I got tipped once when it first came out that's it a very small $5

You can have affiliate links on your Medium articles though as long as you put in a disclaimer, like with any other blog. I have made a few higher end affiliate sales through Medium now and it's definitely worth adding them if it's on products you truly believe in. As Medium also has the benefit of high domain authority so articles can show up higher in search too.

Medium is way more than just about the partner programme.