Amazon Associates Link Rules: What's Allowed in 2026 (and What Closes Accounts)

Amazon Associates accounts rarely get closed for exotic reasons. They get closed for a handful of rules that are written down, ignored, and then enforced without warning: undisclosed links, links on channels Amazon does not know about, links in printed material, prices quoted from memory, and links that hide where they are going.

Below are the rules that matter to a creator, quoted from Amazon’s own program policies where the exact wording matters. This is not legal advice, and Amazon revises these documents regularly — treat this as a map, then read the current text in your own Associates dashboard, because the version in force is the one you agreed to.

Two of these rules are about what a viewer can see in a link, so they are checkable: the affiliate link checker expands any link you have published and shows the redirect chain and the tag exactly as Amazon would see them.

The documents you actually agreed to

There are three, and they overlap: the Operating Agreement, the Program Policies (which the agreement incorporates by reference), and the Participation Requirements. Between them they cover where you may place links, how you must describe your relationship with Amazon, and what content disqualifies you.

They also change. Amazon updates the agreement periodically and continued participation counts as acceptance, which means “it was allowed when I set this up” is not a defence.

Rule 1: disclose, in the words they ask for

Amazon requires Associates to state their participation in the program clearly. The standard formulation Amazon provides is “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”, and it must appear where people see it — not buried at the bottom of a page or after four lines of hashtags.

Separately, the FTC’s endorsement guides require disclosure of the material connection regardless of what Amazon asks. In practice one clear line, placed above the fold of a description, in the visible part of a caption, and spoken aloud in the video, satisfies both.

Rule 2: only on the channels you declared

When you apply, you list the sites, channels, and social accounts you will use. Links placed on a channel Amazon has never seen are outside the agreement, and adding a new channel later means updating that list — a two-minute task in the dashboard that a surprising number of creators never do after their first year.

Social accounts additionally need to meet Amazon’s criteria — public, established, with genuine audience — rather than being spun up to distribute links.

Rule 3: never obscure where the link goes

This is where shorteners get people into trouble. The policy text:

“You will not use a link shortening service, button, hyperlink or other ad placement in a manner that makes it unclear that you are linking to an Amazon Site.”

And, on cloaking:

“You will not cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure the URL of your Site containing Special Links (including by use of Redirecting Links) … such that we cannot reasonably determine the site or application from which a customer clicks through such Special Link to an Amazon Site.”

Read carefully, those are two different prohibitions. The first is about the viewer: they must be able to tell they are heading to Amazon. The second is about Amazon: it must be able to see which of your declared properties the click came from.

A short link that redirects transparently to Amazon, sits next to text saying it goes to Amazon, and carries a visible disclosure satisfies the first. Anything that strips the referring context, disguises the destination, or launders clicks through unrelated domains risks the second. The distinction between shortening, redirecting and cloaking is worth understanding properly — we unpack it here.

Rule 4: nothing offline

“You will not engage in any Promotional Activities in any offline manner, including by using any of our or our affiliates’ trademarks or logos …, any Program Content, or any Special Link in connection with any printed material, ebook, mailing, or any oral solicitation.”

This one catches creators constantly. Business cards, flyers, conference slides, stickers, merch, a printed QR code at a market stall, a downloadable PDF gear list — all of it is off-limits for Amazon affiliate links. If you use QR codes, point them at a page you own rather than directly at Amazon, and keep the Amazon link on that page.

Rule 5: email and DMs, only when solicited

“You may include Special Links in emails, SMS and direct messaging from your social media Sites; provided, that such communications are solicited (i.e., opted into by the receiving customer) …”

A newsletter people subscribed to is fine. A cold outreach campaign, a purchased list, or a mass DM blast is not. The test is whether the recipient asked to hear from you.

Rule 6: do not quote prices from memory

“… your Site may only show prices and availability if: (a) we serve the link in which that price and availability data are displayed, or (b) you obtain Product pricing and availability data via Creators API or PA API.”

Writing “only €129!” next to your affiliate link breaches this, and it is a bad idea anyway: prices move, and a stale price is a promise you cannot keep. Say “check the current price” and let Amazon display it.

Rule 7: the mechanics that surprise people

• The 24-hour window. The standard attribution window from a click is short. A viewer who buys next week earns you nothing, which is why placement at the moment of intent matters more than volume of links.
• The first-180-days requirement. New accounts must generate qualifying sales within their first months or the account is closed and must be re-applied for. Applying before you have an audience wastes the window.
• No self-purchases. Buying through your own links, or arranging for friends and family to, is a closure-grade violation.
• No incentivised clicks. Offering rewards, cashback, or “click my link to support me and get X” crosses into prohibited territory.
• Per-marketplace tags. Each Amazon marketplace is a separate program with a separate tag. A US tag on amazon.de earns nothing — see the OneLink alternatives piece for how creators handle international audiences.

What actually closes accounts

In the reports creators share publicly, closures cluster around a few patterns: no visible disclosure anywhere on the channel; links posted on properties never declared to Amazon; affiliate links in printed material or PDFs; prices quoted in the content; and link setups that make it impossible for Amazon to see the originating channel. Notice that all five are configuration mistakes, not editorial ones — which is good news, because configuration is cheap to fix.

A five-minute self-check

1. Is the standard disclosure visible on every channel where you post Amazon links, above the fold?
2. Does your Associates account list every channel you currently use?
3. Does the text around your links make clear they lead to Amazon?
4. Are there Amazon links in any PDF, slide, printed item, or QR code?
5. Do any of your posts state a price?
6. Do your links carry the right tag for the marketplace they point at?

A “no” anywhere in that list is worth an hour of your time this week.

FAQ

Are URL shorteners allowed in Amazon Associates?

Shortening itself is not prohibited; making the destination unclear is. A short link that redirects straight to Amazon, described in text as an Amazon link, with your disclosure visible, is standard practice — and Amazon’s own amzn.to shortener exists precisely because short Amazon links are normal. The rule you must not break is misleading the viewer or hiding the originating channel from Amazon.

Can I put Amazon links in my newsletter?

Yes, if subscribers opted in. Amazon explicitly permits Special Links in solicited email and messaging. Keep the disclosure in the email itself, not only on the website.

Can I use a QR code that leads to an Amazon product?

Not in offline material — printed flyers, stickers, packaging and stalls are covered by the offline prohibition. On screen, in a video or a livestream, you are in the same territory as any other on-screen link, and the safest structure is a QR code pointing at a page you own that then links to Amazon.

What happens if I get closed by mistake?

Amazon provides an appeal path through the closure email, and appeals do succeed when the violation was inadvertent and you can show it is fixed. Fix the underlying issue before appealing — an appeal that arrives while the violation is still live is a wasted attempt.