Reset Fee

A reset fee allows traders who fail an evaluation phase to restart their challenge purchase at a reduced price -- typically 20--40% of the original challenge cost. Instead of buying an entirely new challenge, the trader pays the reset fee to return to the beginning of the same evaluation tier with fresh parameters (reset drawdown, reset profit target, reset trading days). This creates a lower-friction path for traders to try again, increasing retry rates and generating additional revenue for the prop firm beyond the initial challenge sale.

Reset fees have a significant impact on affiliate economics in prop firm partner programs. They represent a secondary revenue stream that can substantially increase the lifetime value of a referred trader. A single referred trader might purchase one challenge and then pay for three or four resets before either passing or moving on. Whether affiliates earn commission on reset fees -- and at what rate -- varies by program. Some firms pay the same CPA percentage on resets as on first-time purchases, while others offer a reduced commission or exclude resets from affiliate payouts entirely.

For operators, reset fee pricing and attribution rules require careful consideration. The reset price must be low enough to encourage retries rather than pushing traders to competitors, but high enough to maintain healthy unit economics. Attribution of resets also raises questions: should the original referring affiliate receive credit for the reset, or should it be treated as a new conversion event open to repeat purchase attribution? The answer affects affiliate satisfaction, program competitiveness, and the accuracy of customer acquisition cost calculations.