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2026-09-24

Cookie Windows in Fintech: 30 Days vs. 90 vs. Lifetime

Not financial advice. Verify claims independently.

Attribution windows are where affiliate deals get won or lost. The honest comparison.

The commission rate gets the headline. The cookie window gets the money:

  • 7–14 days (common in brokerages): fine for impulse signups, terrible for research-driven decisions. A reader who clicks your link Monday and funds their account two weeks later = zero commission.
  • 30 days (most SaaS): the honest middle — captures research cycles without overpaying
  • 90 days (TradingView, some data tools): best for finance — the audience researches for weeks
  • Lifetime/first-party tracking (rare, best): server-side attribution that survives cookie clears

When comparing programs, normalize by EPC: commission × conversion × attribution survival. A 90-day cookie on a $15 product beats a 7-day cookie on a $100 product for research-driven audiences.

Negotiate the window, not the rate.

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Put it into practice

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