How much does the Amazon affiliate program pay?

Amazon pays a fixed percentage by category. In the US, rates range from 10% for luxury beauty to 1% for grocery and health and personal care, with 4% for apparel, shoes and all other categories. Some items, such as gift cards and alcohol, earn nothing.

How do I get approved for Amazon Associates?

Apply with a site, app or social account that has original content, then refer three qualifying sales within 180 days. Amazon reviews your account after the third sale. If you do not reach three sales in time, the application is closed and you would need to reapply.

How long does the Amazon affiliate cookie last?

The session lasts 24 hours from the click. If the shopper adds an item to their cart during that session, it still counts if they buy it within 89 days of the original click. Clicking another Associate's link ends your session.

Can I use Amazon affiliate links on social media and email?

Social posts are fine if you disclose the relationship. Email and direct messages are only allowed when the recipient asked to receive them. Amazon prohibits links in printed material, ebooks and offline mailings, and it bans link cloaking that hides the Amazon destination.

Do sellers pay for Amazon affiliate commissions?

No. Amazon pays Associates commissions out of its own revenue, not from the seller's payout. Sellers who want to pay creators extra for promoting specific products can use Creator Connections, which is a separate program run inside the seller and brand tools.

Amazon Affiliate Program 2026: Rates, Rules and Payouts

What changed: Amazon's affiliate program pays commission on qualifying purchases from tagged links
When: Updated October 2026
Who it affects: Publishers, creators and the brands whose products they recommend
What to do: Apply, refer 3 sales in 180 days, and add the required disclosure

Key takeaways

US Associates rates run from 0% to 10% by category, with most home and toy items at 3%.
The session lasts 24 hours, and carted items count if bought within 89 days of the click.
For brands, affiliate traffic is free reach that only pays off when listings convert.

US Associates rates by category

Luxury Beauty10%
Kitchen4.5%
Apparel4%
Home and Toys3%
Televisions2%
Grocery1%

Source: Amazon Associates Commission Income Statement, 2026

How the Amazon affiliate program works

You sign up in Associates Central, get a tracking ID and create special links to Amazon products. When a shopper clicks your link and buys within the session, you earn a percentage of the qualifying purchase. You do not need to sell your own products, hold inventory or handle customer service.

Associates is separate from selling on Amazon. Brands and sellers use different tools, such as Amazon Creator Connections and Amazon Attribution, to work with creators and measure outside traffic.

Amazon affiliate commission rates by category

Amazon publishes fixed standard rates in its Commission Income Statement. These are the main US rates:

10%: Luxury Beauty, Luxury Stores Beauty, Amazon Explore
5%: Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade, Digital Videos
4.5%: Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive
4%: Apparel, Shoes, Jewelry, Watches, Luggage, Amazon devices and All Other Categories
3%: Toys, Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden, Pet Products, Beauty, Sports, Baby Products
2.5%: PC and PC Components; 2%: Televisions and Digital Video Games
1%: Grocery, Health and Personal Care, Amazon Fresh, Physical Video Games
0%: Gift Cards, Alcoholic Beverages, Wireless Service Plans and other excluded items

The 24-hour cookie and the 89-day cart rule

Amazon's program policies say a session ends 24 hours after the click, or earlier if the customer places an order or clicks another Associate's link. If the shopper adds a product to their cart during the session, that item still counts if they buy it no later than 89 days after the original click.

Commission applies to the whole qualifying order in the session, not only the product you linked, which is why broad gift guides and comparison pages can earn on items they never mention.

How to join the Amazon affiliate program

Approval is based on real sales, not just the application form.

Have a site, app or social account with original content
Apply in Associates Central and add your tax and payment details
Add the disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Refer three qualifying sales within 180 days of applying
Amazon reviews the account, usually within a day or two after the third sale
Note that a rejected account or Associates ID cannot be reinstated

1Apply
Site with original content
2Disclose
Required Associates statement
3Refer 3 sales
Within 180 days
4Get reviewed
Usually a day or two

Program rules that get accounts closed

Most terminations come from a short list of policy breaches. Amazon can stop paying commission on violations, so read the Operating Agreement and Program Policies before you publish.

Buying through your own links, directly or for resale
Using links in print, ebooks, offline mailings or unsolicited email
Bidding on Amazon trademarks or misspellings in paid search
Showing prices that are not served by Amazon or its APIs
Cloaking or shortening links so the Amazon destination is hidden
Missing or hidden affiliate disclosures

What the affiliate program means for brands

If you sell on Amazon, Associates sites are a large source of outside traffic to your listings. Review sites, deal pages and creators send shoppers to product pages, and that traffic can lift sales velocity and organic rank. You do not pay the Associates commission; Amazon does.

To make your products easy to recommend, keep listings strong (clear titles, good images and reviews), stay in stock and run promotions that publishers can feature. If you want to pay creators directly for content, use Creator Connections, and track your own outside campaigns with Attribution. Our guide to driving external traffic to Amazon covers the options in more detail.

Affiliate program vs Influencer Program vs Creator Connections

Amazon runs several creator programs that overlap. Associates is for any qualifying site or app. The Amazon Influencer Program gives social creators a storefront on Amazon. Creator Connections lets brands offer extra commission to creators for specific campaigns. Most serious creators use more than one, and brands can only influence the third directly.

	Associates	Creator Connections
Open to any qualifying site
Brand chooses the products
Fixed category rates
Brand funds the commission

Brands can only steer Creator Connections directly.

Is the Amazon affiliate program worth it?

For publishers, rates in big categories like home, toys and beauty sit at 3% or lower, so income depends on volume and buying intent. For brands, affiliates are free reach: every review site that ranks your product is a sales channel you did not pay for. The best return comes from listings that convert, because affiliates drop products that send clicks but no orders.

Where PPC Spider helps

PPC Spider works on the selling side of Amazon. Our Amazon account management team improves the listings, stock and ads that make affiliate and creator traffic convert, and SpiderOS watches bids, budgets, search terms and stock every day. Selling cheap goods? See our guide to Amazon Haul. For a quick read on what is holding your conversion back, request a free Amazon audit.

Sources

Amazon Associates: Commission Income Statement (affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GRXPHT8U84RAYDXZ)
Amazon Associates: Program Policies (affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/operating/policies)
Amazon Associates: Operating Agreement (affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/operating/agreement)

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