Here is the direct answer: both MedStands and TeleWellnessMD pay recurring referral income, but they calculate it in fundamentally different ways. MedStands pays a fixed marketing fee of $36 to $260 per active referred customer every month, set in advance by medication category, for as long as that customer stays active. TeleWellnessMD's program, which the brand calls its "advertiser program," pays a recurring 10% of gross sales on a referred patient's first order and all future orders (refills and renewals) for as long as that patient remains active. One number is a flat dollar amount you can forecast before anyone signs up. The other is a percentage that moves up or down with the price of every order.
This is not the usual recurring-versus-one-time story, because both programs keep paying while a referral stays active. The real distinction here is a fixed monthly fee versus a percentage of gross sales, plus how each program tracks and holds attribution. Below is a factual side-by-side so you can decide which structure fits how you want to earn.
At a glance
| MedStands | TeleWellnessMD | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | Recurring fixed marketing fee by medication category (a flat per-category dollar amount set in advance, not a commission or share of sales) | Recurring percentage: 10% of gross sales per referred patient (stated on the brand's own "advertiser program" page) |
| When you are paid | Every month a referred customer stays active | On the patient's first order and all future orders (refills and renewals), for as long as they stay active (active = uses services at least once per quarter) |
| How much per referral | $36 to $260 per active customer per month, by category | 10% of gross sales on that patient's orders, so the dollar figure changes with order value; no flat amount is published |
| Attribution window | Tied to you for life (bound to your account at signup); no expiring window | Not disclosed (tracking appears to run through custom links and QR codes; no cookie duration or window is published) |
| Cost to join | $0, no setup fee, no monthly fee | Not disclosed (an approved application is required first) |
| Sign-up requirements | Self-serve, live the same day, no follower or audience-size minimum, admin review | Complete an online application describing your business, audience, and platform; approval required before accessing marketing materials; aimed at wellness pros (trainers, chiropractors, nutritionists, coaches, gym and clinic owners) with a U.S. patient audience |
| Referral cap | No cap on referrals or earnings | Not disclosed |
| Who handles the clinical side | Licensed providers prescribe, licensed pharmacies fulfill; you do no clinical work and hold no inventory | TeleWellnessMD and its providers |
A note on the TeleWellnessMD figures: the 10% rate and the recurring "first and future orders while active" terms come directly from the brand's own advertiser-program page, which is why we state them plainly rather than hedging them as a third-party listing. The cookie or attribution window, the cost to apply, and any referral cap are not published on that page, so we mark them as not disclosed instead of guessing.
The math: a fixed monthly fee vs a percentage of every order
Both programs are recurring, so the honest comparison is not about whether payments repeat. It is about how each payment is calculated.
TeleWellnessMD pays 10% of gross sales. That means the dollar amount you earn on any given order depends on what the patient buys. A larger order pays you more; a smaller or discounted order pays you less; if list prices drop, your cut on that order drops with them. It is a percentage, a share of sales, and it scales directly with order value. For a business whose referred patients tend to place larger or higher-frequency orders, that upside can be meaningful.
MedStands pays a fixed marketing fee set in advance by medication category, somewhere in the $36 to $260 per active customer per month range. It is a flat per-category dollar amount, not a commission, not a percentage, and not a share of sales. The fee does not rise on an expensive order or shrink on a cheaper one. Once you know the category a referral falls into, you know what that active customer is worth per month, which makes forecasting straightforward.
So the trade is predictability against variability. A percentage can pay more on a big order and less on a small one. A fixed fee stays the same either way, which protects you from price changes and from customers choosing lower-priced options. Neither is universally better; they simply reward different things.
An honest caveat on the MedStands side: the $36 to $260 figure is a per-customer monthly fee schedule, not a promise of a total. Your actual earnings depend on which medication category a referral lands in and on how many referred people qualify and stay active. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, so not everyone qualifies, and some customers will not stay. The range describes what one active customer is worth per month, not a guaranteed number of customers. For a fuller walk-through of how recurring referral income adds up over a year, see how much you can earn referring businesses to telehealth.
One more MedStands note that matters for the clinical side of this math: MedStands is not a medical practice and does not prescribe. Licensed providers prescribe, and licensed pharmacies fulfill, refill, and ship, on a LegitScript-certified platform. You do no clinical work and hold no inventory. Your role is the referral; the medical side is handled by licensed professionals, and every request is provider-reviewed.
Attribution: lifetime binding vs an undisclosed window
The second real difference is how a referral is tracked and how long it stays yours.
MedStands uses account-level attribution. When someone signs up through your QR code or personal link, the referral is stored on their account at signup, not in a browser cookie that expires. That customer is bound to you for life. If a person scans your code today and comes back weeks later to sign up, you are still the referrer, and the monthly fee keeps flowing for as long as they stay active. There is no window to miss. If you want the mechanics, how telehealth referral attribution and lifetime tracking works explains the account-level approach in detail.
TeleWellnessMD appears to track referrals through custom links and QR codes, and its recurring payout continues for as long as the patient stays active, where active is defined as using services at least once per quarter. What is not published is the initial attribution window: how long after a click or scan a signup still counts toward you. The brand's page does not state a cookie duration, so we will not put a number on it. If that detail is important to how you plan to promote, it is worth contacting them directly to confirm. On the ongoing side, both programs share the same logic, since each keeps paying only while the referral remains active.
Where TeleWellnessMD may be a fit
TeleWellnessMD's advertiser program is explicitly aimed at wellness professionals: personal trainers, chiropractors, nutritionists, coaches, and gym or clinic owners with a U.S. patient audience. If you run that kind of business and your clients tend toward larger or higher-frequency orders, a recurring 10% of gross sales can scale with order value in a way a fixed fee does not. It is also a genuine recurring model that pays on first and future orders, not a one-time bounty, which already puts it ahead of CPA-only programs on longevity. The application-and-approval step means the marketing materials you get are curated, which some businesses prefer over a fully self-serve start.
That business-owner audience is worth flagging, because it is close to the audience MedStands built its partner track for. If you are a clinic, gym, or wellness business rather than a solo creator, compare both models side by side: look at the partner program, browse partner programs by industry to see how the same fixed-fee structure maps to your vertical, and if you are unsure which lane suits you, partner vs affiliate: which program fits breaks down the decision. Solo creators and individuals can instead start with the MedStands affiliate program.
Common questions
Is TeleWellnessMD's program recurring or one-time?
Recurring. The brand's own advertiser-program page states you earn 10% of gross sales on a new patient's first and future orders for as long as they remain active, where active means using services at least once per quarter. On that structural point it is similar to MedStands, which also pays for as long as a referral stays active. The difference is that MedStands pays a fixed dollar fee by category rather than a percentage of each order.
Is the MedStands fee a commission or a percentage of sales?
No. It is a fixed marketing fee set in advance by medication category, a flat dollar amount from $36 to $260 per active customer per month. It is not a commission, a percentage, or a share of sales, so it does not rise on an expensive order or fall on a cheaper one. This is the core contrast with a 10%-of-gross-sales model.
What is TeleWellnessMD's cookie or attribution window?
Not disclosed. The advertiser-program page describes custom tracking links and QR codes but does not publish a cookie duration or attribution window, so we do not state one. If that detail matters to your plan, contact them directly to confirm. MedStands, by contrast, binds a referral to your account at signup, so there is no expiring window to miss.
Do I need a large following to join MedStands?
No. There is no follower or audience-size minimum. Sign-up is self-serve, your QR code and personal link are live the same day, and an admin reviews the account. TeleWellnessMD requires an approved online application describing your business, audience, and platform before you can access its marketing materials.
Ready to compare the models with your own audience?
If your goal is predictable recurring income on GLP-1, semaglutide, and tirzepatide referrals, MedStands pays a fixed monthly fee for every active customer you send, set in advance and bound to your account for life. Learn how the MedStands affiliate program works if you are an individual creator, or look at the partner program if you run a business, and have your link and QR code live the same day you sign up.
Competitor program terms are as of July 2026 and come from each brand's published affiliate information. Programs change, so check their current terms.