← All articles · 2026-10-19
Referral code vs affiliate link on Bybit: what traders should know before signing up
Bybit runs two separate introduction programs. Which one your account sits under decides whether a rebate is possible at all, and it cannot be changed later.
Two programs, one decision at sign-up
Bybit has a referral program for ordinary users, who invite friends and receive a small share of their fees, and an affiliate program for partners, who receive a larger commission and get reporting tools and an API over their referred accounts.
From your side both look the same at registration: a code or a link in the sign-up form. But the account is attached permanently to whichever program the code belongs to, and Bybit does not allow changing it afterwards.
Why it matters for rebates
A rebate program like RebateYou is built on the affiliate side. The affiliate API reports, per referred UID and per day, the commission that account generated. That number is what the rebate is calculated from and what the UID check is verified against.
An account that was registered with no code, with a friend's referral code, or with a different affiliate's link does not appear in our affiliate records. The UID check fails, and there is nothing either side can do about it, because Bybit's rules do not permit moving the account.
What to do if you already have an account
If your existing account was registered under our link, you are fine: enter the UID and it verifies. If it was not, the only way to earn rebates is a new account registered through the link. Bybit permits one account per person under its identity rules, so this is a real decision: close the old one or keep it for other purposes, and move your trading to the new one.
Sub-accounts
Sub-accounts belong to their master and inherit its referral. You do not need separate codes for them, and their trading counts toward the master's commission and therefore your rebate.
The short checklist
- Register through the affiliate link, before the first trade.
- Complete identity verification, because payouts are internal transfers.
- Enter the master UID on RebateYou and confirm it verifies.
- Trade. The first credit appears the day after the first fill.