Jakob Nielsen (user-web usability expert) once wrote an essay titled, "Flash: 99% bad". His gist was that it slowed loading of the page while adding virtually nothing of substance to the user.

He thought Flash worked great for product information -- for example, seeing a sweater in the different colors for which it is available. Or better yet, allowing you to mix-and-match clothing from an online clothes store so you can see how that shirt looks with those pants. Then allowing you to rotate them around on a virtual model so you can see them from the side and back.

But generally speaking, Flash offers little to users of affiliate programs. Usually lots of "zoom zoom zoom!" noises or awful dance music while various nude or scantily clad people float around the screen. Maybe a few bit of promo information about the affiliate program.

It would be far more appropriate for the webmaster to make the same information available to the user in such a way he can easily navigate to find the information without having to watch the boring animation (that he usually tunes out). It's far faster to click on "payout information" than it is to sit through a 30 seconds Flash animation to find out when I'm getting paid.

--Aaron