why are affiliate bonuses sometimes better than direct site offers

been noticing this for a while now - affiliate links throw out bonuses that seem juicier than what you’d get signing up straight through the main page. sometimes it’s higher match percentages, other times they drop in free spins or lower wager requirements. feels backwards if you think about it, since you’d expect the site itself to want to pull in direct players even more.

i kinda get the business side - maybe sites figure affiliates bring in players who stick around, so they cut the partners a bigger slice to attract steady traffic. but for us bonus hunters, it gets confusing. is there ever a catch with these affiliate offers i’m missing? or are they just legit better value all around? anyone actually had problems cashing out from an affiliate promo?