> AffiliateOS Help Center. Index of every article for AI tools: https://www.affiliateos.ai/help/llms.txt

# Where incentivized traffic runs on AffiliateOS

Fraud Defense and traffic quality · For publishers, advertisers · Updated 30 October 2026
Web version: https://www.affiliateos.ai/help/fraud-defense/incentivized-non-incentivized-traffic

Most offers on AffiliateOS are built for incentivized traffic; non-incentivized traffic runs through Offer Links, on offers our team approves one by one.

## The two side by side

| | Incentivized | Non-incentivized |
|---|---|---|
| Why the user taps | For a reward in the publisher's own currency: coins, points, pebbles | Because an article, a newsletter or a friend recommended it |
| How publishers show offers | Hosted Offerwall, or their own offer screen on the Offer API or the Top Offers Feed | Offer Links: our team picks offers and sends a tracking link for each |
| Which offers | The offers in your list | Only offers approved for traffic that gets no reward |
| What the user does first | Often the easy step, to start earning | Whatever the recommendation was for |

For the definitions, read [what incentivized traffic is](https://www.affiliateos.ai/glossary/incentivized) and [the non-incentivized section](https://www.affiliateos.ai/glossary/incentivized#non-incentivized).

## For publishers

**If you reward your users,** show offers on the Hosted Offerwall or your own offer screen, and credit the player's reward from each postback. `user_payout` is that reward in USD; convert it to your currency.

> **Install-paid games pay you once, at install.** Later steps reward the player, not you. Through the Offer API, the feed or a link, those postbacks carry `payout=0` and the player's reward in `user_payout`. On the Hosted Offerwall, your earnings are in `revenue`, which is `0` on those steps.

**If you don't reward your users,** you run a site, a newsletter or a media buy, so start with Offer Links. Our team picks offers that accept traffic with no reward, sends you a tracking link for each and posts new ones in your Slack channel. Two rules:

- Don't add a reward of your own to an offer you got for non-incentivized traffic. Offers that don't allow it are covered by section 4 of the [terms](https://www.affiliateos.ai/terms#s4).
- Ask us to hide user rewards. Our team can turn off user-reward amounts in your portal and exports, so your team sees only what you earn.

## For advertisers

In rewarded apps and offerwalls, the player finishes your events to earn the publisher's currency, so an easy first step is often done for the reward alone. Deeper steps show you who stays.

- **You set what each event costs you.** The reward a player sees is set on the publisher's side.
- **You pay per event, never per click.** An event is charged only when it matches a tap on your campaign.
- **Put your money on the steps that matter.** Track an easy first step at a low price, and pay more for a level, a sign-up or a first purchase. [Launch your first campaign](https://www.affiliateos.ai/help/getting-started/advertiser-first-campaign) shows an example ladder.