Real referrals, paid only when earned.

When a buyer pays, the local's commission is held on the platform, not sent. If the buyer refunds, disputes, or the sale gets reviewed for fraud inside that window, the commission is voided automatically and never reaches the local. The business payout (your money) clears as normal.

On day 14, surviving holds release to the local's Stripe account. You see the schedule on every commission email and on the local's dashboard.

For a local to earn commission, their link click, handle credit, or follow-attribution has to be established beforethe buyer pays. Piggybak doesn't let someone walk into your shop, recognize the buyer later, and retroactively claim the credit. The attribution clock starts at the click; commission only pays if the buyer follows through within 30 days.

Buyers also get an explicit disclosure if a stale referral cookie matches their purchase, with a one-tap “Not them, buy direct” override so silent cross-attribution can't happen.

If a local buys through their own referral link, the system auto-detects it at hold time and voids the commission. Same applies if the buyer's account matches the referrer's.

When a buyer claims through a referral, they explicitly confirm: I was introduced through {local} via Piggybak; any resulting transaction will be processed through Piggybak; bypassing the platform violates the Terms of Service.

That consent is logged with the claim. It's not fine print — it's the check the buyer ticks before Buy.

Inviter bonuses cap at $200 lifetime per (inviter, business) pair. Handle-attribution is limited to 5 claims per buyer per 30 days. One bonus per unique buyer email. Rate limits sit on every claim-creation surface.

You don't see these limits as a business — they quietly catch the few people who would try to game the system before it costs you anything.