Merchant program · Amazon
What is an amzn.to link?
Short answer
Almost always yes: amzn.to links are produced by Amazon's SiteStripe tool and carry the creator's Associates tag.
Check an amzn.to link
Paste it below. We follow every redirect server-side and show the destination, the network and every parameter — without opening anything in your browser.
How Amazon Associates works
amzn.to is Amazon's own short domain, handed out by SiteStripe — the bar that appears on Amazon when you are logged into an Associates account. Following the redirect reveals a normal Amazon product URL with a tag parameter appended, and that tag is the creator's Associates tracking ID.
- The tag parameter is the Associates tracking ID: it is what credits a sale to a specific creator, or to one of their tracking IDs.
- ascsubtag is an optional sub-identifier creators use to tell placements apart — one video versus another.
- a.co is Amazon's general-purpose shortener and shows up on plain product shares too, so an a.co link is not affiliate by definition. Expand it and look for tag.
- Amazon requires an affiliate disclosure on every placement, and its operating agreement forbids hiding Associates links behind a third-party shortener.
The domains Amazon Associates uses
Any of these in an address bar means the same thing. Subdomains count too: the part in front is usually an account number.
- amzn.to
- amzn.eu
- amzn.asia
- a.co
The parameters to look for
- tag
- ascsubtag
- linkCode
- linkId
- creativeASIN
- ref_
| Parameter | What it does |
|---|---|
| tag | Amazon Associates tracking ID — the account credited for a purchase. |
amzn.to: common questions
Does every amzn.to link contain an affiliate tag?
Not by definition, but in practice nearly always. SiteStripe generates amzn.to links inside a logged-in Associates session, so the tag is attached at creation. Expand the link and read the tag parameter to be sure.
Is it safe to click an amzn.to link?
The domain belongs to Amazon, so it can only send you to an Amazon property. The thing worth knowing is that whoever shared it may earn a commission on what you buy.
Can I see whose tag is on the link?
You see the tag string itself, for example creator-21. Amazon does not publish who owns which tag, so the string identifies the account without naming its owner.
Other redirects you might be looking at
Or start from the full affiliate link checker, which lists every network and shortener we recognise.