If you are comparing telehealth affiliate programs, the fastest way to sort them is by how often they pay you for the same customer. Most run on a one-time CPA: a single bounty when a referral converts, and nothing after that. The recurring alternatives to that model are far fewer, and the clearest is MedStands, which pays a fixed marketing fee of $36 to $260 per active referred customer every month, set by medication category, for as long as that person stays active. This post explains the difference between the two structures and where the recurring one wins.
What a one-time CPA telehealth program actually pays
CPA stands for cost per acquisition. A one-time CPA telehealth affiliate program pays a set amount the moment a referral becomes a qualifying customer, then closes the ledger on that person. It does not matter whether they stay on treatment for one month or two years: the program pays on them once. Published rates across the field are all over the map, from a few dollars per sale to a bounty in the tens or low hundreds on the higher-profile programs. For a survey of what those programs pay, see the highest-paying recurring telehealth affiliate programs and the best GLP-1 weight-loss affiliate programs.
The appeal of a one-time CPA is simplicity. You know the number, the payout is predictable per conversion, and there is nothing to manage after the sale. The ceiling is that same simplicity: one customer equals one payment, and then it is finished.
What recurring changes about the math
A recurring model pays on retention instead of acquisition. On MedStands, the same referred customer who stays active for a year is paid on twelve times, not once, because the fixed marketing fee lands every month they keep using the platform. The fee is set by medication category (a semaglutide protocol and a tirzepatide protocol sit in different categories) and falls between $36 and $260 per active customer per month.
To be honest about it, that range is a per-customer fee schedule, not a projection of your total. Not everyone who scans your code qualifies, people can stop, and which category applies varies by referral. What the recurring model changes is the shape of the payout: instead of a bounty that ends at signup, your active base becomes a monthly line that grows as you add referrals. There is no cap on how many people or businesses you refer and no ceiling on total earnings, so recurring fees stack as your base grows.
Attribution: the cookie problem most CPA programs share
Most one-time CPA programs track referrals with a browser cookie that expires, often in 30 days or less, and sometimes on a window the program never publishes. In GLP-1 weight care, where people commonly research for weeks before starting, an expiring cookie can quietly drop the credit before the customer ever converts.
MedStands binds a referral to you at signup and stores it on the account, not in a cookie. It does not expire, does not depend on the device, and does not reset if the person comes back weeks later. That account-level, lifetime attribution is what makes the recurring fee possible in the first place, because you cannot pay someone every month for a customer you can no longer trace. For the mechanics, see how telehealth referral attribution and lifetime tracking work.
Who does the clinical work
This is the part that keeps the model clean on your end. MedStands is not a medical practice and does not prescribe. Licensed providers do the prescribing, and licensed pharmacies handle fulfillment, refills, and shipping on a LegitScript-certified platform. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies. As a partner or affiliate you do no clinical work, hold no inventory, and never touch a prescription. You point people toward licensed care and let the licensed side do the licensed work. The fee you earn is a fixed marketing fee for the referral, set in advance, not a commission, a percentage, or a share of what anyone spends.
Partner or affiliate: two ways into the recurring model
There are two ways to join, both free, both on the same recurring terms. The MedStands affiliate program fits individuals: creators, marketers, and anyone with an audience or a network who can share a QR code or a personal link. The partner program fits businesses: medspas, gyms, salons, clinics, and studios that refer clients from where they already operate. Both pay the same fixed monthly marketing fee per active referred customer, and there is nothing to buy to start. To see how it maps to your niche, browse partner programs by industry, and if you are unsure which lane is yours, partner vs affiliate: which program fits breaks it down.
Common questions
Is a recurring fee just a bigger one-time CPA?
No. A CPA pays once, at the sale. A recurring fixed marketing fee pays every month a referral stays active, so the same customer can be paid on many times over a year instead of a single time. The two are different structures, not different sizes of the same payout. For the full model, see what a telehealth partner program is.
Is the MedStands fee a commission or a percentage?
No. It is a fixed marketing fee set by medication category, a flat per-category dollar amount between $36 and $260 per active customer per month. It is not tied to a percentage of sales or to how much anyone spends. The amount follows the category, not the size of the purchase.
What happens when a referral cancels?
The monthly fee for that person stops when they are no longer active, because it is paid per active customer. Your other active referrals keep paying as normal, and because attribution is stored on the account for life, a returning customer stays credited to you.
Do I need a medical background or a license?
No. You are a referral source, not a provider. Licensed providers prescribe and licensed pharmacies fulfill, refill, and ship. Your role is marketing only, with no clinical work and no inventory to carry.
Ready to trade a one-time bounty for recurring fees?
If a single payout per customer is all you need, a one-time CPA is simple and fine. If you would rather be paid every month a referral stays active, the recurring alternative is built for exactly that. The MedStands affiliate program is free to join, live the same day, and pays a fixed monthly marketing fee for the life of every active referral. Businesses can apply to the partner program on the same terms, and you can map the fit by industry through partner programs by industry. You get paid, you never pay.
Competitor program terms referenced here reflect publicly reported affiliate information as of July 2026. Programs change, so check current terms.