Affiliate Deal Types Explained: Categories, Examples & API Use Cases

Originally published in 2024. Updated for 2026 to reflect expanded deal types, improved structure, and new implementation guidance.

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Welcome to the latest edition of FMTC’s Tech Corner. We are excited to announce a major upgrade to our API with the release of Version 4.0.0 of the Deal Types endpoint, featuring an expanded set of deal types that offers greater flexibility and precision for managing promotions. This update is designed to give our subscribers more granular control over deals, enabling you to target better and engage your audience.

In affiliate marketing, not all deals are created equal.

A coupon code, a sitewide sale, and a cashback offer may all drive conversions—but they function differently, target different audiences, and require different handling in your platform.

That’s where deal types come in.

Understanding and structuring deal types allows publishers, apps, and platforms to deliver more relevant offers, improve user experience, and ultimately increase conversion rates.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

• What affiliate deal types are
• Why they matter for performance
• How they’re structured in FMTC
• How to use them in your API or platform

What are Affiliate Deal Types?

Affiliate deal types are structured categories used to classify promotions—such as coupons, discounts, or exclusive offers—so they can be filtered, targeted, and displayed effectively.

Rather than treating every promotion the same, deal types allow you to define:

• What kind of offer it is
• How it works
• Who it’s for

Importantly, deal types are not mutually exclusive. A single deal can belong to multiple categories—for example:

• A student discount
• That requires a coupon code
• And offers 10% off
• Where and how it should be displayed

This layered structure enables much more precise filtering and targeting.

Why Deal Types Matter for Performance

Deal types aren’t just a data point—they directly impact how users interact with your content.

Better Targeting

Match the right deals to the right users:

• Student discounts → student audiences
• Cashback offers → deal-seeking users
• Exclusive offers → loyalty segments

Higher Conversion Rates

Users are more likely to convert when:

• The deal is clearly understood
• The mechanism is obvious (code vs auto-applied)
• The value is relevant

Cleaner User Experience

Structured deal types allow you to:

• Label deals clearly
• Group similar offers
• Reduce confusion and friction

Smarter Filtering & Personalization

Deal types enable:

• Dyanmic filtering (e.g., “Coupons only”)
• Personalized feeds
• Category-specific landing pages

Main Categories of Deal Types (FMTC Structure)

To bring consistency and flexibility to deal classification, FMTC organizes deal types across multiple structured dimensions.

Here’s a simplified breakdown:

Category	What It Represents	Example
Content Type	Nature of the promotion	Discount, Incentive
Discount Type	Type of savings	%off, $ off, BOGO
Mechanism	How the deal is applied	Coupon code, automatic
Page Type	Where the deal applies	Product page, category page
Customer Distribution	Who/how it’s targed	Email, extension, public
Affinity/Contingency	Who qualifies	Students, military, new customer
Holiday	Deal for a special occassion	Black Friday, Cyber Monday

This multi-dimensional structure allows a single deal to be described in a much more meaningful way than a simple “coupon” or “sale” label. For more information on every deal type, see more detailed documentation here. 

Common Affiliate Deal Types (Examples)

To make this more concrete, here are some of the most common deal types you’ll encounter

Coupons (Code Required)

• Require user input at checkout
• Example: “Use code SAVE10 for 10% off”

Sales (Auto-Applied Discounts)

• No code required
• Discount is applied automatically

Free Shipping

• Threshold-based or sitewide
• Often used as a conversion driver

BOGO (Buy One, Get One)

• Structured promotional mechanic
• Can vary (BOGO free, BOGO 50%)

What’s New: Expanded Deal Types in FMTC

To support more advanced use cases, FMTC significantly expanded its deal classification system. In version 4.0.0, the API response has been refined to improve usability.

Each deal type is present with the following fields: 

• type (string)
  • Human-readable string of one of the above deal types separated by a hyphen, such as Content Type or Affiliate Access
• slug (string)
  • The key value of the array, such as discount-incentive or non-discount
• type_id (integer)
  • Unique identifier for the deal type
• name (string)
  • The human-readable value of the slug, such as Discount/Incentive or Exclusive
• full_slug (string)
  • The entire slug name, such as content-type-discount-incentive or page-type-homepage

You can use the type_id identifier to match the types that exist within the Deals 3.1.0 API endpoint. 

Best Practices for Using Deal Types

With the new Deal Types version 4.0.0, there is not a direct one-to-one mapping from the old types to the new types. Certain types like sale and offer require manual updates as they now encompass a broader range of types from the previous version. For more information on the mapping, and what deal types line up, take a look at the mapping documentation. 

FAQs

What is a deal type in affiliate marketing?

A deal type is a category used to classify a promotion based on its structure, mechanism, and audience, allowing for better filtering and targeting.

Are deal types mutually exclusive?

No. A single deal can belong to multiple categories (e.g., a student discount that uses a coupon code).

What’s the difference between a coupon and a deal?

A coupon typically requires a code, while a deal is a broader term that includes all types of promotions, including auto-applied discounts and incentives.

How many deal types does FMTC support?

FMTC supports 100+ deal types across multiple structured fields, enabling highly granular classification.

Deliver more relevant deals—and better results

With over 100+ deal types and structured fields, you can fine-tune your content strategy and match users with exactly the offers they’re looking for.
👉 Get started with FMTC’s API today: https://www.fmtc.co/get-started/

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As always, a dedicated team is here to assist you! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact your account manager or email us at [email protected]. 

Curious about other FMTC technologies? Find more information on FMTC’s tools in Tech Corner:

• FMTC Tech Corner: New Incremental
• FMTC Tech Corner: API v3
• FMTC Tech Corner: Metadata