Yes. Distributors will need to contact customer service to switch their account.
Q. Is there a grace period when an Affiliate’s initial points will count toward their initial 3BCs as a Distributor?
A. The previous six weeks will be considered.
Q. How often can Affiliates/Distributors switch their customer type?
A. Affiliates/Associates can change their customer type after a 12-week period. If there are special circumstances, please contact customer service.
Q. Is there an advantage of a PC transferring to an Affiliate?
A. If a PC shares USANA product with others, they may want to transfer to an Affiliate. PCs currently earn 10% in USANA product credits when they share products via share links. However, as an Affiliate, they would earn 15–20% in commissions for any sales they make.
Q. Are PCs automatically enrolled as Affiliates?
A. No. If a PC wants to enroll as an Affiliate, they will need to call customer service to change their account.
Q. What triggers an Affiliate to consider becoming a Distributor or letting their upline know?
A. There isn’t an approach in place for this. While there may be some who choose to enroll as a Distributor, we want them to make this choice without external pressure—something most Affiliates say will drive them to leave. The key is to meet Affiliates where they are and be mindful of what they want from their USANA experience. They should only be approached with the opportunity to enroll as a Distributor if it is something they want.
Q. If a Distributor who switched to an Affiliate switches back to a Distributor, do they keep their Platinum PaceSetter status? Do they need to pay a fee to reactivate their BC?
A. Yes, they do keep their Platinum PaceSetter Status. And no, they do not need to pay a fee to reactivate their BC. But they must wait 12 weeks before they can move back to Distributor from Affiliate.
Q. What happens with BC 1 when a Distributor switches to an Affiliate?
A. Nothing changes—BC 1 will stay. They will now be paid as an Affiliate.
Q. Do Affiliates who switch to Distributors follow the same sign-up process as a new Distributor?
A. They submit their request through Customer Service. The qualification period for Affiliates who switch to Distributors begins when the transition is complete.
Q. When an Affiliate switches to an Distributor, do any past enrollments or their purchases count toward their PaceSetter qualification?
A. No, they will have to generate new enrollments and new volume to meet the PaceSetter requirements.
Q. If I’m Affiliate A and I enroll Affiliate B who later decides to become a Distributor, do I still have the opportunity to earn the Leadership Bonus from Affiliate B if I become a Distributor after Affiliate B becomes a Distributor?
A. No. You’ll lose the opportunity to earn Leadership Bonus from Affiliate B because Affiliate B became a Distributor earlier than you, even though you were their Affiliate sponsor.
Q. When an Affiliate switches to a Distributor are they placed in the tree by default? Can the new Distributor be placed in any BC?
A. No. Affiliates already have a spot in the tree and will not be moved when they switch to a Distributor. If a new placement is desired, they will have to cancel and wait six months to re-enroll.
Q. If a PC switches to an Affiliate, can they be moved? For example, if a PC is in BC 3, does their Affiliate placement stay the same?
A. PCs don’t have placement in the tree. When they decide to become an Affiliate, they can enroll in any position they choose. Switching PCs should cancel their account through customer service and they will be sent a new link to enroll as an Affiliate.
Q. Can customers and Affiliates opt out from sharing personal information at sign up?
A. Yes.
Affiliate Focused:
Q. How often do Affiliates get paid?
A. Affiliates are paid weekly via direct deposit—as long as they’ve earned the minimum US $5.00 payout. If this is not met, commissions will roll over to the following week or until the $5.00 payout is reached.
Q. Is the 20% Affiliate Bonus based on pesos or points?
A. The 20% Affiliate Bonus is based on dollars, not points. An Affiliate earns 15–20% of the tax exclusive price of any order they generate, meaning they earn 15–20% of the product price, not the product volume.
Q. Will Affiliates use share links?
A. Yes, this is the primary way an Affiliate will share. Sales generated from customers through these personalized links earn a commission. These links can be found through their Affiliate Dashboard.
Q. Do Affiliates and their customers get the Preferred Price when they place an order?
A. Affiliates will save 10% off the retail price (Preferred Pricing) just like Distributors and PCs. Their customers will have the choice to either check out as a guest and pay the full retail price or sign up as a Preferred Customer and save 10%.
Q. Is there a monthly Affiliate sale requirement?
A. There is not a sales requirement for Affiliates to earn their 15–20% Affiliate commission.
Q. Does an Affiliate need to buy a Welcome Kit?
A. No. Affiliates are not required to purchase a Welcome Kit. They will have the option to purchase a sample kit, but it’s not required.
Q. Do Affiliates have to pay an annual renewal fee?
A. No.
Q. Are Affiliates required to be Ethics Certified to receive the bonus?
A. No, though they do go through an ethics process. Ethics certification is not required to earn, but information about creating ethical content is available.
Q. Are Affiliates required to share their tax information to enroll?
A. Yes, your dashboard will ask you to provide your tax information once you enroll.
Q. Can Affiliates enroll all customer types?
A. Affiliates can enroll Affiliates and PCs. They are not able to enroll Distributors.
Q. Will Affiliates’ customers have an ID number?
A. Yes, they have an ID number just like Distributors do. But they can also create a username so they don’t need to use their ID to log in.
Q. Do Affiliates have to be sponsored in the same market their sponsor lives in?
A. No. An Affiliate’s sponsor can reside in any of the markets in which the Affiliate Program is available—currently United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Q. If an Affiliate decides to become a Distributor, will the customers they enrolled as an Affiliate still generate a 15–20% commission?
A. No. Once they switch to Distributor, they will have access to all the same benefits any Distributor has. They will now receive 10% on orders from these customers and 70% of the volume will roll up.
Q. Do Affiliates make more money if they sign someone up for Auto Order?
A. No. Affiliates earn a 15–20% commission on PC and retail customer sales. They do not earn more for Auto Order purchases—but more consistent commissions are likely from Auto Order customers.
Q. Can you build a team and be in the Affiliate Program at the same time?
A. No. You cannot be an Distributor and Affiliate at the same time. As an Affiliate, you can refer other Affiliates and earn a 10% referral reward on commission earnings from their personalized links. But to build a team you must be a Distributor. You need to determine which is best for you.
Q. If I’m an Affiliate and enroll another Affiliate who later decides to become a Distributor, what happens to my earnings?
A. You will no longer earn based on their earnings. The system will shift the payout appropriately to reflect this change.
Q. If an Affiliate leaves USANA, what happens with their PCs?
A. PCs that came in under an Affiliate will continue to receive volume roll at 40%.
Q. Will USANA terminate Affiliate accounts if the Affiliate is not actively sharing and earning?
A. Affiliate accounts may be deactivated if they have not ordered product or made a sale in 12 months.
Affiliate Dashboard:
Q. Do Affiliates have access to reports on The Hub?
A. Affiliates can access an order history report through their Affiliate Dashboard.
Q. How do Affiliates track their weekly earnings?
A. A weekly earning widget is available in their dashboard.
Q. What information will be available to Affiliates regarding Affiliates and/or customers they’ve sponsored?
A. Affiliates can see available customer information in their order history report. Affiliates and customers have the option to allow or hide their contact information. If customer information is hidden, volume and orders placed will be visible. There will also be reports in The Hub to track Affiliate information.
Q. What type of Notifications do Affiliates receive?
- Affiliates will receive a notification when their customer places an order.
- Onboarding Notifications (including text, email, and Affiliate Portal).
- Regular communication, highlighting products they should learn about and share. These emails will coordinate with products featured on USANA.com and social media, so the message is consistent.
