Affiliate cookie window explained: how long you have to earn the commission.
A click on your affiliate link doesn't guarantee a commission. The cookie window is how long the buyer has to convert before the credit drops. Here's how it works, what each major network offers, and what to do when the window is too short.
When someone clicks your affiliate link, the network sets a cookie in their browser. If they buy something within a certain timeframe — the cookie window — you get the commission. After that window, the cookie expires and any subsequent purchase no longer credits you. This is how every affiliate program in existence handles attribution, and the window length varies enormously by network.
Most creators never check the cookie window of the programs they're in. The difference between Amazon's 24-hour window and Awin's 30-day window can be 3-5× more conversions on the same traffic — entirely a function of how long the buyer has to think about the purchase.
How attribution actually works
Last-click attribution is the universal model. The sequence:
- 01Visitor clicks your affiliate link.
- 02Network sets a cookie on the visitor's browser, tagged with your account ID.
- 03Visitor browses, leaves, comes back later (or doesn't).
- 04If they buy within the cookie window AND the cookie hasn't been overwritten by another affiliate's cookie, you get credit.
- 05If they click another affiliate link before buying, the cookie updates, and the new affiliate gets credit (last-click wins).
Two things kill the credit even within the window: (1) the visitor clearing their cookies (or using private browsing), (2) clicking through another affiliate link that overwrites yours. The second is much more common than creators realize — coupon and deals sites are designed to do this at checkout.
Cookie windows by major network
A reference table for the networks most creators encounter. Times are the standard window unless the program-specific terms override.
Amazon Associates: 24 hours
The shortest window in mainstream affiliate marketing. One day from click to buy. Exception: if the visitor adds the item to cart, the "Add-to-Cart" rule extends the window to 90 days as long as the cart isn't emptied. In practice, visitors rarely use add-to-cart on Amazon — they either buy or they leave.
Implication: Amazon works for impulse purchases. It does not work for high-consideration products that buyers research for days before deciding.
Awin: 30 days (default)
Standard 30-day window across most Awin advertisers, though individual programs can set shorter windows (some go down to 1 day for certain sales channels). Always check the specific advertiser's terms in your Awin dashboard.
ShareASale: varies (30-90 days)
Each ShareASale merchant sets their own window. 30 days is common; 60-90 days appears on premium programs. Check each program's details before optimizing your traffic for it.
Impact: program-defined
Impact merchants set their own windows, typically 30-60 days. Some go longer. Check the specific brand's terms.
Commission Junction (CJ): varies
Each advertiser sets their own. 30-day default is typical; 7 days appears for some commodity merchants.
Daisycon: 30 days (typical)
NL/BE network. 30-day window across most advertisers; check each brand for exact terms.
TradeTracker: 30-60 days
NL-based, EU-wide. Most programs are 30 days; premium programs extend to 60.
bol.com Partner: 30 days
NL/BE. Standard 30-day window. Useful for higher-consideration purchases that buyers research before committing.
Coolblue: 30 days
NL/BE direct affiliate program (often via Daisycon for many creators). 30-day window.
Why this matters for your content strategy
Cookie windows determine which products work for which content formats. The math:
Short window (Amazon, 24 hours)
Works for impulse and immediate-buy content: "best [product] under $50," gift guides, deal alerts. Doesn't work for high-consideration content: laptop reviews, mattress comparisons, anything where buyers comparison-shop for days.
Medium window (30 days)
Default for most networks. Works for almost any content type. Long enough for the buyer to research, ask their partner, wait for a paycheck. Short enough that the cookie doesn't collect noise from unrelated browsing.
Long window (60+ days, recurring SaaS)
Premium programs and SaaS recurring affiliate deals are the longest. SaaS deals where you earn a percentage of MRR for the customer's lifetime are essentially infinite-window — the original click triggered the relationship. Best fit for high-consideration B2B content, software tutorials, comparison reviews.
When the window is too short for your content
A high-consideration product on Amazon (24-hour window) is structurally underpaid. The buyer reads your laptop review on Tuesday, thinks about it for a week, buys on the following Tuesday. Your Amazon credit expired six days ago.
Three options:
- Switch to a direct brand affiliate program with a longer window (often 30-90 days for the same product).
- Push the buyer toward immediate action — limited-time deals, "use this code in checkout today," reduce the consideration gap.
- Accept Amazon's short window and optimize for impulse content; use direct programs for considered purchases.
Things that quietly shorten your effective window
Even a 30-day window can be effectively much shorter for a fraction of clicks:
- Browser extensions: Honey, RetailMeNot, and similar fire at checkout, often replacing your cookie with their own.
- Cookie clearing: privacy-conscious users clear cookies regularly. iOS Safari's ITP also restricts third-party cookies aggressively.
- Cross-device flow: visitor clicks on phone, buys on desktop. Different cookie store, no credit.
- <a href="/affiliate-tag-stripping" class="font-medium text-ab-violet underline decoration-ab-violet/30 underline-offset-4 transition-colors hover:decoration-ab-violet">Stripped tags during redirects</a>: the tag never reached the destination, so the cookie was never set. Looks like a cookie-window expiration, but the cookie was never in play.
How to use this practically
For each affiliate program you're in, write down the cookie window and the typical consideration time for the products you promote. If the window is shorter than the consideration time, the program is structurally underpaying you for that content. Switch programs or change content type.
For monitoring: cookie windows don't cause links to "break," but stripped tags do. The window doesn't matter if the cookie was never set in the first place. Verifying your tag survives redirects catches the more common silent failure.
Affiliyo monitors tag survival across every link in your portfolio. If a redirect strips your tag, you know within a day — not three months later when commissions are missing.
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