Enable partners to handle Linked Memberships

Linked Membership is a feature within the VIP Marketplace that allows affiliated organizations to aggregate their purchases across linked VIP accounts, enabling them to achieve a higher discount level while maintaining the ability to manage and purchase licenses separately.

This feature is specifically designed for the following types of organizations:

• Commercial affiliates
• Government agencies
• Primary and secondary education institutions (for example - school districts and state schools)
• Departments with separate budgets and license administration needs

Membership Roles

• Linked Membership Owner: The customer entity that initiates the Linked Membership.
• Linked Membership Member: The affiliate joining a Linked Membership.

Linked Membership Process

The process for setting up a Linked Membership involves several key steps:

1. Reseller collaboration: The reseller works with the VIP Marketplace member to assess whether Linked Membership is appropriate for the member’s organization and its affiliates.

2. Initiate Linked Membership: The reseller initiates the Linked Membership by identifying the Linked Membership Admin. Refer to Initiate a new Linked Membership on the VIP marketplace section below.

3. Review and accept terms: The Linked Membership Admin reviews and accepts the Linked Membership terms & conditions in the Adobe Admin Console.

4. For each potential affiliate:

   1. Generate authorization code: The Linked Membership Admin generates an authorization code and provides it to the VIP Marketplace member’s Admin.
   2. Join the Linked Membership: The VIP Marketplace member’s Admin enters the authorization code in the Adobe Admin Console to join the Linked Membership.
   3. Confirmation: Both the Linked Membership Owner and the Linked Membership Member receive a confirmation email once the affiliate joins the Linked Membership.

   📝 Note: Linked affiliates may qualify for a volume discount either at the time the Linked Membership is created or on each Linked Membership anniversary.

Prerequisites

Before setting up or migrating a Linked Membership, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• Set up Adobe integration, if not done already. Refer to Configure and sell Adobe products for more details.

  📝 Note: Double-check all prerequisites and marketplace settings as specified in this section, even if previously configured.

• Linked Membership is available only to organizations with a combined license quantity of 10 or more.

• The reseller works with the VIP Marketplace member to assess whether Linked Membership is appropriate for the member’s organization and its affiliates.

• The Linked Membership Admin must be migrated first before migrating other affiliates.

  • After the admin is migrated, individual affiliates may migrate at any time. They do not need to migrate simultaneously.
  • Ensure all affiliates are migrated before the Linked Membership anniversary date to ensure their contributions to the combined volume discount are reflected.

• Linked Membership customers cannot opt for 3-Year Commitments (3YC) and Linked Membership at the same time. If a VIP member has both a Linked Membership and a 3-year commitment, they must choose one or the other before migrating to VIP Marketplace. The partner must collaborate with Adobe for this process.

  📝 Note: Ensure that all prerequisites listed above are met before using this capability.

• Obtain the following from Adobe Partner Support, if not already available -

  • Adobe API collection
  • Latest Adobe API documentation

Instructions

Migrate a Linked Membership from VIP to VIPMP

• Ensure all prerequisites are met, specifically:
  • Migrate the Linked Membership Admin first, followed by the affiliates.
  • VIP members with both a Linked Membership and a 3-year commit must choose one or the other before migrating to VIP Marketplace. The partner must work with Adobe on this.
• Follow the general migration process. For more information, refer to Transfer subscriptions from Adobe VIP Program to Adobe VIP Marketplace.

Initiate a new Linked Membership on VIP marketplace

Use the following Adobe API to initiate a new Linked Membership on VIPMP:

Request: PATCH <adobe-base-url>/v3/customers/<customer_account_id>

Request body:

 {
    "linkedMembership":
    {
        "type": "STANDARD",
        "name": "This is the Group Created for 1005516130"
    },
    "companyProfile":
    {
        "companyName": "Test Customer 33a0e0bc-e38f-4b65-a5a2-8ccad6ea0e8",
        "preferredLanguage": "en-US",
        "marketSegment": "COM",
        "marketSubSegments":
        [],
        "address":
        {
            "country": "US",
            "region": "CA",
            "city": "San Jose",
            "addressLine1": "345 Park Ave",
            "addressLine2": "",
            "postalCode": "95110",
            "phoneNumber": ""
        },
        "contacts":
        [
            {
                "firstName": "David",
                "lastName": "John",
                "email": "dave.j+LM-3YC-23@adobetest.com"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Check the status of an existing Linked Membership on VIPMP

Use the following Adobe API to check the status of an existing Linked Membership on VIPMP:

Request: GET <adobe-base-url>/v3/customers/<customer_account_id>

Response Body:

{
    "externalReferenceId": "240715235148492799",
    "customerId": "1005512199",
    "resellerId": "1000250355",
    "status": "1000",
    "companyProfile":
    {
        "companyName": "Test organization for linked membership",
        "preferredLanguage": "en-US",
        "marketSegment": "EDU",
        "marketSubSegments":
        [],
        "address":
        {
            "country": "US",
            "region": "CA",
            "city": "SAN JOSE",
            "addressLine1": "3453 Park Ave",
            "addressLine2": "3453 Park Ave",
            "postalCode": "95110",
            "phoneNumber": ""
        },
        "contacts":
        [
            {
                "firstName": "ABC",
                "lastName": "Corporation",
                "email": "email@domain.com",
                "phoneNumber": "28880-7323-8195"
            }
        ]
    },
    "discounts":
    [
        {
            "offerType": "LICENSE",
            "level": "01"
        }
    ],
    "cotermDate": "2025-07-16",
    "creationDate": "2024-07-15T23:51:49Z",
    "benefits":
    [],
    "globalSalesEnabled": false,
    "linkedMembership":
    {
        "id": "51001315",
        "name": "This is the Group Created for 1005513636",
        "type": "STANDARD",
        "linkedMembershipType": "OWNER",
        "creationDate": "2024-07-17T03:47:35"
    },
    "links":
    {
        "self":
        {
            "uri": "/v3/customers/1005512199",
            "method": "GET",
            "headers":
            []
        }
    }
}

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Have more questions about the Linked Memberships? This section provides answers to some of the commonly asked questions related to Linked Memberships.

How do I add an affiliate to my Linked Membership?
To add an affiliate, the Linked Membership Admin generates an authorization code from the Adobe Admin Console. This code is shared with the VIP Marketplace member’s Admin, who enters the code in the Adobe Admin Console to join the Linked Membership. Both parties receive a confirmation email when the affiliate is added. Each affiliate requires a unique authorization code.

How do I remove an affiliate from my Linked Membership?
Affiliates can be removed through the Adobe Admin Console.

Can a reseller initiate a new Linked Membership on the marketplace?
No, a reseller cannot initiate a new Linked Membership directly from the marketplace. Linked Memberships must be created through the Adobe API, as outlined in the Initiate a new Linked Membership on VIP marketplace section above.