Best affiliate programs in the UK right now

Putting down the right foundations as an affiliate marketer can feel overwhelming, but it all starts with choosing the best affiliate program. In a world where side hustles are booming and dropshipping feels hit or miss, affiliate marketing stands out as a smart, scalable way to earn passive income online.

You’ve seen the success stories: creators earning thousands simply by recommending products. But how do you find a legit, high-converting program that actually works for you?

Whether you’re a UK content creator or a startup looking for ways to promote your business, this guide has everything you need.

We’ve done the research, crunched the commission stats and tested what really converts, from big names like Amazon Associates to niche high-paying gems.

Let’s break it all down so you can spend less time guessing, and more time earning.

Seven best affiliate programs

Whether you’re just starting out in the world of affiliate marketing or you’re a seasoned pro looking for a new program, we’ve listed seven of the best affiliate programs in the UK in 2025.

Let’s take a look…

1. Amazon Associates

Commission: 1% – 10% (varies by product category)
Cookie duration: 24 hours
Payment methods: UK bank transfer, Amazon gift card or cheque
Payout threshold: £25 (varies by country and payment method)

Pros and cons

How does it work?

Once you join Amazon Associates you’ll get access to SiteStripe – a tool that lets you create affiliate links directly from any Amazon product page.

When someone clicks your link and makes a purchase within 24 hours, you earn a commission. The twist? You don’t just get paid for the product you recommended, you’ll earn a cut of everything they buy during that session. That means your link to a £10 notebook could still land you a commission on a £1,000 TV. Nice!

Amazon pays monthly, around 60 days after the end of the month in which a sale is made, as long as you’ve hit the minimum threshold.

Who is it best for?

Amazon Associates is a strong pick for:

• Beginner affiliates who want an easy, trusted entry point
• Review and comparison site owners linking to multiple product types
• Content creators in broad niches like home, lifestyle, books, gadgets, parenting or fitness

2. Rakuten

Commission: Varies by advertiser (some as high as 20%)
Cookie duration: Typically 30 – 90 days (depends on merchant)
Payment methods: Bank transfer, PayPal or cheque
Payout threshold: £50 minimum

Pros and cons

How does it work?

Once you join Rakuten, you’ll need to apply to individual merchants within the platform. For example, if you want to promote ASOS or Cult Beauty, you’ll submit a request to partner with their program, each with their own terms, commission rates and creative assets.

After approval, you can generate custom tracking links, access banners and product feeds and monitor performance through Rakuten’s dashboard. Payments are processed monthly, as long as you hit the minimum threshold and your commissions are approved.

One standout feature? Rakuten’s reporting tools are next-level, giving you in-depth insights into clicks, conversions and EPC (earnings per click).

Who is it best for?

Rakuten is a top-tier choice for:

• Experienced affiliates who want access to premium UK and global brands
• Content creators in fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel niches
• Affiliates focused on building long-term partnerships rather than quick wins

3. Clickbank

Commission: Up to 75%
Cookie duration: 60 days
Payment methods: Direct deposit, PayPal, wire transfer or cheque
Payout threshold: £7.50

Pros and cons

How does it work?

ClickBank operates like a giant marketplace for digital products. Once you sign up (no approval process required), you can browse their marketplace by category – from health and fitness to online business, self-help and even niche hobbies.

Each product listing shows its commission percentage, average earnings per sale and affiliate resources, like email swipes or sales funnels. When you find a product that fits your niche, just click “Promote”, and you’ll get a custom affiliate link you can start sharing immediately.

ClickBank tracks all your sales, rebills (for subscription products) and upsells. Payments are processed weekly or bi-weekly, depending on your preferences, and the threshold to get paid is super low, making it perfect for affiliates just starting out.

Who is it best for?

ClickBank is an ideal fit for:

• Email marketers who can push high-converting sales pages
• Affiliates looking for recurring revenue via subscriptions and memberships
• Beginner UK affiliates who want fast access to products without the hassle of brand applications

4. Awin

Commission: Varies by advertiser (some as high as 50%)
Cookie duration: Typically 30 – 90 days (varies by advertiser)
Payment methods: Bank transfer or PayPal
Payout threshold: £20 minimum

Pros and cons

How does it work?

Once you join Awin (sign-up is free), you’ll have access to a huge range of brands across multiple industries, from retail and fashion to travel and finance. The process is straightforward: browse available affiliate programs, apply to join and once accepted, you can start generating affiliate links.

Awin offers a robust dashboard that helps you track your earnings, clicks and conversions, making it easy to optimise your campaigns. Some advertisers offer performance-based incentives, so you might be able to earn even more as you drive higher sales.

Awin’s cookie durations are longer than many competitors, which means you have more time to convert a customer who clicks your link. Plus, the platform provides detailed analytics and reports, giving you the ability to monitor your affiliate strategy with precision.

Who is it best for?

Awin is perfect for:

• Experienced affiliates who want access to well-known brands and a variety of offers
• Affiliates with larger audiences who can benefit from higher commissions and longer cookie durations

5. Shopify

Commission: Up to £1,200 per referral (for Plus plan)
Cookie duration: 30 days
Payment methods: PayPal
Payout threshold: £25 minimum

Pros and cons

How does it work?

Shopify’s affiliate program is simple to get started with: once you sign up and get approved, you’ll gain access to a range of tools and resources to help you promote Shopify effectively.

You can promote Shopify via content marketing, YouTube videos, social media or via your website. Your affiliate link will track anyone who clicks through and signs up for a paid Shopify plan. The more users sign up via your link, the more commissions you earn.

Shopify’s 30-day cookie duration is generous for affiliates, meaning if a customer clicks your link and makes a purchase within 30 days, you’ll receive credit for the sale.

Who is it best for?

Shopify is an excellent choice for:

• Entrepreneurs or content creators focused on business, ecommerce or online selling
• B2B bloggers or YouTubers who talk about starting a business, ecommerce tools or digital entrepreneurship
• Marketers who work in niche ecommerce markets and have access to potential store owners

6. eBay Partner Network

Commission: Tiered – up to 70% of eBay’s revenue on a sale (not product price)
Cookie duration: 24 hours
Payment methods: Bank transfer or PayPal
Payout threshold: £10

Pros and cons

How does it work?

Once you sign up for the eBay Partner Network, you get access to eBay’s affiliate dashboard, where you can search and create affiliate links for any live listing on eBay. It’s incredibly flexible, you can promote individual products, whole categories or eBay deals pages, depending on your content style.

When a user clicks your affiliate link and makes a purchase within 24 hours, you earn a commission. If they add an item to their cart within that time and purchase it within 10 days, you still get credited too!

Commissions are tiered and based on eBay’s revenue, not the item’s total price, which can be a bit tricky at first. For example, you might earn 50 to 70% of what eBay earns from the transaction, so the more niche or high-margin the category, the better.

Who is it best for?

The eBay Partner Network is an excellent fit for:

• Affiliate marketers targeting deal-hunters or price-savvy shoppers
• Niche reviewers who focus on unique products like retro gaming, refurbished tech or antiques

7. Commission Junction (CJ Affiliate)

Commission: Varies by advertiser (can range from 3% – 50%)
Cookie duration: Typically 7 – 30 days (depends on the brand)
Payment methods: Bank transfer or cheque
Payout threshold: £50

Pros and cons

How does it work?

After signing up to CJ Affiliate and getting approved as a publisher, you gain access to an extensive library of affiliate programs across almost every niche, including tech, travel, fashion, finance and software.

You can browse and apply to individual advertisers that match your audience or niche. Once approved, you’ll be able to generate deep links, banners and trackable creatives for those specific brands.

CJ stands out for its deep-linking tools, which let you link directly to individual product pages, a useful feature for blogs, review articles and ecommerce-style content. The tracking is real-time and CJ uses cross-device attribution, helping you get commission even when customers switch devices.

Who’s it best for?

CJ Affiliate is ideal for:

• UK publishers targeting travel, tech, retail or finance audiences
• Content-rich blogs and comparison sites that benefit from deep-linking to specific products or offers
• Marketers looking for data-driven growth – if you love detailed analytics and optimising your funnel, CJ is a great choice

What to look for in affiliate programs

With so many affiliate programs out there, all promising big payouts and easy wins, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But not all programs are created equal and choosing the wrong one can waste your time, energy and audience’s trust.

To help you cut through the noise, here’s a no-fluff checklist of what actually matters when deciding which affiliate program to join.

Whether you’re a beginner or scaling fast, these are the key features that separate the average from the awesome.

• Commission rates
  Look for programs with competitive commission structures, not just flashy numbers. A 10% rate sounds great until you realise the product costs £5. Make sure the earning potential makes sense for your content and audience.
• Niche relevance is everything
  If your content is all about vegan cooking, don’t start promoting gaming keyboards. Your audience (and your credibility) will thank you. The more aligned the product is with your niche, the better your conversions.
• Promote products you trust or use
  It’s 10x easier to promote something you actually know. Audiences can smell fake hype a mile off. Choose programs that let you back brands you believe in.
• Cookie duration = More time to earn
  A longer cookie window means more chances to earn from a click. Some programs give you 24 hours (Amazon), others offer 30 to 90 days or even lifetime cookies. More time = more conversions.
• Solid tracking & dashboards
  Can you actually see what’s working? Great affiliate programs have robust tracking systems so you can monitor clicks, conversions and commission without needing a PhD in analytics.
• Affiliate support & learning resources
  Are you left to fend for yourself or does the program offer tools, training and maybe even an affiliate manager? A good program will help you get better at your craft, not just hand you a link and wave goodbye.
• What do other affiliates say?
  Read reviews, check Reddit threads and dig into forums. If other affiliates are complaining about delayed payments or sketchy tracking, take it as a red flag.

Conclusion: how to choose the right affiliate program for you

At the end of the day, the best affiliate marketing program for you isn’t just the one with the biggest commission, it’s the one that fits you like a glove.

Think about your niche, your audience and how you like to work. Are you after high-ticket items with juicy payouts? Or low-effort, high-trust programs like Amazon that you know work?

Remember to weigh up the cookie durations, payout methods, support resources and how well the products align with your brand.

Start with one or two, test the waters, and build from there. Affiliate marketing isn’t just about links, it’s about value exchange, trust and building something sustainable.

Pick smart, track everything and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Your next big win might just be one affiliate link away.