Originally Posted by bisonrav

This isn't accurate. Affiliate marketing sites are given a rebate as a cash value on sales via their sites, and they then use this to design a promotion. In the general case you can get cash via paypal, you can get slightly higher amounts via retailer vouchers which the affiliate site buys at a discount, or some other form of currency like Avios. The responsibility for fulfillment of returns is with the affiliate site, and for the e-store they might buy Avios from IAG Loyalty up front, but Kate Spade won't have purchased anything, they just send a proportion of revenue back to the marketing operation that directed the business to them.

There are a small number of businesses offering Avios for direct sales, I think J P Morgan may be one, AMEX certainly hold Avios. But it's not usual.