TrekMail Referral Program FAQ

This is the FAQ companion to the Referral Program Overview. It covers the practical questions that come up when sharing your link, waiting for rewards to appear, and handling edge cases.

If your question is about the affiliate program (commission-based partnership for resellers and content creators), that's a different program — see the Affiliate Program section. The referral program is for individual TrekMail users sharing with friends and colleagues.

Eligibility and access

Do I need a paid plan to refer others?

No. Every TrekMail account — including Nano — has access to a referral link. You don't need to be paying anything to share TrekMail with others.

Where do I find my referral link?

Open the Referral section in your dashboard. Your unique link is displayed at the top and copies to clipboard with one click. The link is permanent — you can share the same one forever.

Is there a limit on how many people I can refer?

No published cap. You can refer as many people as you like while the program is active.

Rewards

What do I get for a successful referral?

1 free month of TrekMail.

• If you're on Nano, you get 1 free month of Starter — a paid-plan upgrade you don't have to pay for.
• If you're already on Starter, Pro, or Agency, your next renewal date is extended by one month — effectively a free month at your current plan tier.

What's the 10% lifetime discount?

When you reach 10 successful referrals, you unlock a 10% lifetime discount on paid plans. This is permanent — it applies to every future invoice for as long as your account exists, regardless of plan changes.

The discount stacks with yearly billing's savings. If you're on a yearly plan that's already 20% cheaper than monthly, the lifetime discount applies on top — making your total saving more than 30%.

Can I get cash instead?

No. The rewards are exclusively account credits / discounts. The referral program is designed to reward usage of TrekMail itself, not to provide cash.

If you want a cash-based program, look at the Affiliate Program — it pays commission on the subscriptions of users you refer. The two programs are mutually exclusive per account.

Qualification

What counts as a "successful referral"?

The referred person needs to complete a qualifying action — typically activating a paid plan (Starter or above). Just signing up isn't enough; they need to subscribe.

What's the minimum plan my invitee must pick?

A paid plan — Starter, Pro, or Agency. If they sign up for Nano (free plan), the referral hasn't triggered a reward.

When does my reward appear?

After your invitee completes the qualifying action — typically within minutes once their payment clears. In some cases, a short verification window may apply (e.g. waiting for first-month payment to confirm before crediting your account). If the wait exceeds a few hours and the invitee is definitely on a paid plan, contact support.

Can I refer an existing TrekMail user?

No. Referrals reward new customer signups, not transfers between accounts. If your friend already has a TrekMail account, your referral link won't credit you for them — they're not a new acquisition.

Can my invitee be on another payment provider?

The referral has to result in a new TrekMail subscription. If your invitee was previously a customer on a different provider, that's fine — they're new to TrekMail. The qualifying action is the new TrekMail subscription, not anything outside TrekMail.

Tracking troubleshooting

I shared my link but the referral didn't track

Run through this list:

• Confirm your invitee used your exact link — including the ?r=... (or whichever parameter the link contains). Removing the parameter loses attribution.
• Same-browser-session signup — they need to click your link and complete signup in the same browser without clearing cookies in between. Multi-day delays between click and signup can lose the cookie.
• Cookies enabled — incognito/private mode usually fine; aggressive cookie blockers (like Brave's default) can interfere. Ask them to try a normal browser if it didn't track.
• Use the link directly, not after copy-paste-trimming — some chat apps strip URL parameters. Encourage your invitee to click the actual link rather than reading it aloud or pasting.

Can I use a shortened link?

We don't recommend it. URL shorteners (bit.ly, t.co, etc.) usually preserve query parameters, but some — especially ones that "optimise" URLs — strip them. If you're sharing on Twitter or other platforms that auto-shorten, the platform's own shortener is fine; third-party shorteners are risky.

My invitee signed up on TrekMail's branded subdomain (app.somebrand.com) instead of trekmail.net

Referrals always run on trekmail.net, even if you have White Label Lite. Your invitee should click your referral link on trekmail.net/r/your-code — that's where attribution lands. If they go directly to your branded subdomain to sign up, the referral cookie isn't set.

If you have White Label Lite and want to refer someone, send them to trekmail.net/r/your-code specifically.

I see a "Pending" referral that's been pending for weeks

A pending referral means your invitee signed up but hasn't completed the qualifying action (a paid subscription). They might be on Nano and never upgraded, or they might be still evaluating. Pending referrals stay pending indefinitely — they only flip to "Rewarded" when the qualifying action happens.

You can nudge your invitee to upgrade if you know them well, or accept that not every signup converts.

Edge cases

Can I refer someone, then unrefer them and refer again for a different account?

No. Once attributed to your link, that user is yours. Even if they cancel and resubscribe, the reward for that user has already been credited (or not, depending on timing).

What happens if my invitee gets a refund?

If they refund within the refund window, the reward you received for their referral may be clawed back. The dashboard's referral history shows current vs reverted credits.

Can multiple referrals stack?

Yes. Refer 10 people, get 10 free months (one per qualifying referral) plus the 10% lifetime discount on top. The free months extend your renewal date by 10 months total; the discount applies to every invoice from that point forward.

Can I refer myself with a different email?

No. Self-referrals are detected and don't count. The system uses payment-method fingerprinting and other signals to identify self-referral attempts.

What if my invitee uses a free trial first and then converts?

The trial doesn't qualify — only paid subscription activation. Once they convert from trial to paid, your referral fires.

Program changes

Can the program rules change?

Yes. We reserve the right to adjust referral mechanics. Major changes (reward amounts, qualifying actions, discount unlocks) are announced via dashboard banner and email. Existing pending referrals are honoured under the rules in place at the time of the qualifying action.

Can my lifetime discount be revoked?

The lifetime discount is permanent unless your account is terminated for terms-of-service violations. Inactivity or normal plan changes don't affect it.