Does YouTube allow affiliate links? The official policy explained

Short answer: yes, YouTube allows affiliate links. They have been explicitly allowed for years, including in video descriptions, pinned comments, and (with extra rules) cards and end-screens. The longer answer is about where they go, what disclosure YouTube requires, and which mistakes get a video removed or a channel demonetized.

This post walks through what the official YouTube policy actually says (current as of 2026), how it intersects with FTC disclosure rules, and the specific things that get creators in trouble. For the broader workflow of running affiliate links on YouTube at scale, see the complete YouTube guide.

Does YouTube allow affiliate links in descriptions?

Yes. Affiliate links in video descriptions are explicitly permitted. The YouTube Community Guidelines and Partner Program policies allow external links of all kinds in descriptions: affiliate, sponsored, personal site, anything as long as the destination itself complies with the Community Guidelines.

What the policy cares about is the destination, not the URL format. A link to a working product page on Amazon, Awin, or any reputable affiliate network is fine. A link to malware, phishing, or content that violates Community Guidelines (regulated substances, weapons, certain adult categories) gets the video removed regardless of whether the link is affiliate or not.

Does YouTube allow affiliate links in pinned comments?

Yes. Pinned comments work the same way as descriptions for link policy. Many creators use the pinned-comment slot specifically for affiliate links because it stays visible above the fold even on mobile, where descriptions collapse to the first 3 lines.

The same disclosure requirements apply: the affiliate relationship must be clearly stated. "[affiliate links below]" or "[ad]" near the links satisfies both YouTube and the FTC Endorsement Guides.

Does YouTube allow affiliate links in cards or end-screens?

Mostly no, with one workaround. YouTube cards and end-screens can only link to "associated websites" (which require verification through YouTube Studio) and other YouTube content. You cannot directly link a card or end-screen to a third-party affiliate URL like Amazon or Awin.

The workaround: verify your own website as an associated website. Then link cards/end-screens to a landing page on your site where the affiliate links live. The card is YouTube-compliant; the affiliate-bearing landing page is yours. This is the only way to use cards for affiliate traffic.

Does YouTube allow affiliate links in Shorts?

Yes, in the description and pinned comment. Shorts descriptions accept links the same way long-form video descriptions do. The challenge is visibility: Shorts viewers tap-and-swipe rapidly and rarely expand the description.

Practical pattern: put the affiliate link in both the description and a pinned comment. Mention "link in description" verbally in the Short itself. Conversion rates on Shorts affiliate links are notably lower than long-form video, but the volume can compensate.

What disclosure does YouTube require for affiliate links?

YouTube requires disclosure of paid promotional content via two parallel mechanisms:

• Paid Promotion checkbox (YouTube Studio → video settings → "this video contains paid promotion"). Required for sponsored content. Affiliate-only relationships are not strictly required to check this box, but checking it adds a "Includes paid promotion" overlay that costs nothing in visibility and protects against ambiguity.
• Visible written/verbal disclosure in the video or description. YouTube's policies reference the FTC framework, so disclosure must be clear, conspicuous, and visible without the viewer having to expand "Show more". On mobile that means the disclosure must be in the first ~3 lines of the description.

The safest practice: open the description with a clear disclosure ("This video includes affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy through them"), then the affiliate links underneath. See the per-platform disclosure templates for copy-paste wording.

What gets affiliate links flagged or removed on YouTube?

Affiliate links themselves are not what get flagged. The destination or the surrounding behavior is. Common triggers:

• Excessive linking (10+ links in a description with no obvious editorial reason). YouTube's spam classifiers can flag descriptions that read like link farms.
• Misleading link descriptions. "Click here to claim free iPhone" pointing to an affiliate URL is treated as deceptive content. The link is not the problem; the false promise is.
• Links to Community-Guidelines-violating destinations. CBD, weapons, adult content, certain supplements. The whole video can be removed for the destination, not just the link.
• Cloaked / unverifiable shorteners. Bit.ly, amzn.to, and your own custom domain are fine. Random-character shorteners associated with spam history can flag the video.
• Cross-channel ladder schemes. Affiliate-link chains where one creator's link routes through another creator's account looking to game commissions. YouTube treats this as platform abuse.

Normal usage (3-10 product links in a review video, with disclosure, pointing at major retail and affiliate-network URLs) does not trigger anything. The flagging behavior is reserved for actually-abusive patterns.

YouTube policy vs FTC rules: which applies?

Both, simultaneously. They overlap but are not identical. YouTube's policy is platform-specific and enforced by YouTube (warnings, demonetization, removal). The FTC's Endorsement Guides are US federal law and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (warnings, fines up to $51,744 per violation, consent decrees).

Most disclosure that satisfies the FTC also satisfies YouTube. Disclosure that satisfies only YouTube's checkbox without visible written disclosure may fail FTC review. For creators with US audiences, design disclosure to satisfy the FTC standard; YouTube compliance is downstream and easier.

Are shortened or cloaked affiliate links allowed on YouTube?

Yes. YouTube treats shortened URLs (bit.ly, amzn.to, go.yourdomain.com) the same as raw URLs for policy purposes. The destination behind the shortener is what matters.

Managed URLs on your own domain are explicitly fine and recommended for YouTube specifically. A managed URL solves the YouTube-specific pain that descriptions can't be edited cheaply once the video has been live for months. When the underlying destination breaks, you update the managed URL's mapping once and every video description keeps working.

The summary

YouTube allows affiliate links. The platform cares about destination safety, not link format. The risks are mostly in how you disclose (or fail to) and which destinations you link to. Get those two right and YouTube policy is not your bottleneck. See the YouTube affiliate links guide for the deeper workflow patterns.