Collabstr
Billo
Insense
Amazon Live
Whatnot
YouTube
Snapchat
TikTok
Taboola
Google AdSense
Adsterra
Medium
Hashnode
Steemit
Ko-fi
Substack
GumroadCompiled with AI-assisted research from the official pages and studies listed at the end. Earnings vary widely — the figures show what is typical, not what is guaranteed. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Tip: not every platform here accepts people in every country. Check which ones you can join with your country and age before you sign up anywhere.
Affiliate links pay you a commission when someone clicks your link and buys, from 0% to 10% at Amazon depending on the product category. You need somewhere people already read or watch you, such as a website, YouTube channel or social account, because you only earn when your content leads to a purchase. Surveys of creators show most earn little in their first year, so plan for a slow build rather than quick cash.
How affiliate links work
- You join a program, either a single store like
Amazon Associates or a network like 
Awin that connects you to thousands of brands. - The program gives you links that carry your personal tracking ID.
- A reader clicks your link and a tracking window starts. At Amazon, anything they add to their cart within 24 hours counts, and it still pays if they order before the cart expires, usually after 90 days. On
eBay Partner Network the purchase must happen within 24 hours of the click. - The merchant confirms the sale. Amazon credits commission only after the customer has paid and accepted delivery, so returns and cancellations come off your total.
- Once your balance passes the payment threshold, the program pays you on its schedule.
The numbers that matter are the commission rate, the tracking window, the payment threshold and the payment delay. A high rate with a 24-hour window can earn less than a lower rate with a long one.
How to choose where to start
- Skills: you need to create content people search for or follow, such as product comparisons, tutorials, reviews and gift guides. Writing and SEO suit a website, while filming suits YouTube or TikTok.
- Startup cost: joining every program below is free. Your real costs are a domain and hosting for a website, or a phone and your time for video.
- Time to first payment: Amazon pays about 60 days after the end of the month you earned in, so a January sale is paid in late March. New Amazon accounts also need three qualifying sales before they are fully reviewed (details below).
- Where you live: Amazon pays international Associates by bank transfer using IBAN and BIC details, and waives its check fee for addresses outside the US.
CJ Affiliate pays in more than 150 currencies and through 
Payoneer, and 
impact.com pays to a bank account or PayPal.
Amazon Associates in detail
Commission rates (US store)
Amazon advertises "up to 10%" commission. The rate depends on what the customer buys, not on what you linked to. These are Amazon's published standard rates as of September 2026:
| Product category | Commission |
|---|---|
| Luxury Beauty, Luxury Stores Beauty, Amazon Explore | 10% |
| Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade, Digital Videos | 5% |
| Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive | 4.5% |
| Apparel, Shoes, Jewelry, Watches, Luggage, Amazon devices (Echo, Kindle, Fire TV, Ring) | 4% |
| All other categories | 4% |
| Toys, Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden, Pets, Beauty, Sports, Outdoors, Tools, Baby | 3% |
| PC, PC Components, DVD and Blu-Ray | 2.5% |
| Televisions, Digital Video Games | 2% |
| Grocery, Health and Personal Care, Physical Video Games and Consoles, Amazon Fresh | 1% |
| Gift Cards, Alcohol, Wireless Service Plans, Kindle subscriptions, Amazon Appstore and a few others | 0% |
To make that concrete, a $40 kitchen item earns $1.80. Earning $100 a month at that rate takes about 56 such orders.
The rule for new accounts
You can start linking as soon as you sign up, but Amazon only reviews your application after you refer at least three qualifying sales within the first 180 days. The review checks every site you listed. Websites need original, publicly available content that has been updated within the last 60 days, and social accounts must meet follower requirements. Amazon states that it cannot reassess an application once it has been rejected, so have real content live before you apply rather than after.
How you get paid
| Method | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct deposit (bank transfer) | $10 | The threshold cannot be changed |
| Amazon gift card | $10 | The threshold cannot be changed |
| Check | $100 | $15 processing fee, waived if your address is outside the US |
Payments go out about 60 days after the end of each month, and only once your tax information is on file.
What is and is not allowed
Allowed: links on your own website, approved mobile apps and social media accounts, and in emails or text messages that readers opted in to. Every page with links must carry the disclosure "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
Not allowed under the Program Policies:
- Buying through your own links, or asking friends and family to buy through them.
- Offering rewards, rebates, cashback or any other incentive for using your links.
- Putting links in printed materials, mailings or spoken offers.
- Using link shorteners or other methods that hide where a link goes or which page it came from.
- Bidding on "amazon", "Kindle" or other Amazon trademarks in paid search ads.
- Showing Amazon prices you copied by hand. Prices must come through Amazon's Creators API or Product Advertising API.
Other affiliate networks in our directory
Networks put hundreds or thousands of brands behind one login. Each brand usually approves you separately and sets its own rate.
| Network | Best for | Joining | What the network says about payouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awin | Retail, travel and finance brands | "Free to join" (UK page) | 30,000+ brands, paid by SEPA, BACS, ACH or through Payoneer |
| CJ Affiliate | Big-name US and global retailers | Sign up online | Two payouts a month, direct deposit in 150+ currencies |
| impact.com | Direct brand partnerships, including software and apps | Free for partners | $10 minimum withdrawal, to a bank or PayPal |
 Rakuten Advertising | Department stores and fashion | Apply through the publisher sign-up | Terms set per brand |
 ClickBank | Digital products and courses | Free account | Advertises commissions of up to 90% and $7.3 billion paid out since 1999 |
| eBay Partner Network | Deals, collectibles, used goods | Free | Category rates with per-transaction caps, paid around the 10th business day of each month |
 Skimlinks | Sites that link to many different shops | Publisher approval | Converts ordinary links into affiliate links across 48,500 merchants and 50+ networks |
Creators who post on social media can also use storefront programs: the Amazon Influencer Program, 
LTK, 
ShopMy and the 
TikTok Shop affiliate program. Compare all of them on the best affiliate networks list.
Comparison table
| Option | Skills needed | Startup cost | Typical pay | First payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Associates | Content that ranks or gets watched | $0, plus hosting if you run a site | 0-10% by category | About 60 days after month end, $10 minimum |
| Retail networks (Awin, CJ, impact.com, Rakuten) | A focused niche that brands approve | $0 | Brand-set percentage or flat fee | Monthly or twice a month, $10 at impact.com |
| ClickBank | Email lists, direct-response content | $0 | Vendor-set, high percentages on digital goods | On ClickBank's payment schedule |
| eBay Partner Network | Deals and collectibles content | $0 | Category rates with caps | Monthly, around the 10th business day |
| Social storefronts (Amazon Influencer, LTK, TikTok Shop) | Video and an engaged following | $0 | Category or brand-set rates | Program-specific |
What affiliates really earn
No large, independent survey of affiliate-only income with a published sample size could be verified as of September 2026. Treat income screenshots and course sales pages as marketing. The closest credible data comes from creator surveys:
- Linktree 2022 Creator Report (9,576 Linktree users, surveyed in 2021): 46% of full-time creators earned under $1,000 a year and 12% earned over $50,000. Among part-time creators, 68% earned under $1,000 a year. A quarter said most of their income came from a website or blog.
- NeoReach survey, published by Influencer Marketing Hub in 2023 (more than 2,000 creators): 48% earned $15,000 or less a year.
- Princeton study, Mathur, Narayanan and Chetty, 2018 (515,999 YouTube videos and 2,140,462 Pinterest pins): only 0.67% of the videos and 0.85% of the pins contained affiliate links, and only about one in ten pieces of affiliate content included a disclosure.
First steps this week
- Pick one niche where you already use and understand the products, such as cooking gear, camera kit or baby products.
- Set up a single channel, a simple website or a YouTube or TikTok account, and publish three to five genuinely useful comparisons or reviews.
- Apply to Amazon Associates once that content is live, because the 180-day clock starts at sign-up.
- Add the required disclosure near your links and on every page that contains them.
- Complete the tax interview and add payment details, since Amazon will not pay without them.
- Join one network, such as Awin or impact.com, and apply to three brands that fit your niche.
- Track clicks per article and write more about the products that already convert.
What to avoid
- Self-referrals and incentives. Buying through your own links or offering cashback for clicks breaks Amazon's policies and can get your account closed. Amazon only reviews an appeal if you contact it within 5 business days of a closure.
- Hidden or undisclosed links. Link cloaking that hides the destination is banned at Amazon, and the Princeton study shows most affiliate content still lacks disclosures. Disclose plainly on every page and in every video.
- Trademark bidding. Paying for search ads on "amazon" or on a brand's name is usually banned by the program.
- Dormant accounts. Amazon can withhold accrued commissions if an account has no substantial activity for 3 years.
- "Autopilot" income promises. Courses, done-for-you niche sites and ClickBank funnels sold with monthly income claims rarely match the survey figures above.
- Copied content. Amazon requires original content, and scraped or AI-spun product lists risk rejection.
Sources
- Amazon Associates: Standard Commission Income Statement
- Amazon Associates: Program home and FAQ
- Amazon Associates: Application review process
- Amazon Associates: Shopping cart and 24-hour window
- Amazon Associates: Payment methods
- Amazon Associates: Payment threshold settings
- Amazon Associates: Check fee
- Amazon Associates: When will I get paid
- Amazon Associates: Closed account appeals
- Amazon Associates Operating Agreement
- Amazon Associates Program Policies
- Amazon Associates Participation Requirements
- Awin: Publishers
- CJ: Publishers
- impact.com Help: Minimum withdrawal amount and payout methods
- ClickBank: Affiliates
- eBay Partner Network: Rate card
- eBay Partner Network: Payment calendar
- Skimlinks
- Rakuten Advertising: Publishers
- Linktree 2022 Creator Report
- Influencer Marketing Hub: Creator Earnings Benchmark Report 2023
- Mathur, Narayanan and Chetty: An Empirical Study of Affiliate Marketing Disclosures on YouTube and Pinterest