A deposit income and a referral commission are both money that arrives. They are not the same kind of money, and treating them as one is how expectations get disappointed.
What is different
| Deposit | Referral | |
|---|---|---|
| Depends on | Your own position | Other people's activity |
| Controllable | Partly | Not really |
| Stops when | Your cycle ends | The network goes quiet |
| Scales with | Size of deposit | Number and activity of others |
The partners page publishes the rates, the levels and the caps; the structure is explained in the referral guide.
Why the income is less reliable than it looks
Commission is on activity, not on membership. A large network that nobody uses pays nothing. A small one that is genuinely used pays something. The number that looks impressive is a count of people, not a count of earnings.
How to think about it
- Treat referral income as a bonus, not a plan. Do not size a deposit on the assumption of commission.
- Promote only to people who will actually use it. Manufactured sign-ups do not pay and will not last — the commonest referral mistake.
- Check what you may need to report. On tax covers why this is not optional to consider.
The honest summary
Your own position is the part you control. The network is a genuine benefit when it is real, and it is not a substitute for understanding the plan you are actually in.