Affiliate programs: 7 options and how to choose for your traffic
Choose an affiliate program based on your audience's needs, permitted traffic sources and payment terms. A high commission alone does not tell you how much you will earn: an order may fail validation, a customer may request a refund, or your chosen promotion channel may be prohibited.
For a travel website, consider Travelpayouts; for product reviews, consider advertisers on Admitad, ePN or Awin; for content about launching websites, consider a hosting program. Amazon Associates may suit an audience that shops at the relevant Amazon store. In every case, first check whether registration and payments are available for your country and participant status.
Terms and official pages were checked on 12 October 2026. Below are seven options to compare. Their order is not an earnings ranking: we have not run comparable tests or obtained data on participants' earnings.
Compare affiliate programs by audience
| Program or network | Content to consider it for | What to check before joining |
|---|---|---|
| Admitad | Reviews and selections of a chosen advertiser's products or services | Approval of your publishing property, permitted traffic, qualifying actions and commission validation |
| Travelpayouts | Itineraries, travel guides and trip planning content | Programs for the relevant destination and links, widgets or APIs available from each brand |
| ePN | Product reviews and comparisons of store offers | Current offers, their geographic coverage, placement rules and reporting detail |
| Timeweb | Guides to building and hosting websites | The Webmaster or Integrator model, eligible services, contract and payment process |
| Amazon Associates | Product reviews for customers of the selected Amazon store | The program for the relevant country, special link rules, affiliate disclosure and payment availability |
| Awin | Content about participating advertisers' products and services | Program approval, action validation terms, payment settings and current integrations |
| ClickBank | Reviews of products from a selected program | Product quality, the CPA or Revenue Share model, and the effect of refunds on commission |
A CPA network brings together different advertisers' programs. A store may allow website reviews while prohibiting certain types of advertising. Read the terms of each offer, even if your publishing property has already been accepted by the network.
What to know about each option
Admitad: publishing properties and advertiser terms
The published Admitad publisher terms link rewards to an agreed action, advertiser confirmation and the specific program's conditions. This document applies to the corresponding legal entity of the platform; check the agreement that applies to your account when registering.
Update dated 12 October 2026: Admitad announced that management of publishing properties has moved to Mitgo ID. New properties are created and verified there, while existing ones were transferred automatically. A website requires a verified domain, and a channel requires a specific channel or group. The platform also describes more detailed information requirements for paid traffic sources. Before submitting a new application, check your property's details against the official announcement.
Travelpayouts: tools for travel content
The official Travelpayouts help page lists affiliate links, widgets, White Label and APIs. Available tools vary between programs and appear on the selected brand's page.
For a travel guide, first check whether an offer fits the destination and booking method you describe. Before adding a widget, assess how it works on a phone and affects page loading. The availability of a tool does not mean it will improve your website's conversion rate.
ePN: product content and click reporting
ePN describes working with website owners, bloggers and other traffic sources, along with reporting on clicks, orders, sales and subid. Check the current catalog for available offers and joining requirements.
A separate subid for each article can help distinguish traffic sources if the selected program supports that tracking. Do not turn an old review's store list into a promotion plan: brands and offer availability can change.
Timeweb: hosting referrals or client management
Timeweb distinguishes two models: Webmaster brings in customers without access to their accounts, while Integrator is designed for centralized management of client accounts. Choose based on whether you only make a recommendation or also provide ongoing service.
The current Webmaster program rules list services eligible for commission. Domain registration and renewal, along with services not listed, are excluded. A promise of commission on every payment is therefore inaccurate. Before placing a link, check the contract, rules for referring new customers and payment methods available to you.
Amazon Associates: a program for a specific market
The Amazon.com Associates agreement describes special affiliate links, payment for qualifying purchases and the requirement to disclose participation clearly. This is a document for Amazon.com; its terms cannot automatically be applied to other Amazon stores.
Start with the market where your audience actually shops. Then check requirements for participants, publishing properties and payments. A brand name alone cannot establish a universal commission rate or a withdrawal method available to everyone.
Awin: what happened to ShareASale
ShareASale closed on 6 October 2025. Presenting it as a separate active platform for new registrations is now inaccurate. The Awin help page recommends reviewing account terms, commissions, product feeds, payment settings and integrations after the move. The document applies to Awin Classic.
If you still have old ShareASale links or plugins, check them against the current dashboard and Awin's instructions. When selecting advertisers now, compare specific programs and the approval requirements for your publishing property.
ClickBank: refunds depend on the commission model
ClickBank explains separately how refunds work for Revenue Share and CPA. With Revenue Share, commission on a refunded sale is revoked; under CPA, the rules for the described scenario allow the affiliate to retain the fixed payment. First establish which model your program uses.
Review the product, sales terms and customer support before recommending it. A large commission percentage does not compensate for a product that fails to meet your audience's expectations or undermines trust in your content.
A terms checklist before placing a link
Save the selected offer's terms and the date you checked them. Complete a record for each candidate:
- Audience and country. Who needs the product, where it can be purchased, and whether you are eligible to participate.
- Publishing property and traffic. Which websites, channels, mailing lists and advertising methods are allowed; whether separate moderation is required.
- Qualifying action. A purchase, lead or another result; which categories and services are excluded.
- Attribution. How the affiliate link is created, which tags are allowed, and how long an action can be attributed to a click.
- Validation and reversals. Who reviews the action, when its status changes, and what happens after a refund or breach of terms.
- Payments. Contract, documents, currency, payout threshold and timing, payment method fees, and your ability to receive funds.
- Placement. Program requirements for affiliate disclosure, text, images and brand use.
If a material point is unclear, ask the program before spending on content or advertising. Legal and tax questions require the rules of your country and specific agreement.
How to evaluate a program on your website
Choose an article where a recommendation helps the reader complete a task: a comparison of suitable tools, a tutorial requiring a service, or a travel guide with a booking option. First verify the landing page and link using a method permitted by the program.
Separate clicks, recorded actions, confirmed commission and actual payouts. These metrics answer different questions. Compare the commission received with the costs of creating and maintaining the content; add advertising costs when using paid traffic. Choose an observation period that accounts for validation and refunds, rather than only the first clicks.
Do not make test purchases through your own link without the program's permission. For example, Timeweb's rules prohibit registering accounts for personal use through your own affiliate program.
Partnering with an IT team for a B2B audience
If your readers are looking for a website or CRM contractor, consider partnering with NBM-IT. Before making a referral, agree how the client is recorded, what event qualifies for commission, how its calculation base is defined and when payment occurs. A universal earnings figure per project cannot be established without these terms.
If your agency sells a project and brings in developers to deliver it, see the agency subcontracting checklist. That involves a different task: agreeing the scope, communication and acceptance process. To develop search traffic for a content website, you can separately discuss SEO promotion; selecting an affiliate program alone does not deliver impressions or visits.
Frequently asked questions
Which affiliate program is best for a beginner?
One where the product suits your audience, your promotion method is permitted, and the process from click to payout is clear. Start with a small number of offers and complete the checklist above. A network's name cannot predict your future earnings.
Can I participate without my own website?
Some platforms describe working with channels and social networks. That does not mean automatic approval: check the selected program's rules and requirements for your specific publishing property.
Why does reporting show commission but no payout yet?
The action may be awaiting validation, the end of a refund period, fulfillment of payment conditions or document checks. Review its status and your program's payment process; a provisional amount should not be treated as income already received.
Sources
- Admitad: publisher terms
- Admitad: publishing properties moved to Mitgo ID, 12 October 2026
- Travelpayouts: affiliate program tools
- ePN: publishing properties and tools
- Timeweb: types of partner programs
- Timeweb: Webmaster program rules
- Amazon.com Associates: operating agreement
- Awin: account checks after the move from ShareASale
- ClickBank: refunds with Revenue Share and CPA
This update corrects ShareASale's status and removes unverified percentages, earnings figures and payout promises. Terms for a specific account or offer may differ from general descriptions; check them before joining.