VAIL AFFILIATE PROGRAM TERMS & CONDITIONS

Effective Date: October 22, 2026
Program Name: VAIL Creator & Affiliate Partnership Program

1. Program Overview

VAIL offers three independent revenue-share models for partners:

Model A: Creator Program (Pathfinders)

Partners create and publish educational content (lessons, courses, tutorials) within the VAIL Pathfinders marketplace. Revenue share applies to per-course purchases of the creator's content (typically $2–$5 per course), not subscriptions.

Model B: Affiliate/Referral Program

Partners refer traffic and customers to VAIL through content, promotion, or audience channels. Revenue share applies to all subscriptions from referred customers. Individual subscription referrals (Tier 1) split into two categories: Tier 1A Content Partners (video creators, 50%) and Tier 1B General Affiliates (self-serve, 30%). General Affiliates also earn an 8% override on VAIL's share when a user they referred becomes a Pathfinders course creator. Team and enterprise referrals follow Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Model C: Hybrid (Creator + Affiliate)

Partners do both—create content AND refer traffic. Revenue shares apply independently to each stream.

2. Revenue Share Structure

Tier 1: Individual Subscriptions (Model B)

Tier 1 splits into two partner categories based on who the affiliate is and what they commit to. Both earn on the same subscription revenue, attribution window, and payout schedule — only the rate and qualification process differ.

Tier 1A: Content Partners (Video Creators)

  • Base Rate: 50% to Content Partner / 50% to VAIL
  • Who Qualifies: Video content creators (YouTube or other video platforms — video only, not written/text content) who either (a) are personally recruited by VAIL/Ambrelo through direct outreach, or (b) apply through VAIL's Collaboration application process
  • Commitment: Must create and publish 1–3 videos featuring VAIL as a condition of approval
  • Application Process: A "Collaborate with us" call-to-action is featured on the main VAIL landing page, linking to an explainer (what the partnership involves, video requirement, commission rate) and an application form. Applications are reviewed and approved by VAIL/Ambrelo before Content Partner status and the 50% rate are granted.
  • Scope: Collaboration extends beyond VAIL to future Ambrelo-brand products as they launch, not limited to VAIL alone
  • Calculation: Applied to monthly subscription revenue from referred customers
  • Payment: Monthly via bank transfer (ACH primary)
  • Minimum Payout Threshold: $50 USD
  • Ongoing: Yes, indefinite (no expiration)

Example:

  • Content Partner drives 80 signups @ $19/month subscriptions
  • Gross monthly revenue: 80 × $19 = $1,520
  • Content Partner earns: $1,520 × 50% = $760/month

Tier 1B: General Affiliates

  • Base Rate: 30% to Affiliate / 70% to VAIL
  • Who Qualifies: Anyone who signs up for the self-serve affiliate program — existing users, audience owners, or anyone sharing a referral link — with no content requirement and no application approval needed
  • Calculation: Applied to monthly subscription revenue from referred customers
  • Payment: Monthly via bank transfer (ACH primary)
  • Minimum Payout Threshold: $50 USD
  • Ongoing: Yes, indefinite (no expiration)

Example:

  • General Affiliate drives 80 signups @ $19/month subscriptions
  • Gross monthly revenue: 80 × $19 = $1,520
  • General Affiliate earns: $1,520 × 30% = $456/month

Tier 1B Override: Referred User Becomes a Creator

If a customer referred under Tier 1B (General Affiliate) subsequently becomes a Pathfinders content creator (Model A) and begins earning course revenue, the original referring General Affiliate earns an ongoing 8% override on VAIL's retained share of that creator's course revenue — not on the creator's own earnings, and not on the full gross course revenue.

  • Source of override: Comes out of VAIL's share (the 20% base / 15% performance-tier portion), not the creator's 80–85% share. The creator's earnings are never reduced by this override.
  • Calculation: 8% × VAIL's retained share of the referred creator's monthly course revenue
  • Additive, not a replacement: This override is paid in addition to the 30% Tier 1B subscription commission the affiliate already earns if that same user remains a paying subscriber. The two revenue streams are independent and both apply.
  • Applies only to Tier 1B-referred users: This override is specific to General Affiliate referrals; it does not apply to Tier 1A (Content Partner) referrals unless and until separately specified.
  • Ongoing: Yes, for as long as the referred user remains an active creator generating course revenue, with no expiration.
  • Attribution: The creator must have been attributed to the General Affiliate at signup under the standard first-click, 60-day attribution rules (Sections 3 and 4). The override follows that original attribution.
  • Payout: Paid monthly on the 15th together with the affiliate's Tier 1 commissions, and counts toward the same $50 minimum payout threshold.
  • No clawback: Course purchases are final sale, so the override is not subject to refund clawbacks.

Example:

  • General Affiliate refers User X, who becomes a subscriber (General Affiliate earns 30% of User X's subscription, per Tier 1B above)
  • User X also becomes a Pathfinders creator, publishes a course, and earns $500/month in gross course revenue at the 80% base tier (User X earns $400; VAIL retains $100)
  • Referring General Affiliate earns an override: 8% × $100 = $8/month
  • This $8 is paid on top of, not instead of, the affiliate's 30% subscription commission on User X

Tier 2: Small Team Licensing ($500–$5K/month)

  • Base Rate: 20% to Affiliate / 80% to VAIL
  • Calculation: 20% of first-year contract value (one-time payment)
  • Payment: Within 30 days of contract close
  • Minimum Payout Threshold: None
  • Ongoing: One-time only (no recurring)

Example:

  • Small agency signs $3,000/month deal (annual = $36,000)
  • Affiliate earns: 20% × $36,000 = $7,200 (one-time, paid within 30 days)

Tier 3: Enterprise Licensing ($5K+/month or ≥$60K/year)

  • Base Rate: 10% to Affiliate (one-time) / 2% to Affiliate (recurring annually)
  • Calculation:
    • One-time: 10% × first-year contract value
    • Recurring: 2% × annual contract value (paid on each anniversary)
  • Payment: One-time within 30 days of close; recurring paid annually on anniversary
  • Minimum Payout Threshold: None
  • Ongoing: Recurring for as long as enterprise contract remains active (no expiration)

Example:

  • Fortune 500 signs $50,000/month deal (annual = $600,000)
  • Year 1 earnings: 10% × $600,000 = $60,000 (one-time, within 30 days)
  • Year 2+ earnings: 2% × $600,000 = $12,000 (paid on each anniversary annually)

Model A: Creator Revenue Share (Pathfinders)

  • Base Rate: 80% to Creator / 20% to VAIL
  • Performance Tier: 85% to Creator / 15% to VAIL (when creator reputation score ≥ 4.5/5.0)
  • Calculation: Applied to per-course purchase revenue (courses are individually priced, typically $2–$5 per course, purchased by users — not bundled subscription revenue)
  • Payment: Monthly via bank transfer
  • Minimum Payout Threshold: $20 USD

Example:

  • Creator publishes a course priced at $5
  • 100 users purchase the course in a month
  • Gross monthly revenue: 100 × $5 = $500
  • Creator earns (at 85% performance tier): $500 × 85% = $425/month

Refund Policy — Courses Are Final Sale: Course purchases are non-refundable once purchased. Unlike subscriptions, courses are one-time content purchases with no ongoing relationship to cancel, and a refund window would allow users to consume multiple courses and then request refunds after accessing the content. Creators keep 100% of their earned share on every course sale, with no clawback window.

Model C: Hybrid (Creator + Affiliate)

Partners operating both models earn:

  • 80–85% on creator course sales (Model A terms apply to per-course purchase revenue from content they publish)
  • 50% (Content Partner) or 30% (General Affiliate) on individual subscription referrals, or Tier 2/3 terms on team/enterprise referrals (whichever Tier 1 category and tier applies to the traffic they refer)

Streams are independent: Revenue from creator lessons is not double-counted toward affiliate share, and vice versa.

3. What Qualifies as a "Referred Signup/Customer"

A customer is attributed to an affiliate when:

  1. Visitor clicks the affiliate's unique tracking link (provided by VAIL)
  2. Visitor lands on VAIL's website (vail.ambreloai.com)
  3. Visitor creates an account and initiates a subscription within 60 days of click
  4. Subscription is not an enterprise/white-label agreement (those follow separate tiers above)

What Does NOT Qualify:

  • Signups from VAIL's organic search traffic (not referred through affiliate link)
  • Enterprise/white-label subscriptions (separate licensing agreement)
  • Free trials that don't convert to paid subscriptions
  • Signups using a different affiliate's link within the same 60-day window (first-click wins)

4. Attribution, Tracking & Attribution Window

Tracking Method

  • VAIL uses UTM parameters + first-party cookies (stored by VAIL's hosting and data providers)
  • Affiliate link format: https://vail.ambreloai.com?ref=AFFILIATE_ID&utm_source=affiliate
  • Each affiliate receives a unique AFFILIATE_ID upon enrollment
  • Dashboard access provided to view real-time clicks, conversions, and earnings

Attribution Window

  • Cookie Duration: 60 days for individual subscriptions (if affiliate link clicked on Day 1, signup must occur by Day 60 to be attributed)
  • Enterprise Attribution Window: 90 days (longer sales cycle)
  • First-Click Model: If a customer clicks multiple affiliate links within the window, the FIRST link is credited
  • No Expiration on Ongoing Revenue: Once attributed, that customer's subscription earnings accrue to the affiliate indefinitely (or until customer cancels)

Dashboard Access

  • Real-time reporting of clicks, conversions, conversion rate, average order value, and earnings
  • Separate tracking for Tier 1A (Content Partner), Tier 1B (General Affiliate), the Tier 1B creator override, and Tier 2/3 (enterprise deals)
  • Data refreshed hourly

5. Payout Schedule & Payment Method

Payout Schedule

  • Tier 1A and 1B (Individual Subscriptions) and the Tier 1B creator override: Monthly, on the 15th (for prior month's earnings)
  • Tier 2 & 3 (Enterprise Deals): Within 30 days of contract close (one-time); recurring paid annually on contract anniversary
  • Example: September Tier 1 earnings paid October 15th; Enterprise deal closing Oct 5 paid by Nov 4

Payment Method

  • Primary: ACH to US bank account (VAIL covers all processing costs)
  • Alternative: Wire transfer (affiliate covers wire fee, typically $15–$25)
  • International: Wire transfer to non-US accounts (affiliate covers SWIFT/wire fees)
  • PayPal/Stripe: Available upon request; 2% processing fee deducted from payout

Minimum Payout Threshold

  • Model A (Creator): $20 USD
  • Model B Tier 1 (Affiliate): $50 USD
  • Model B Tier 2/3 (Enterprise): None (paid regardless of amount)
  • How It Works: If monthly earnings fall below threshold, balance rolls forward to next month and accumulates until threshold is met
  • Example: Creator earns $15 in September, $18 in October, $10 in November = $43 total, paid in December

6. Refunds, Cancellations, Discounts & Chargebacks

Refund Policy (Affiliate Impact)

This section applies to subscriptions only. Course purchases are final sale and non-refundable (see Model A), so no course-related commission or override is ever clawed back.

  • VAIL's Refund Window: 14 days from signup for full refund
  • Affiliate Commission: Clawed back if customer refunds within 14 days
  • After 14 Days: No claw-back; affiliate keeps commission even if customer cancels later

Example (Content Partner, 50%):

  • Content Partner drives signup on Oct 1, customer pays $19
  • Content Partner earns $9.50 (50%)
  • Customer requests refund on Oct 10 → VAIL refunds $19, claws back the $9.50
  • Customer requests refund on Oct 20 → VAIL refunds $19, Content Partner keeps $9.50

Example (General Affiliate, 30%):

  • General Affiliate drives signup on Oct 1, customer pays $19
  • General Affiliate earns $5.70 (30%)
  • Customer requests refund on Oct 10 → VAIL refunds $19, claws back the $5.70
  • Customer requests refund on Oct 20 → VAIL refunds $19, General Affiliate keeps $5.70

Subscription Cancellations (Post-14 Day Window)

  • No commission claw-back for cancellations after initial 14-day window
  • Affiliate continues earning on subscription revenue as long as customer remains active
  • Affiliate earnings stop immediately when customer cancels (no prorating for partial months)

Discounts & Promotional Codes

  • Affiliate referrals using promotional discount codes (e.g., 30% off, free month) still earn their tier rate (50% Content Partner, 30% General Affiliate) on the discounted price, not the full list price
  • Example: Customer signs up for $19/month but uses a "30% off" code ($13.30/month) → Content Partner earns 50% × $13.30 = $6.65/month; General Affiliate earns 30% × $13.30 = $3.99/month

Chargebacks

  • If customer's payment is charged back (credit card dispute, bank reversal, etc.) within 90 days, affiliate commission is clawed back in full
  • Affiliate is notified of chargebacks; may dispute within 14 days if the charge was legitimate
  • Repeated chargebacks (>3 per affiliate per quarter) may result in affiliate account suspension pending investigation

7. Enterprise & White-Label Deal Attribution & Commissions

Scope

When a customer referred by an affiliate (via any model) signs an enterprise licensing agreement, corporate white-label deal, or multi-location team subscription exceeding the individual subscription model, the following commission schedule applies.

Commission Structure by Tier

[See Section 2 above for Tier 2 & 3 details]

Attribution Requirements for Enterprise Deals

For any enterprise/white-label deal (Tier 2 or Tier 3), the affiliate must demonstrate that their promotion directly or indirectly influenced the customer's discovery of VAIL. Attribution is proven via one of the following methods:

Method 1: Click-Based Attribution (Primary)

  • Requirement: Affiliate's unique UTM tracking link is clicked by the enterprise customer at any point during their evaluation journey
  • Verification: VAIL's session logs contain the affiliate's ref=AFFILIATE_ID parameter in the customer's session history
  • Window: Click must occur within 90 days prior to contract close
  • Automatic: If click is detected in logs, attribution is granted automatically

Method 2: Explicit Mention (Secondary)

  • Requirement: Enterprise customer explicitly states during discovery, demo, or sales call that they found VAIL through the affiliate's video, article, podcast, or content
  • Verification: Sales team documents the mention in deal notes or email with date and affiliate name
  • Window: Mention must occur within 90 days of contract signature
  • Approval Process: Sales team notifies affiliate of attribution; affiliate may be asked for supporting evidence

Method 3: Good-Faith Dispute Resolution (Fallback)

  • When It Applies: Attribution is unclear (e.g., customer clicked link 120 days ago, or mentioned creator by nickname)
  • Process:
    1. Affiliate contacts partnerships@ambreloai.com within 30 days of deal close
    2. VAIL provides available session/campaign data
    3. VAIL and affiliate review evidence in good faith
    4. VAIL makes determination within 15 business days
    5. If denied, affiliate may appeal to founder with additional evidence
    6. Founder's decision is final

Method 4: No Attribution Proof = No Commission

  • If affiliate cannot provide proof and good-faith review does not establish connection, no commission is owed
  • Protects VAIL from fraudulent claims
  • Affiliates should ask customers: "If you found us through my video, please mention it when reaching out"

8. Expected Deliverables & Promotional Requirements

For Model B Tier 1A (Content Partner) Partners

Threshold Requirement:

  • Video creators only (YouTube or other video platforms)
  • Minimum 1 and up to 3 published videos featuring VAIL, as a condition of approval
  • Videos must mention VAIL by name and include the partner's affiliate link
  • Content Partner status and the 50% rate are granted only after VAIL/Ambrelo approval

Post-Threshold Deliverables:

  • No mandatory ongoing content requirements (partner can earn passively after the approved videos are live)
  • Optional: Monthly or quarterly content refreshes to keep referrals flowing
  • Optional: Inclusion of VAIL in other channels, newsletters, or course materials

For Model B Tier 1B (General Affiliate) Partners

Threshold Requirement:

  • None. Self-serve sign-up; no application approval and no minimum content requirement
  • Affiliates must still follow the compliance rules in Section 10 (honest promotion, FTC disclosure)

For Model A (Creator) Partners

Threshold Requirement:

  • Minimum 1 published lesson in VAIL Pathfinders (can be video, walkthrough, or structured course)
  • Lesson must meet VAIL's content schema (title, steps, screenshots, metadata)

Post-Threshold Deliverables:

  • No mandatory update frequency (creator can earn passively on published lessons)
  • Optional: Quarterly updates to refresh content, add new lessons, or fix outdated steps

For Model C (Hybrid) Partners

Requirements:

  • Model A threshold (1 lesson published) + the Model B threshold for the partner's Tier 1 category (Content Partner: 1–3 approved videos; General Affiliate: none)
  • Both applicable thresholds must be met to activate hybrid status

9. Taxes & 1099 Reporting

Tax Responsibility

  • Affiliate's Responsibility: All applicable federal, state, and local taxes on earned commissions
  • VAIL's Role: Issues 1099-MISC (or 1099-NEC) for affiliates earning ≥ $600/calendar year in US
  • International Affiliates: Responsible for own tax filing; VAIL does not issue US tax forms

Backup Withholding

  • VAIL does not withhold taxes on affiliate payouts (affiliate's responsibility to file estimated quarterly taxes if required)
  • Backup withholding may apply if affiliate does not provide valid tax ID on enrollment

10. Compliance & Non-Compete

Affiliate Obligations

  • Promote VAIL honestly and accurately; do not misrepresent features, pricing, or capabilities
  • Disclose affiliate relationship per FTC rules (e.g., #ad or disclosure in description)
  • Do not use misleading ads, deceptive landing pages, or spam
  • Do not purchase branded search keywords (e.g., Google Ads for "VAIL AI") without prior written consent
  • Do not register domains containing "VAIL" to redirect traffic
  • Do not directly pitch white-label deals to VAIL customers or solicit them for competing services

Consequences for Violations

  • VAIL reserves the right to deactivate affiliate accounts for violations
  • Forfeiture of pending commissions may occur in cases of fraud

11. Contact & Support

For Affiliate Enrollment:

  • Email: partnerships@ambreloai.com
  • Subject: "VAIL Affiliate Program Application"

For Technical Support:

  • Email: support@ambreloai.com
  • Dashboard: https://vail.ambreloai.com/affiliate/dashboard

For Disputes & Legal Inquiries:

  • Email: globalinitiatemanager@gmail.com
  • Subject: "VAIL Affiliate Dispute / Legal"

12. Signature Block (Agreement Execution)

By signing below, both parties agree to these terms:

Affiliate (Creator/Referral Partner):

  • Name (Print): ___________________________
  • Signature: ___________________________
  • Date: ___________________________
  • Email: ___________________________
  • Company/Channel: ___________________________

VAIL / AmbreloAI:

  • Name (Print): Robert C. Amsden, Founder
  • Signature: ___________________________
  • Date: ___________________________

END OF TERMS