Affiliate Program Terms

1. Eligibility

To participate in the affiliate program, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into binding contracts
• Have a valid email address and payout method (Stripe-compatible bank account or debit card)
• Not be an employee, contractor, or immediate family member of an employee of Deer Track Design LLC
• Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing affiliate marketing and endorsements, including FTC disclosure requirements
• Not operate in a jurisdiction where receiving commission income is prohibited

ThrottleShare reserves the right to reject or terminate any affiliate application at its sole discretion, with or without cause.

2. Referral Link and Attribution

Upon approval, you will receive a unique referral URL containing a tracking parameter (e.g., ?ref=YOURCODE). A referral is attributed to you when a new user visits ThrottleShare via your unique referral URL and completes a qualifying transaction within the applicable attribution window.

• Attribution window: 30 days from the user's first click on your referral link. If the user returns within 30 days without using a different affiliate's link, the transaction is attributed to you.
• Last-click attribution: If a user clicks multiple affiliate links, the most recent click within the attribution window receives credit.
• You may not use your own referral link to earn commissions on your own transactions.
• You may not place your referral link in unsolicited emails (spam), pop-up ads, or deceptive redirect pages.

3. Commission Structure

ThrottleShare pays commissions on the platform service fee collected from renters on qualifying completed bookings. Commissions are calculated as a percentage of the platform fee, not the total rental price.

Commission tiers at program launch:

Example: A renter books a jet ski at $400/day for 2 days ($800 total). The platform fee is 10% ($80). A Launch Tier affiliate who referred this renter earns $40 (50% of $80) for that completed booking.

Commission accrues only on completed bookings — bookings where the rental has been fulfilled and the platform fee has been successfully collected and is not subject to a pending refund or chargeback. Commissions on cancelled, refunded, or disputed bookings are reversed.

4. Payout Schedule and Methods

• Payout date: The 1st of each calendar month for all commissions that cleared in the prior calendar month.
• Minimum payout threshold: $10.00 USD. Balances below $10 roll forward to the next month.
• Payout methods: ThrottleShare currently supports two payout methods, selected at signup:
  • Venmo: Payment sent directly to the Venmo @handle you provide. You are responsible for keeping your Venmo handle current by emailing [email protected]. ThrottleShare is not liable for misdirected payments resulting from an incorrect or outdated handle.
  • Stripe: A Stripe payment link is sent to your registered affiliate email address on payout date. Payments are processed via Stripe's standard transfer infrastructure. ThrottleShare is not responsible for delays caused by Stripe's processing times or your bank's availability schedule.
• Changing your payout method: Email [email protected] at least 5 business days before the 1st of the month to update your payout method or handle for that month's payout. Changes requested after that deadline apply to the following month.
• Currency: USD only.
• Tax reporting: Affiliates who earn $600 or more in a calendar year will receive a Form 1099-NEC. You are solely responsible for reporting and paying applicable taxes on affiliate income.
• ThrottleShare is not responsible for delays or failures caused by incorrect payout information you provide or third-party payment platform outages.

5. Program Modifications and Rate Changes

ThrottleShare reserves the right to modify commission rates, tier structures, attribution windows, payout thresholds, or any other aspect of the affiliate program at any time.

Notice requirement for rate reductions: For any change that reduces your applicable commission rate, ThrottleShare will provide at least 30 days' advance written notice via email to your registered affiliate email address. Your continued participation in the program after the effective date of a rate change constitutes your acceptance of the new rate.

Changes that do not reduce your commission rate (including increases, threshold adjustments, or operational changes) may take effect immediately upon notice.

ThrottleShare may discontinue the affiliate program entirely with 30 days' written notice. Any earned commissions accrued prior to discontinuation will be paid out per the normal payout schedule.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You may not, and you agree not to:

• Send unsolicited commercial email (spam) containing your referral link
• Use your own referral link for self-referral or coordinate with others for mutual self-referral
• Engage in cookie stuffing, click fraud, or any other artificial inflation of referral metrics
• Make false, misleading, or deceptive claims about ThrottleShare, its services, or the affiliate program
• Use ThrottleShare's trademarks, logos, or brand assets in a manner that implies official partnership or endorsement beyond participation in this affiliate program
• Bid on ThrottleShare's branded search terms (e.g., "ThrottleShare") in paid search advertising without prior written consent
• Offer cash rebates, kickbacks, or incentives to users to click your referral link or complete a booking
• Violate any applicable law, including FTC endorsement disclosure requirements (you must clearly disclose when content contains affiliate links)

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate termination of your affiliate account, forfeiture of unpaid commissions, and potential legal action.

7. Intellectual Property and Brand Usage

ThrottleShare grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use ThrottleShare's name, wordmark, and approved marketing materials solely for the purpose of promoting the affiliate program in good faith. You must comply with any brand guidelines we provide. You may not alter, distort, or create derivative works from ThrottleShare's trademarks or logos. This license terminates immediately upon termination of your affiliate account.

8. Relationship of Parties

You are an independent contractor of ThrottleShare. Nothing in these Affiliate Terms creates an employment relationship, agency, partnership, joint venture, or franchise between you and ThrottleShare. You have no authority to bind ThrottleShare to any obligation or make any representation on ThrottleShare's behalf.

9. Termination

Either party may terminate this affiliate agreement at any time, with or without cause, upon written notice (email to [email protected] or to your registered affiliate email address). Upon termination:

• Your referral link will be deactivated and will no longer track new referrals
• Commissions already accrued on completed bookings prior to termination will be paid out on the next regular payout date, provided the commissions are not subject to reversal
• Commissions on bookings initiated but not completed prior to termination are forfeited
• ThrottleShare may withhold final payment for up to 60 days to allow for reversal of chargebacks or refunds on recently completed bookings

10. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

THE AFFILIATE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THROTTLESHARE DOES NOT GUARANTEE ANY SPECIFIC EARNINGS FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE AFFILIATE PROGRAM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THROTTLESHARE'S LIABILITY TO YOU ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE AFFILIATE PROGRAM EXCEED THE TOTAL COMMISSIONS PAID TO YOU IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM. THE LIMITATIONS IN SECTION 7 OF THE GENERAL TERMS OF SERVICE APPLY FULLY TO THESE AFFILIATE TERMS.

11. Governing Law and Disputes

These Affiliate Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict of law principles. Disputes arising under these Affiliate Terms are subject to the arbitration agreement and dispute resolution provisions in Sections 11 and 12 of the general Terms of Service.