> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.impact.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.impact.com/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/getting-started/rakuten-advertising-to-impact.com-partner-migration-faq.md).
# Rakuten Advertising to impact.com: Partner Migration FAQ
Rakuten Advertising and impact.com have formed a strategic partnership, and Rakuten Advertising brands are transitioning to the impact.com platform. This FAQ answers the most common questions you have about creating and linking an impact.com account, what carries over, and how tracking, payments, and reporting work after a brand migrates.
## Getting started with impact.com
Why do I need to create an impact.com account, and what happens if I don't?
When you create and link a new impact.com account to your existing Rakuten Advertising account, your brand relationships, terms, and tracking links are all transitioned automatically—you won't need to rejoin programs, and you won't need to swap links until a later date. The heavy lifting happens behind the scenes.
Does it cost anything to create or maintain my impact.com account?
No. Partners do not pay any platform fees.
What if I don't have an impact.com account yet?
Use the link provided by Rakuten Advertising to create your new impact.com account. Creating your account this way is what automatically transfers over all your existing Rakuten Advertising relationships, so we encourage using it even if you're already familiar with signing up directly. Once the brand's program launches, you can review and modify your contracts inside that new account.
Do I need to fill out any migration forms?
No, there's no need for any migration forms. We'll automatically transfer all your existing Rakuten Advertising partnerships into your impact.com account.
How long does new partner onboarding take?
It depends on your path. If you're linking your Rakuten Advertising account via Rakuten's link, setup is the same day. Applying to impact.com directly can take a couple of business days for approval. Payout details aren't required to finish setup, but you'll need to add them before we can issue any payments.
What if a feature I rely on in Rakuten Advertising isn't available on impact.com?
We've reviewed functional capabilities across both platforms, and coverage is generally equivalent, though some features may look or work slightly differently. If something you rely on is missing, [contact support](https://app.impact.com/secure/mediapartner/support/customer-support-portal-flow.ihtm), and we'll investigate.
## Your data, history, & tracking links
What account details copy over during the migration?
We automatically copy over your primary user details, media properties, and brand relationships. Your existing tracking links are redirected to impact.com and your partnership is not interrupted. For security reasons, you'll need to manually add your banking and payment info once you log in—see [Withdraw Funds to Your Bank Account](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/finance/payments-withdrawals-and-balance/withdraw-funds-to-your-bank-account.md).
Do I need to update my existing Rakuten Advertising tracking links, or will they redirect automatically?
All of your existing links will automatically redirect via impact.com. This redirect remains in effect for at least a year post-transition. We encourage you to replace links with impact.com links, but you have time to do this.
Do I need new tracking links to keep promoting the brand?
Not immediately. Provided you link your accounts, you can continue tracking activity through your existing Rakuten Advertising links for a period of time, so your current promotions won't break. All your offers and links will be available on impact.com, and you can grab your new links whenever you're ready (or when the brand asks you to swap them out).
I use different SIDs in Rakuten Advertising for different audiences. How does impact.com handle this?
To track different audiences, campaigns, or properties, you'll use our `sub_id` or `shared_id` parameters. [Learn how these parameters work](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/tracking/tracking-links/link-parameters/sub-id-and-shared-id-parameters-explained-for-partners.md). We also offer payout groups, which let you earn different commission rates based on the specific media properties, locations, or links you use.
Does my Rakuten Advertising u1 value carry over to impact.com?
Yes. Rakuten Advertising's `u1` field automatically maps to impact.com's `subId1`, even while you're still using Rakuten Advertising links during the transition.
What happens to referrals or clicks that were already in progress when a brand migrates?
Any valid, pending referral carries over. You won't lose credit for activity that was already in flight. For example, if someone clicks your Rakuten Advertising link the day before a brand migrates and completes a purchase the next day, you'll still get credit as long as the sale falls within that program's agreed click/lookback window.
I'm a CSS (Comparison Shopping Service) partner — does impact.com have links I can use?
Yes. impact.com offers a direct-linking solution for CSS partners, but it only becomes available once a brand completes native integration with impact.com's tracking. Brands will notify affected partners as soon as that's ready.
## Linking your accounts
How do I link my Rakuten Advertising account to my impact.com account?
Sign in to your existing impact.com account using the link you received from Rakuten Advertising, and we'll automatically link them together for you.
How will my existing accounts be mapped to impact.com?
We'll work with you to map your existing Rakuten Advertising accounts to your impact.com account. Look for an email from Rakuten Advertising containing a magiclink that lets you link your accounts. Make sure you (or someone on your team) has access to the impact.com account, so you're ready to complete the link when that email arrives.
How do I assign specific brand relationships to different impact.com accounts?
Each Rakuten Advertising SID admin receives a unique linking email, and gets to choose which impact.com account that SID should be tied to.
I'm the admin on my Rakuten Advertising SID, but I don't have a login for our impact.com account. What do I do?
The account-linking magiclink is only sent to your Rakuten Advertising SID's admin contact. If you're not already a user on the impact.com account you want to link to, ask your impact.com admin to add you first, then you'll be able to complete the linking step.
If I manage multiple sites, regions, or business units, do I need to use separate impact.com accounts?
It depends on your setup. Each impact.com account supports one reporting and payout currency, one payout destination, and one time zone. If your business units need different values for any of those, you'll need a separate impact.com account for each.
I have multiple impact.com partner accounts. Which one should I link to my Rakuten Advertising account?
Select the account you'd like to use to promote the brand that has migrated from Rakuten Advertising.
What if I link the wrong impact.com account? Can I change it later?
You can't undo this yourself, but don't worry—[reach out to our support team](/other/reference-documentation/get-help-and-support.md) and they'll reset the link for you.
Can I link my Rakuten Advertising account to more than one impact.com account?
You can link each Rakuten Advertising SID to one impact.com account. You can't link a SID to more than one impact.com account.
The impact.com account I want isn't on the list. How do I link it?
The list only pulls in active accounts registered to the email you used. If your account is missing, double-check that it's currently active and uses the exact same email address. You can also have your impact.com admin add you to the desired account, or forward the link to a user who has access to the impact.com account you'd like to link.
Can I merge or consolidate my impact.com accounts before linking my Rakuten Advertising account?
Yes. Follow this [step-by-step guide](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/account-management/account-settings/how-can-i-merge-my-impactcom-partner-accounts.md) to merge your accounts. Once that's done, come back to finish linking your Rakuten Advertising profile.
Will my commission rates or terms change depending on which impact.com account I link?
No. Your rates and terms are locked in by your specific contract with the brand, so picking a different account won't affect your payouts.
Will my commission rates or deal terms change because a brand is migrating?
No. Migrating platforms isn't what changes your deal. Your existing commercial terms (rates, bonuses, flat fees) carry over to impact.com, and the goal is full continuity. That said, terms are ultimately set by the brand, so it's worth confirming details once a program you work with has migrated.
Will I need to agree to new terms — impact.com's, or the brand's?
If you're already an impact.com partner, you've accepted our platform agreement, so there's nothing new to sign. Your existing Rakuten Advertising brand terms carry over as-is; you'll only need to review and accept something new if the brand actually changes their terms as part of the migration.
## Linking an account & program access
Do I have to rejoin all my Rakuten Advertising brand programs on impact.com?
Not if you link your Rakuten Advertising SID to an impact.com account. When you link or claim your account using the link from Rakuten Advertising, we'll automatically connect you to your existing brands as soon as they launch on impact.com. If you choose not to link your accounts, you'll have to manually apply to each program again and update your tracking links.
Why should I link an account using the link Rakuten provided?
It guarantees no lapse in your partnership: linking creates your contracts automatically, redirects your existing tracking links, and gets you instantly approved into each brand's program instead of waiting days for manual review.
If you don't link, a separate account is created for each of your Rakuten Advertising SIDs, and you'll need to contact each brand directly to have a new contract pushed into the account you actually want to use. You'll also need to switch to impact.com tracking links right away, since the Rakuten Advertising redirect only works for linked accounts. And because we can't merge accounts or performance data after the fact, any activity tied to that separate account — including its payout — stays there permanently.
How will I know when my brand's program goes live on impact.com?
We'll keep you in the loop via email. You'll get reminders in the days running up to the launch, plus a final confirmation on launch day. If multiple brands are launching on the same day, we'll combine those into one email so we don't flood your inbox.
What happens if I fail to link my accounts before the migration?
If you do not link your account, your contracts (offers) may be automatically created in an existing impact.com account owned by your company. If you cannot access that account, you will need to identify the owner of that impact.com account on your team to request access.
What happens if my Rakuten account is at a negative commission balance?
A negative balance won't affect your ability to link accounts. It stays on the Rakuten Advertising platform to be settled there, and your migrated contracts start at a $0 balance on impact.com.
## Payments, reporting, & APIs
How will this affect my pending payouts? Do I need to set up payment and tax details again?
You'll receive communication once your brand has migrated to impact.com. We recommend you set up payment and tax details as soon as possible. See [Withdraw Funds to Your Bank Account](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/finance/payments-withdrawals-and-balance/withdraw-funds-to-your-bank-account.md) for more information.
Where will my commission payments come from after the migration?
Your final commission payouts will reach your Earnings Account. Rakuten Advertising will handle the initial invoicing to the brand, collect the funds, and transfer them securely to impact.com so we can pay you.
Where do I go to pull my tracking links and accept contracts?
You'll receive emails walking you through your next steps once the brand you work with begins to move to impact.com. For a head start, see the Help Center guides on [creating tracking links](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/tracking/tracking-links/create-and-manage-links/create-tracking-links.md) and [contracts](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/working-with-brands/contracts.md).
Where can I find reporting tools and API documentation?
You can explore all available APIs on the [impact.com Integrations Hub](https://integrations.impact.com/). To review your performance data, see [Reporting for partners](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/reporting-for-partners.md).
Can I keep using Rakuten Advertising's APIs, or do I need to switch to impact.com's?
Once the brand goes live on impact.com, impact.com becomes the source of truth for their data. You'll need to transition to and start using impact.com's APIs for those migrated brands.
Will I still be able to log in to my old Rakuten Advertising dashboard?
Rakuten Advertising will send communication about access to your Rakuten account.
How are deduplication, modifications, and cancellations handled around the migration?
Deduplication, modifications, and cancellations are handled as usual by whichever platform is responsible for that action. That's determined by the action date: if it falls before your migration date, it's handled on Rakuten Advertising; if it falls after, it's handled on impact.com.
How are pending claims or transaction inquiries handled after cutover?
Follow the normal process for whichever platform the transaction happened on. If your inquiry is about a transaction from before the migration date, file the claim on Rakuten Advertising. If it's for a sale after the migration date, submit an Action Inquiry on impact.com.
## Related resources
* [Create tracking links](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/tracking/tracking-links/create-and-manage-links/create-tracking-links.md)
* [Contracts](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/working-with-brands/contracts.md)
* [Merge your impact.com partner accounts](/partner/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/account-management/account-settings/how-can-i-merge-my-impactcom-partner-accounts.md)
* [impact.com Integrations Hub](https://integrations.impact.com/)
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