URL shortener · Bitly
What is a bit.ly link?
Short answer
Not by itself. Bitly is a plain URL shortener: whether the link is affiliate depends entirely on what it expands to.
Check a bit.ly 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 Bitly works
bit.ly hides the destination and counts clicks. It adds no affiliate tracking of its own, which is exactly why creators use it to wrap links that already carry an affiliate tag — the tag survives the redirect, invisible until you expand it.
- A bit.ly link can expand to a plain page, an affiliate link, or another shortener.
- Bitly counts the click for whoever created the link, so click data exists even when no affiliate program is involved.
- Amazon's operating agreement does not allow wrapping Associates links in third-party shorteners, so a bit.ly hiding an amzn.to link is a policy problem for the creator.
The domains Bitly uses
Any of these in an address bar means the same thing. Subdomains count too: the part in front is usually an account number.
- bit.ly
- bitly.com
- j.mp
- bit.do
bit.ly: common questions
Is a bit.ly link an affiliate link?
Only if the URL behind it is. Bitly itself adds no commission tracking — expand the link and look at the parameters on the destination.
How do I see where a bit.ly link goes?
Paste it into the checker above. It follows every redirect and shows the final URL. Bitly also has its own preview: append a + to the short URL.
Is it safe to click short links?
A shortener hides the destination, which is what makes it useful for phishing. Expanding it first is the whole point of a checker.
Other redirects you might be looking at
Or start from the full affiliate link checker, which lists every network and shortener we recognise.