19 Best Pay Per Lead Affiliate Programs In 2024 (Top PPL Offers)

High-quality leads are worth their weight in gold.

That’s why 79% of marketers say their top marketing priority is to generate more of them.

So it’s no surprise that many brands use lead generation affiliate programs. Rather than rewarding affiliate marketers for bringing in sales and revenue, pay per lead affiliate programs pay commissions for every qualified lead referred. That means you don’t need to “close the deal” (i.e. refer a paying customer) to earn money.

Pay per lead (PPL) affiliate programs are available in several affiliate niches, both B2B and B2C. Examples include SaaS tools, personal finance, financial services, and luxury travel.

Like the sound of being paid for every lead you generate? Want to discover how successful affiliate marketers are making money through PPL? Check out our list of the best pay per lead affiliate programs.

Pay Per Lead Affiliate Programs

1. ClickFunnels Affiliate Program
2. Hiscox Affiliate Program
3. National Debt Relief Affiliate Program
4. Buildium Affiliate Program
5. Brevo (Sendinblue) Affiliate Program
6. Semrush Affiliate Program
7. CIT Bank Affiliate Program
8. Personal Capital Affiliate Program
9. Quickbooks Affiliate Program
10. Swagbucks Affiliate Program
11. Acorns Affiliate Program
12. FreshBooks Affiliate Program
13. Liberty Mutual Affiliate Program
14. Fetch Pet Insurance Affiliate Program
15. IdentityIQ Affiliate Program
16. American Express Affiliate Program
17. 1st Class Medical Affiliate Program
18. SunPower Affiliate Program
19. ShareASale Affiliate Program

1 ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is a sales funnel and website builder designed to convert traffic into paying customers. More than 100,000 users have leveraged the platform to build over 10 million sales funnels.

The ClickFunnels affiliate program isn’t a “pure” PPL program but offers a pay-per-lead element. Affiliates earn a $1 commission on transactions for free-plus-shipping books, with a 45-day cookie window.

However, the most attractive element of this program is the chance to earn recurring monthly commissions on sales. New ClickFunnels affiliates get a recurring 20% commission rate on subscription purchases, increasing to:

• 30% if you earn $1,000 in commissions in a month
• 40% if you have at least 40 active ClickFunnels members paying via your affiliate ID for at least 30 days

ClickFunnels offers a choice of six payment methods: ACH, direct deposit, PayPal, check, international ACH (e-check), and money wire. It has a payment threshold of $100 and pays commissions between the 1st and 15th of each month.

• URL: ClickFunnels affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $1 on “sales” of free books; 20% – 40% recurring commission on sales
• Cookie Duration: 45 days
• Payment Options: ACH, direct deposit, PayPal, check, international ACH (e-check), money wires
• Products/Services Sold: Website and sales funnel builder

2 Hiscox

Hiscox offers small business insurance for professional services firms, such as IT/technology, marketing, and consulting businesses. Coverage is tailored to the specific risks of each industry.

This pay per lead affiliate program can be found on the CJ Affiliate network, formerly known as Commission Junction. To sign up, you’ll need to create a CJ Affiliate account and apply to join. Hiscox will review your application and notify you within three business days, after which you’ll be able to download banners and text links from the affiliate dashboard.

Provided you make the grade, you’ll earn $25 for every completed insurance quote that can be tracked to your affiliate link. According to Hiscox, referred traffic converts at a rate of 33%, helped by the simplicity of its online form. With such a high conversion rate, it’s easy to see why the seven-day EPC stands at $73.43.

As well as its standard commissions, Hiscox pays special incentives for top performers. Any money you earn can be paid out via check, direct deposit, or ACH.

• URL: Hiscox affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $25 per completed quote
• Cookie Duration: 7 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Small business insurance

3 National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief provides debt relief services to US consumers. It’s fully accredited by the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating. That’s a big trust factor for potential leads.

This affiliate program can be found on ShareASale. As standard, it pays $27.50 per qualified free debt relief quote request. Requests are made via a simple, six-field online form that can be completed in a minute or less. Higher commissions are available to top-performing affiliates, and you can also earn a 12% override on commissions from all affiliates you refer.

To count as a qualified lead, your referral must have at least $10,000 in unsecured credit card debt, be actively looking for help managing their debt, and live in a qualifying US state.

• URL: National Debt Relief affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $27.50 per qualified quote request
• Cookie Duration: 60 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Debt management

4 Buildium

Buildium claims to be the only property management solution that helps real estate professionals attract new business from community associations and property owners.

The company’s pay per lead affiliate program can be found on the Impact affiliate network. So you’ll need to create an Impact account to apply. 

Once you’ve been approved, you’ll earn a flat $10 commission for every qualified lead you generate. Qualified leads are people who complete one of two actions — requesting a demo or signing up for a free trial. As well as this, you can earn a 25% commission for every monthly subscription you refer.

Commission payouts can be made via one of three methods: direct transfer, BACS, or PayPal.

• URL: Buildium affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $10 per free trial and demo request
• Cookie Duration: 60 days
• Payment Options: Direct transfer, BACS, PayPal
• Products/Services Sold: Property management software

5 Brevo (Sendinblue)

Sendinblue is an email marketing platform aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. It allows users to automate and send email campaigns. It offers a free account, while its premium product tiers are priced from $25 per month.

The company’s affiliate program offers a €5 commission for every free account created by users who click your affiliate links. If those users go on to upgrade their account to a paid subscription, you’ll pick up a further €100.

Lead and sale tracking is handled by Tapfiliate, allowing you to monitor earnings in real-time. The program has a 90-day cookie window, and payments can be made via bank transfer or PayPal.

Once you register for a Sendinblue affiliate account, you’ll be automatically placed under review and won’t receive any commissions until you’ve been validated. For that to happen, you must refer at least one new, paid subscription.

• URL: Sendinblue affiliate program
• Commission Rate: €5 per free account created
• Cookie Duration: 90 days
• Payment Options: PayPal, bank transfer
• Products/Services Sold: Digital marketing software

6 Semrush

Semrush is one of the best known digital marketing solutions on the planet. It allows users to do competitor research, content marketing, SEO, PPC, and social media marketing from a single platform. Prices start at $99.95 when paid annually.

You’ll find this pay per lead affiliate program on the Impact Radius network. It pays a measly $0.01 commission on new account registrations and a much more appealing $10 on free trial registrations. The cookie window ranges from 120 days on registrations to 370 days on trials. To help you drive more leads, you’ll get access to a bunch of marketing assets, including banners and landing pages.

Commissions can be paid by PayPal or wire transfer. The payment threshold varies depending on your payment method of choice, starting at just $50 for PayPal and climbing to $1,000 for wire transfers. Your commissions will roll into the following month if you don’t reach those thresholds.

PayPal payments are issued automatically on the 10th and 25th of the month, provided you’ve reached the payment threshold.

• URL: Semrush affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $0.01 per account registration, $10 per free trial
• Cookie Duration: 120 – 370 days
• Payment Options: PayPal, wire transfer
• Products/Services Sold: Digital marketing software

7 CIT Bank

CIT Bank is a subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares — one of America’s top 20 financial institutions, with assets totaling more than $100 billion. It sells a variety of financial products for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses.

The company has affiliate programs on two affiliate networks: CJ Affiliate and FlexOffers. Both programs have a 30-day cookie window, but the commission rates vary as follows:

• FlexOffers: Pays $100 on signups for new certificate of deposit (CD) accounts.
• CJ Affiliate: Pays $125 on new CD, Money Market, Savings Builder, and Savings Connect accounts. Pays $35 on approved eChecking applications.

Payment methods also differ between the two networks. FlexOffers pays commissions via eCheck/local bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal, and check, whereas CJ Affiliate only offers check, ACH, and direct deposit payments.

• URL: CIT Bank affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $35 – $125 for new account signups
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: Network dependent
• Products/Services Sold: Consumer and business banking products

8 Personal Capital

Personal Capital offers wealth management tools to help users invest their savings and plan for their retirements. At the time of writing, it has more than $22.7 billion worth of assets under management.

One of the highest-paying pay per lead affiliate programs on the market, Personal Capital pays $100 for every qualified lead you drive. However, you’ll have to work for those commissions. For Personal Capital, qualified leads are people who sign up for a free financial dashboard and link it to $100,000+ in portable assets. Leads like that don’t exactly grow on trees.

Like many of the other pay per lead affiliate programs we’ve seen, Personal Capital can be found on the Impact Radius network. It pays commissions on a Net 45 basis after the end of the month in which the commission was earned.

• URL: Personal Capital affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $100 per qualified lead
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: Unlisted
• Products/Services Sold: Wealth management software

9 Quickbooks

Quickbooks offers accounting software for businesses of all sizes. It’s owned by Intuit, which also owns the likes of Intuit Mint, Credit Karma, TSheets, and Mailchimp.

The Quickbooks affiliate program pays $5 for every customer who completes a form to start a free 30-day trial of its Payroll software. Its conversion rates are strong, ranging from 4% – 7%, peaking during Q1.

You’ll find this program on the CJ Affiliate network. It has a seven-day EPC of $174.46 and a 45-day cookie window. The payment threshold stands at $50.

To join this pay per lead affiliate program, you need to have a website and a general interest in helping small businesses. Quickbooks is especially interested in partnering with small business associations, accountants, and small business services providers. At the time of writing, the company only works with affiliates who generate US traffic.

• URL: Quickbooks affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $5 per free trial signup
• Cookie Duration: 45 days
• Payment Options: Check
• Products/Services Sold: Accounting and payroll software

10 Swagbucks

Swagbucks pays consumers in gift cards, coupons, and cash for performing a range of actions, such as completing surveys and watching videos. So it’s kind of like Survey Junkie, just with more monetization options. Cashback is available from more than 1,500 retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

This pay per lead affiliate program can be found on FlexOffers. It pays a flat fee of $2.20 for every verified email address submitted by new users in one of six countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Republic of Ireland
• US
• UK

So this is very much a low-commission, high-volume program. To help you generate as many leads as possible, Swagbucks offers a bunch of marketing collateral, including banner and flash ads, emailers, and text links.

• URL: Swagbucks affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $2.20 per email verification of new user registrations
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: BACS, international wire transfer, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Gift cards and coupons

11 Acorns

Acorns is one of the most popular micro-investing apps in the US, having attracted $15+ billion of investments from nine million all-time customers. The app allows users to invest in exchange-traded funds managed by the likes of BlackRock and Vanguard.

You’ll need a FlexOffers account to join the Acorns affiliate program. Once approved, you’ll earn a flat $60 commission for every referred customer who makes the first deposit. The program has a 30-day cookie window. Commissions are paid via eCheck/local bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal, and check.

Acorns offers a variety of regularly updated creatives to help you attract customers and drive clicks. You’ll also get access to a dedicated account manager. 

• URL: Acorns affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $60 per first deposit
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: eCheck/local bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal, check
• Products/Services Sold: Savings and investments app

12 FreshBooks

FreshBooks offers accounting software for accountants and business owners. It claims to help small businesses get paid faster and save up to 200 hours a year on paperwork.

The FreshBooks affiliate program is powered by ShareASale. It pays a default commission of $5 whenever someone signs up for a free trial via your affiliate link. Top performers can earn up to $10 per lead. If your trial signups go on to buy a paid plan, you can earn up to $200 in commissions. The program has a generous cookie window of 120 days.

Provided you already have a ShareASale account, you’ll be accepted onto the FreshBooks program in up to two business days. If not, you’ll need to sign up with ShareASale first, which takes two to three business days.

To be approved, you need to have your own website. And it can’t be a squeeze page or single-page website. If you don’t have a blog or content hub, this isn’t the affiliate program for you.

• URL: FreshBooks affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $5 – $10 per free trial signup
• Cookie Duration: 120 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Accounting software

13 Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual is one of America’s largest property and casualty insurers. It offers insurance policies across multiple categories, including car, property, and small business insurance.

Sign up for Liberty Mutual’s affiliate program on the CJ Affiliate network. It has a 30-day cookie window and pays a commission for each insurance quote you generate. Commissions vary based on quote type:

• $10 per valid auto insurance quote in an eligible state
• $10 per valid home insurance quote in an eligible state
• $3 per valid renters insurance quote in an eligible state

As well as those standard commission rates, you can earn bonus commissions through Liberty’s frequent publisher promotions. 

This program has a seven-day EPC of $83.86. Affiliates can access a dedicated affiliate management team and request free, professionally designed, custom creatives.

• URL: Liberty Mutual affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $3 – $10 per valid quote submission in an eligible state
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Insurance

14 Fetch Pet Insurance

Fetch is a pet insurance company offering comprehensive policies for cats and dogs. It’s the only pet insurance company to be recommended (and owned) by Group Nine Media’s The Dodo, one of the world’s best-loved animal websites.

To join the Fetch pay per lead affiliate program, create an account on Pepperjam. Having done that, you’ll receive all the tools you need to start earning commissions.

Pepperjam pays commissions via PayPal, direct deposit, and check. As standard, your payment method will be set to PayPal, and you’ll need to reach out to the network’s publisher support team to change it. If your account’s currency isn’t in USD, PayPal is the only payment method you can choose.

Commissions are paid around the 1st and 15th of each month. To be eligible for a payment, you must have earned at least $25 in locked commissions.

• URL: Fetch Pet affiliate program
• Commission Rate: Unlisted
• Cookie Duration: Unlisted
• Payment Options: PayPal, direct deposit, check
• Products/Services Sold: Pet insurance

15 IdentityIQ

IdentityIQ is an identity theft protection service that offers various complementary solutions, from credit reporting to credit monitoring. Prices start at just $9.99 per month.

To join IdentityIQ’s pay per lead affiliate program, you’ll first need to create an account on the Awin affiliate network. Once approved, you can earn a $1 commission for seven-day free trial signups. If your referrals turn into paying customers within the 30-day cookie window, you’ll receive a $35 commission.

IdentityIQ also states that affiliates who refer high-quality leads can earn increased commissions, although it doesn’t provide specific details.

At the time of writing, IdentityIQ stressed that it isn’t looking to work with online marketers who use PPC or incentive-based traffic sources as their primary traffic methods.

• URL: IdentityIQ affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $1 per seven-day trial signup, $35 per order
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: BACS, international wire transfer, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Identity theft protection

16 American Express

American Express Canada is a subsidiary of American Express, the travel and financial services giant founded back in 1850. While it offers a wide range of financial products and services, you’ll be tasked with promoting one single product: credit cards.

This program — powered by CJ Affiliate — is potentially the highest-paying pay per lead affiliate program on the market. At time of writing, it pays CA$50 – CA$350 per approved consumer credit card application, with a seven-day cookie window and a seven-day EPC of CA$1,636.25.

To help you drive as many leads as possible, American Express Canada offers access to promotional banners and text links. It also provides real-time data insights to hone your performance. And if you have any problems or questions, you can reach out to its dedicated affiliate management team.

• URL: American Express Canada affiliate program
• Commission Rate: CA$50 – CA$350 per approved consumer credit card application
• Cookie Duration: 7 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Credit cards

17 1st Class Medical

Compared to the likes of American Express and Quickbooks, 1st Class Medical isn’t exactly the most high-profile brand on this list. It distributes portable and home oxygen concentrators for patients with COPD and other respiratory conditions. More than 26,000 customers worldwide rely on its products.

Search for 1st Class Medical’s pay per lead affiliate program on ShareASale. It pays a flat $20 per lead and has an impressive conversion rate of 9.38%, with a seven-day EPC of $153. The cookie duration stands at 30 days and commissions can be paid via check, direct deposit, and ACH.

If your leads go on to convert after 30 days, you’ll be paid an additional commission. But if they register as leads multiple times, all but the first instance will be voided.

One other thing to bear in mind here: 1st Class Medical doesn’t allow affiliates to run PPC ads including the company’s name. 

• URL: 1st Class Medical affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $20 per lead
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Oxygen concentrators

18 SunPower

SunPower sells residential and solar panels and storage solutions. It claims to be the only company of its kind in the US to have outlasted its 25-year warranty and has received 1,000+ patients for solar innovation.

Find the company’s affiliate program on FlexOffers. It pays $120 per lead — defined by SunPower as a confirmed appointment. 

As a FlexOffers program, it includes a wide range of payment methods, namely eCheck/local bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal, and check.

• URL: SunPower affiliate program
• Commission Rate: $120 per confirmed appointment
• Cookie Duration: Unlisted
• Payment Options: eCheck/local bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal, check
• Products/Services Sold: Solar panels and storage solutions

19 ShareASale

ShareASale is an affiliate network rather than an affiliate program. That means it’s home to lots of affiliate programs, many of which pay commissions on a per-lead basis. 

At the time of writing, the ShareASale affiliate network has almost 350 pay per lead affiliate programs, including Cloudways, FreshBooks, and the Grammarly affiliate program.

Although it has a few B2B-oriented programs, ShareASale specializes in B2C affiliate marketing. More than 39 consumer categories are represented by its various affiliate programs. And with more than 260 new affiliate programs added to the network every month, so you’re sure to find something relevant to your audience.

ShareASale offers a choice of three payment methods: ACH, check, and direct deposit. To sign up, you need to complete an online form explaining who you are and how you intend to generate traffic.

• URL: ShareASale affiliate network
• Commission Rate: Various
• Cookie Duration: Various
• Payment Options: Check, direct deposit, ACH
• Products/Services Sold: Various B2C products and services

What Are Pay Per Lead Affiliate Programs?

Pay per lead affiliate programs pay affiliates every time they send a new lead to the business in question. Whereas most affiliate programs only offer a commission on confirmed sales, PPL programs pay out regardless of whether those leads turn into paying customers.

So joining a pay per lead affiliate program is basically a license to print money, right? Surely generating leads is much easier than referring sales?

Not necessarily. Most pay per lead affiliate programs only pay commissions for qualified leads who perform a certain action. That could be:

• Submitting personal information (like name, email address, or phone number)
• Requesting a quote or consultation
• Downloading a software tool
• Subscribing to a mailing list
• Booking a software demo
• Signing up for a free trial
• Scheduling a meeting
• Creating an account

People aren’t going to take those actions unless they have a genuine interest in buying the product in question. So there are no shortcuts here.

Should You Start Pay Per Lead Affiliate Marketing?

Just like any affiliate marketing niche, there are pros and cons to pay per lead affiliate programs:

Conclusion: Are Pay Per Lead Affiliate Programs Right For You?

If you’re only interested in joining high-ticket affiliate programs that pay hundreds of dollars for a single action, pay per lead affiliate programs aren’t for you. But if you’re open to higher-volume, lower-commission programs, PPL could be the model you’ve been looking for.

However, you’re not going to earn any money as a pay per lead affiliate without a high-quality website packed with engaging, conversion-driving content. Building one is difficult — but we can help.

Just sign up for our free training and we’ll fill you in on the seven secrets that make new sites 83% more successful!