What is Cost Per ActionCPA?
A payout model where the affiliate earns a fixed amount each time a referred visitor completes a defined action.
CPA (Cost Per Action, sometimes Cost Per Acquisition) pays the affiliate a fixed fee for each completed action — a signup, a funded account, a sale — rather than per click or per impression. The brand only pays for outcomes it defines, which is why it's the default for performance deals.
Example: a bank pays €45 for every verified account opened through a creator's link. Ten verified accounts, €450 owed. Clicks that don't convert cost nothing.
On PayTandem the CPA is fixed on the deal, and every conversion is confirmed by a signed server-to-server postback before it counts toward the payout — so the brand is billed only for actions it actually recorded.
See it in a real deal
PayTandem is an escrow-backed affiliate marketplace with first-party tracking built in.