ATLANTA, Jan. 2, 2026 — NIL Club, the leading platform connecting brands with college student-athletes, today announced the upcoming launch of Cashback Deals, a new feature that will enable athletes to earn commissions on purchases made through the platform while giving brands access to NIL Club's network of 650,000+ student-athletes.
The announcement comes with a growing waitlist of major consumer brands eager to launch on the platform, including Ulta Beauty, KIND Snacks, Brooks Running, Liquid I.V., LoveShackFancy, and Tonal, among others.
Expanding Brand Partnerships Through Cashback
The Cashback Deals feature represents a significant expansion of NIL Club's partnership model. Unlike traditional cost-per-action campaigns where athletes promote offers to their followers, Cashback Deals allow athletes themselves to earn rewards on their own purchases. This turns the platform's 650,000 student-athletes into a valuable customer acquisition channel for e-commerce and retail brands.
"College athletes are a highly desirable consumer demographic. They're educated, active, and trend-setting," said Mick Assaf, co-founder of YOKE. "With Cashback Deals, we're giving brands a way to reach this audience directly while rewarding athletes for shopping with partner brands. It's a win-win that unlocks an entirely new category of brand partnerships."
Major Brands on the Waitlist
The feature has already attracted interest from category-leading brands across beauty, fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle verticals:
- Ulta Beauty – The leading beauty retailer in the United States
- KIND Snacks – A top healthy snacking brand
- Brooks Running – Premium athletic footwear for runners
- Liquid I.V. – The category leader in hydration products
- LoveShackFancy – Fashion brand popular with Gen Z consumers
- Tonal – Leading smart home fitness technology
NIL Club expects to onboard over 200 new brand partners through the Cashback Deals program in 2026, significantly expanding the platform's brand roster beyond its existing CPA and UGC campaign offerings.
Seamless Integration with Affiliate Networks
Cashback Deals will integrate with NIL Club's existing affiliate infrastructure, including partnerships with Impact.com, CJ Affiliate, and ShareASale. This allows brands to launch campaigns using their existing tracking and attribution systems, with full visibility into performance and ROI.
"We've built the infrastructure to make this seamless for brands," said Mick Assaf. "Whether a brand wants athletes to promote offers to their followers or to become customers themselves, we can support both models through a single platform."
Launching Q1 2026
The Cashback Deals feature is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2026. Brands interested in joining the waitlist can contact NIL Club at nilclub.com/business.