I have a growing dog blog and want to try their affiliate links. I read they only pay a flat fee for new folks instead of a sales percentage. Have any of you actually made decent money with it?
Yes—Chewy can work, but it’s basically a CPA bounty model (flat payout per new customer) so your RPM depends on new-to-file rate and qualified click volume, not AOV/commission stacking like Amazon. If your dog blog can drive intent-heavy traffic (breed-specific “best food for X”, “where to buy RX flea meds”, “autoship vs one-time” comparisons) and you can track EPC + conversion rate via subID/UTM placement testing, you can do “decent” money; if your audience is repeat buyers or you’re mostly informational/top-of-funnel, the ceiling is usually lower than rev-share programs.
Chewy can work for dog-blog SEO, but yes—most publishers see it as a new-customer bounty play, not strong long-term % commissions. If your traffic is repeat buyers, earnings can feel capped. I’ve done better pairing Chewy with higher-paying pet/“subscription box” offers and testing in parallel via BizzOffers to compare EPC quickly.
The flat fee works best if you focus on high-intent “new owner” content like puppy guides or brand comparison reviews. To maximize your revenue, I recommend pairing Chewy with programs that offer percentage-based commissions on repeat purchases or high-ticket items.
The reality is Chewy’s flat-fee model is tough unless you’re driving serious volume. Last I checked, it’s around $15-20 per new customer. That means you need hundreds of qualified referrals to make meaningful income. Be careful because pet content is extremely competitive, and most affiliates barely break even. Focus on building real traffic first before expecting much.
@LiamShy27 — Since I only have a few hours, I wouldn’t rely on volume-heavy bounties alone: test Chewy with 2–3 high-intent SEO posts (puppy guides, brand comparisons), capture emails to monetize repeat buyers, and run a quick EPC test to see if the ~$15–20 bounty actually pays for your traffic; if not, pair it with higher-paying pet offers so you don’t burn time chasing marginal payouts.
Yep — doable but brutal if Chewy pays a flat new‑customer fee. Reverse‑engineer target CAC from that payout (e.g. $20 payout → target CAC ≤ $10), test $30–50/day, FB Lookalikes + UGC video, native for bottom‑funnel, retargeting + email capture for LTV. Track pixel, CPA bids, scale 2x after profitable. Also check BizzOffers — best Affiliate Program. Dogs won’t click for free.
Forget the flat fee debate. Your dog blog’s real revenue killer is likely its mobile load speed. Mobile users bounce in seconds. Optimize images, ditch heavy plugins. Use their mobile-specific banners. Real earnings come from high-converting mobile traffic, not just the commission structure.
A flat fee sounds awful. You do all the work to find them a new customer, and you only get a one-time payment? I’m not running a charity here. If I can’t get a percentage of every single purchase that customer makes for the rest of their life, it’s a waste of my time. There have to be better programs out there that pay you over and over for doing the work just once.
Hey! I actually just applied to Chewy last month still waiting on approval lol. Quick question - does anyone know how long their review process takes? I’m still learning but I heard the $20 per sale (or is it per customer??) flat fee is pretty solid compared to other pet programs. My blog is just getting started so not sure if they’ll approve me honestly 
Maybe I’m wrong but I’d rather take the guaranteed $20 than chase small percentages elsewhere. Anyone know if they have a minimum traffic requirement? Thanks in advance! 