Curious about how Does Amazon pay to affiliates? Uncover the payment methods and tips to boost your affiliate income effectively!
The Amazon Associates program is one of the world’s largest affiliate networks. It transforms your website, blog, YouTube channel, or social media feed into a revenue stream by letting you earn a commission on products your audience buys after clicking your unique links.
Amazon offers several payout options for its affiliates, including direct deposit, Amazon gift cards, or checks. Payments are issued 60 days after the month when the earnings were made. For example, if you earn commissions in January, you’ll receive your payment at the end of March.
To learn more about the topic, please read on:
What Is the Amazon Associates Program?
Amazon Associates, launched in 1996, allows content creators and publishers to monetize their traffic. You generate special links or banners pointing to any Amazon product, page, or search results. When a visitor clicks your link and makes a qualifying purchase, you earn a percentage of the sale (Amazon.com Associates Central).
Unlike many affiliate schemes, Amazon’s program spans millions of products across dozens of categories. That breadth means you can match your niche—whether tech gadgets, beauty products, home goods, or digital content—to items your audience already loves.
How Affiliate Tracking Works
When someone clicks your Amazon Associate link, Amazon drops a tracking cookie on their browser. This cookie has a default lifespan of 24 hours: buy anything within that day, and you earn commission. If the visitor adds an item to their cart in that window, the commission remains valid until the cart expires, usually up to 90 days (24 hours – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Once the customer finishes the checkout, your commission is recorded. Amazon tracks qualifying purchases, ensuring links work across devices if the user logs in with the same account. If the cookie expires without purchase, you won’t earn commission on later visits—unless they click your link again.
Qualifying Purchases and Commission Crediting
Only purchases made via your Associate link count. Amazon defines a “qualifying purchase” as an order where the item ships and full payment is received. Commission is always based on sale price, not list price. If a customer returns the item, Amazon deducts the refund from your earnings to keep everything balanced (What items qualify for commission income, and … – Amazon Associates).
Why Cookie Duration Matters
A 24-hour cookie demands that you encourage swift action. But the potential 90-day cart hold offers flexibility: if a visitor adds a big-ticket item—say, an electronics bundle—they can mull it over and still complete the purchase later, and you’ll get paid (24 hours – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help). Differentiating these windows helps you craft calls to action that balance urgency and trust.
Commission Structure
Commissions in the Amazon Associates program fall into two main buckets: Standard Commission Income (a percentage of sale) and Special Commission Income (fixed payouts for specific actions).
Standard Commission Rates
Amazon sets fixed commission rates per product category. Here’s a sampling:
- Amazon Games: 20 %
- Luxury Beauty & Amazon Explore: 10 %
- Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade: 5 %
- Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive: 4.5 %
- Home & Garden, Toys, Beauty, Sports: 3 %
- PC Components & DVD/Blu-Ray: 2.5 %
- Grocery, Health & Personal Care, Video Games: 1 %
Gift Cards, Wireless Service Plans: 0 % ([
Amazon.com Associates Central – Help
](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GRXPHT8U84RAYDXZ)).
These rates impact your earnings directly. You might earn $3 on a $100 luxury beauty purchase or $0.50 on a $50 health supplement order. Tailoring your content to higher-commission categories can boost revenue—but always balance with relevance to your audience.
Special Commission Income (Bounty Events)
Amazon runs bounty programs where you earn fixed amounts for actions, not purchases:
- Prime Video Free Trial signup: $2–$3
- Amazon Baby Registry creation + first item: $3
- Amazon Business account registration: $15
Audible Premium Plus free trial registration: $5–$10
These bounties let you tap into high-value promotions. A single registration can pay more than many product sales—perfect for email campaigns or dedicated landing pages.
Commission Income Limitations
Be aware of caps and restrictions:
- Fine Art Products: Up to $200 per sale.
- Free Kindle eBook promotions: No commissions if your site pushes 20,000+ free eBook downloads in a month.
Category exclusions: Some items like alcohol or subscription services pay no commission. ([
Amazon.com Associates Central – Help
](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GRXPHT8U84RAYDXZ)).
Monitoring these limitations keeps your strategy compliant and profitable.
Payment Mechanisms
Knowing exactly when and how you’ll get paid removes uncertainty and helps with cash flow planning.
Payment Schedule
Amazon issues payments approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which commissions were earned. For instance, January earnings arrive at the end of March (What payment methods are available? – Amazon Associates, When Will I Get Paid? – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Payment Methods
You can choose among:
- Direct Deposit (Bank Transfer): Fast and fee-free. Provide bank name, account number, sort/ABA/IBAN code, and account holder name.
- Amazon Gift Certificate: Redeemable on Amazon. Delivered by email. No processing fees.
- Check: Mailed to your address. Subject to a processing fee and longer transit time. (What payment methods are available? – Amazon Associates).
Choosing direct deposit speeds up receipt and avoids postal delays.
Payment Thresholds
Amazon only pays if you meet the minimum threshold:
- $10 for direct deposit or gift certificate.
- $100 for checks.
If your balance is below these amounts, it rolls into the next month until it reaches the threshold ([
Amazon.com Associates Central – Help
](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GJCKWFEECYW25FGJ)).
Tax and Currency Options
Before payment, Amazon requires valid tax information on file. You get paid in the default currency of your Amazon Site (e.g., USD for amazon.com). You may opt to receive payment in a different currency, though Amazon’s conversion rate applies (Amazon Associates Program Policies).
Viewing Payment History
In the “Payments” section of Associates Central, you can:
- Change payment type.
- See processing fees for checks.
- Adjust your personal payment threshold.
- Review payment history and status. (Payments – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Keeping an eye on this section helps you spot issues—or delays—before they become problems.
Reporting and Analytics
A data-driven approach maximizes your affiliate success. Amazon’s reporting tools give you a clear view of performance.
Overview of Reports
Associates Central offers multiple report types:
- Earnings Report: Shows daily earnings and a breakdown by program and bounties.
- Ordered Items Report: Lists all qualifying orders.
- Tracked Items Report: Displays clicks, items shipped, and conversion rates.
- Bounties Report: Details on all bounty event earnings. (Associates Online Reports – Amazon.com Associates Central).
Reports update hourly (orders/bounties) or daily (earnings), keeping you in sync with real-time performance (How To use reports – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Key Metrics to Monitor
- Clicks: How many visitors clicked your links.
- Ordered Items: Products added to carts.
- Shipped Items: Items actually shipped to customers.
- Conversion Rate: Percentage of clicks that become orders.
- Earnings Per Click (EPC): Average earnings per click—your top performance indicator. (How To use reports – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Regularly reviewing these metrics lets you identify high-performing content and underperforming pages.
Custom Date Ranges and Tracking IDs
Filter reports by:
- Date Range: Today, last 7 days, last 90 days, or a custom span.
- Tracking ID: If you use multiple IDs for different campaigns, you can isolate each performance. (How To use reports – Amazon.com Associates Central – Help).
Segmenting your data this way reveals which channel or campaign drives the most revenue.
Tips to Maximize Earnings
Earning more isn’t just about traffic—it’s about smart optimization.
Pick High-Value Products
Focus on products that:
- Match your niche.
- Offer competitive commission rates.
- Have strong demand or seasonal peaks.
Ask yourself: “What item would my audience click on and buy today?” Target those first.
Craft Persuasive Content
- Write genuine product reviews, tutorials, and comparisons.
- Include clear calls to action (“Click here to get today’s deal!”).
- Embed links naturally within helpful context.
Quality content builds trust, leading to higher click-through and conversion rates.
Leverage Special Programs
Promote bounty events—Prime trials, Audible sign ups—alongside product links. A single bounce from a signup bounty can equal many small-ticket commissions.
Optimize for SEO
- Target long-tail keywords (e.g., “best wireless earbuds under $50”).
- Answer search intent: reviews, how-to guides, pros & cons lists.
- Use structured data (ratings, prices) to appear in rich snippets.
Organic traffic compounds over time, fueling passive affiliate income.
Test and Iterate
Use A/B tests on:
- Link placements (header vs. footer).
- Call-to-action phrasing.
- Image vs. text links.
Data from reports will show you what wins—and what needs tweaking.
Scaling with Affpilot AI
Writing and publishing hundreds—or thousands—of Amazon affiliate articles manually can drain your time and energy. That’s where Affpilot AI comes in.
Introducing Affpilot AI – The Best Auto Blogging Tool
Affpilot AI streamlines Amazon affiliate blogging by:
- Automatically crawling product data from Amazon.
- Generating SEO-optimized review articles with your unique affiliate links already embedded.
- Publishing directly to WordPress or Blogger in one click .
Generate and Publish 1,000 Articles in Minutes
Instead of spending hours on a single review:
- Upload a list of ASINs or product keywords.
- Set your preferences—tone, length, keyword focus.
- Click “Write & Publish.”
Affpilot AI writes, formats, and posts up to 1,000 articles with embedded links, freeing you to focus on promotion and strategy .
Benefits of Scale
- Consistent quality: Human-like writing that passes Google’s AI checks.
- SEO focus: Articles optimized for your target keywords.
- Time savings: Turn hours of work into minutes of setup.
A client I coached saw their affiliate earnings double in a month by publishing 200 product reviews they never had time to write—proof that automation paired with strategy wins.
Conclusion
Which payment method suits your workflow? Are you tracking the right metrics?
With Amazon’s robust affiliate program as your foundation—and Affpilot AI as your engine—you have everything needed to turn content into consistent income.
Sign up for Affpilot AI today and automate your affiliate blogging at scale—so you can focus on what matters: growing your revenue.
