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When a referral actually counts
Direct answer
A credit is not a click. One thing counts: a unique person opens your /r/ link and taps Get my link. Visits, copies, refreshes and taps on your own link from your own browser are all zero. There is no cash prize.
What is the one action that counts?
Your link looks like /r/VIRAL-XXXXXXX. When someone opens it, they see a page with a Get my link button. If that person taps it and they are not you, you get one verified friend for the current week.
That is the whole rule. It is short on purpose, because every extra way to score is another way to cheat.
What does not count?
- Someone opens your link and leaves without tapping.
- You copy the link, or show the QR code, but nobody opens it.
- The same friend taps twice. They count once.
- You open your own link and tap Get my link in the same browser.
- Bots, click farms, VPN pools, or traffic-exchange impressions.
Why are self-taps blocked?
Self-referral is the most common way people try to game any referral program. Referral software vendors describe the same pattern: a user makes a second identity and refers themselves. ViralRefer checks credits on the server and does not count a tap that comes from the same browser as the link owner.
Opening your own link is fine for checking that it works. It just will not move the board. If you share a device with a family member, the safest path is for them to tap from their own phone.
Why are copies and visits not credits?
Copying puts a URL on your clipboard. Nothing has been sent yet. A visit only proves a page loaded, and page loads can be bought by the thousand. A Get my link tap is different because it is a person choosing to start their own race. More detail: copying is not a send and count a skill action, not a hit.
How do I know a friend counted?
Watch the live board on the homepage. After you have a link, you can also turn on Ping me in this browser, which tells you when a friend actually joins, not when someone visits.
Credits are for the current UTC week only. A friend who tapped last week does not count again this week. See when the week resets.
What should I check before I share?
- Is the link your /r/ URL, not just the VIRAL code? Paste the full link.
- Did you send it to a person, not just copy it?
- Will they open it on their own device?
- Did you tell them they need to tap Get my link? Many people only look.
FAQ
If 100 people visit my link, how many credits is that?
Zero, until unique people tap Get my link. Visits are never counted on the board.
Can I tap my own link to test it?
Yes, to check it works. It will not count as a friend.
Does a friend count again if they tap twice?
No. Each unique friend counts once per week.
Do promoter /a/ links follow the same rule?
Yes. A promoter gets tracked credit only when a visitor taps Get my link. Promoter credit is a listing, not cash and not the contest banner.
Related guides and tools
Get my referral link Why visits don't countOfficial rules · Open worldwide, 18+. No purchase necessary. No cash prize.