What is Pin Submit? Mobile Carrier Billing Offers

Pin submit is a type of CPA offer where the user subscribes to a mobile service by entering a PIN code sent to their phone via SMS. The subscription cost is charged directly to the user's mobile carrier bill — no credit card, no bank account, no payment form. Pin submit offers use carrier billing (also called direct carrier billing or DCB) as the payment method and are especially popular in international markets where credit card penetration is low.

Why Pin Submit Matters

Pin submit offers are significant in the affiliate industry for several reasons:

• Massive global reach — Carrier billing works for anyone with a mobile phone and a carrier plan. According to Business of Apps, in developing markets where billions of people lack credit cards, carrier billing is often the only viable payment method for digital services.
• High conversion rates — The conversion flow is simple: see offer, enter phone number, receive PIN, enter PIN. No lengthy forms, no payment details. This simplicity produces high conversion rates.
• Instant revenue — Conversions are confirmed in real-time as soon as the PIN is submitted. No waiting for payment processing or chargeback windows.
• Recurring revenue potential — Most pin submit offers are subscriptions (daily or weekly), so the advertiser generates ongoing revenue from each converted user.

How Pin Submit Works

1. The user sees the offer — Typically through a mobile ad, push notification, or SmartLink. The offer might be for mobile games, streaming content, wallpapers, horoscopes, or utility services.
2. The user enters their phone number — Or in some flows, the carrier automatically detects the phone number from the mobile connection (called "click flow" or "1-click flow").
3. A PIN is sent via SMS — The carrier sends a unique PIN code to the user's phone.
4. The user enters the PIN — They type the PIN on the offer page to confirm their subscription.
5. The subscription activates — The charge appears on the user's next carrier bill. Typical charges are $0.50-$5.00 per day or per week.
6. The publisher earns the CPA payout — The CPA network fires a postback and credits the publisher's account.

Pin Submit Flow Types

Flow Type	Steps for User	Conversion Rate	Typical Payout
1-click (MO flow)	User clicks one button to subscribe (carrier detects number)	Highest	$0.20 – $1.00
2-click	User clicks to initiate, then confirms on a second screen	High	$0.30 – $2.00
Pin submit (MT flow)	User enters phone number, receives PIN via SMS, enters PIN	Medium	$0.50 – $5.00
Credit card + PIN	User enters payment info plus PIN verification	Low	$5.00 – $20.00

The naming convention can be confusing: "pin submit" is sometimes used broadly to refer to all carrier billing offers, and sometimes specifically to the flow where users manually enter a PIN. Check offer details for the exact flow.

Popular Pin Submit Geos and Payouts

Region	Example Countries	Typical CPA Range	Carrier Billing Adoption
Southeast Asia	Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines	$0.30 – $2.00	Very high
Middle East / North Africa	Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morocco	$0.50 – $3.00	High
Latin America	Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina	$0.30 – $2.50	High
Sub-Saharan Africa	South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya	$0.20 – $1.50	Very high
Eastern Europe	Poland, Romania, Hungary	$0.50 – $3.00	Moderate
Western Europe	Spain, Italy, France, UK	$1.00 – $5.00	Moderate (more regulated)

Traffic Sources for Pin Submit

• Push notifications — The most popular traffic source for pin submit. Low CPC, high volume, mobile-native.
• Pop/redirect traffic — Cheap, high-volume traffic that works well for carrier billing offers.
• Social media ads — Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram ads targeting mobile users in specific geos.
• In-app advertising — Ads displayed within mobile apps that redirect to carrier billing pages.
• SmartLinks — SmartLinks that automatically route mobile users to the best pin submit offer for their carrier and geo.

Important Considerations

Carrier and Regulatory Compliance

Pin submit offers are heavily regulated in many countries. Carriers have strict rules about user consent, clear pricing disclosure, and cancellation processes. In the United States, the FTC's consumer protection guidelines require clear and conspicuous disclosure of all subscription terms and pricing before a user is charged. Violating these rules can result in offer shutdowns, publisher bans, and legal consequences. Always work with reputable networks and ensure your promotional methods comply with local regulations.

Carrier-Specific Targeting

Not all carriers support carrier billing, and offers are often specific to certain carriers. A pin submit offer might work on Vodafone and Orange in Egypt but not on Etisalat. SmartLinks handle this routing automatically, but if you're running direct offers, verify carrier compatibility.

WiFi vs. Cellular

Some pin submit flows (especially 1-click) require the user to be on a cellular connection so the carrier can identify them automatically. Users on WiFi may need to enter their phone number manually or may not be able to convert at all. This affects targeting strategy — exclude WiFi-only users when possible.

Example: Pin Submit Campaign

Scenario: You run push notification ads targeting mobile users in Thailand for a mobile gaming subscription pin submit offer.

Metric	Value
Daily push notification budget	$50
CPC for push traffic	$0.02
Daily clicks	2,500
Pin submit conversion rate	8%
Daily conversions	200
CPA payout per conversion	$0.60
Daily revenue	$120
Daily profit	$70 (140% ROI)

Related Terms

• CPA (Cost Per Action) — The pricing model pin submit offers use
• SmartLink — Auto-optimizing links commonly used for pin submit traffic
• CPC (Cost Per Click) — Primary cost metric for paid traffic to pin submit offers
• ROI (Return on Investment) — Profitability metric for pin submit campaigns
• Postback Tracking — Required for real-time pin submit conversion tracking