Sammie Ellard-King
I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it.
In this article, I will discuss the best affiliate programs available in the UK for 2023. I describe what an affiliate program is and how it works.
I have been using affiliate marketing to grow my earnings to over £10,000 a month using affiliate marketing.
In many cases, joining an affiliate program is quick, easy, and free, so if your company hasn’t joined one, you are wasting an opportunity!
Now I will provide you with a list of the best affiliate companies in the UK in 2023, so you can become an affiliate marketer, and start earning.
Top Picks For Best Affiliate Companies UK 2023
|
Editors Pick
|
Best Reporting Dashboard
|
|
4.7
|
4.5
|
|
Over 270,000 different affiliate partners worldwide are easily accessible through Awin's network. Work with some of the best brands across retail, finance, telecoms, travel and more. Top Brands: ASOS, Boots, Etsy, lastminute.com, Jet2.com and more! |
Impact offers creators and publishers the chance to work with some of the worlds top brands. Not only are they one of the best affiliate marketing programs they also help creators land advertising and sponsorship deals too. Top Brands: UBER, Adidas, Revolut, Dyson, HelloFresh |
Over 270,000 different affiliate partners worldwide are easily accessible through Awin's network.
Work with some of the best brands across retail, finance, telecoms, travel and more.
Top Brands: ASOS, Boots, Etsy, lastminute.com, Jet2.com and more!
Impact offers creators and publishers the chance to work with some of the worlds top brands.
Not only are they one of the best affiliate marketing programs they also help creators land advertising and sponsorship deals too.
Top Brands: UBER, Adidas, Revolut, Dyson, HelloFresh
Best for product range – eBay Partner Network
Best for commission structure – Amazon Associates
Best for shopping – CJ Affiliate
Best for flat commission – Shopify Affiliate Program
Best for beginner affiliate marketers – Skimlinks
Table of Contents
What Is An Affiliate Program?
If you want to know what an affiliate program is, you will first need to understand how affiliate marketing works.
Affiliate marketing entails advertising a product or service from another company on your website by including an affiliate link in a piece of content that you have produced, or anywhere else on your website.
Affiliate marketers then earn money each time someone does one or more of the following:
- Clicks on the link
- Purchases a product or service on the website after clicking on the link
- Signs up for a free trial on the website after clicking on the link
- Downloads an app after clicking on the link
An affiliate marketing program is essentially a program that your business can join that requires you to place affiliate links on your website.
These links direct the user back to the other company in exchange for a commission fee.
Listen To This Podcast 🎙️
Join us with Jason Mills as he shows us how he’s grown his portfolio to bring in 40K A MONTH from affiliate marketing!
We discuss how to do it, his steps and processes plus a whole lot more!
Get the full episode with Jason Mills here or hit the play button just below.
List Of Best Affiliate Programs
Now that you know what an affiliate program is, you’ll probably be interested in joining one.
Below, we will provide you with a list of companies that offer the best affiliate programs.
1. Awin - Best For Range of Programs
Having secured the title of Publishers’ Choice of Network at the Performance Marketing Awards 14 times in a span of 16 years, Awin stands out as not only one of the world’s premier affiliate networks but also among the most esteemed.
Formerly known as Affiliate Window and Zanox, Awin is a part of a more extensive network which also incorporates giants like ShareASale and Affilinet.
Over 270,000 different affiliate partners worldwide are easily accessible through Awin's network.
Work with some of the best brands across retail, finance, telecoms, travel and more.
Top Brands: ASOS, Boots, Etsy, lastminute.com, Jet2.com and more!
In 2022 alone, this robust group dispensed commissions totaling £920 million and boasts a community of over 241,000 engaged publishers. Impressively, this number grows daily by 260 affiliates.
Awin offers a diverse range of advertisers, tallying up to 21,200, spread across an array of B2B and B2C sectors.
From finance and fashion to tech and web services, they cater to a broad audience. The platform isn’t only dedicated to traditional publishers.
It welcomes everyone from vloggers, bloggers, and social media enthusiasts to large-scale media houses. One unique aspect of Awin is its tailored program for influencers. They champion a “payment on influence” scheme where a consistent commission is ensured for sales, irrespective of whether the influencer was the last click point or not.
Support doesn’t end there. Awin’s commitment to its affiliates is evident in their publisher success team. This dedicated crew assists in enhancing affiliate marketer performance, ensuring they make the most of Awin’s myriad tools and solutions.
eBay Partner Network
The eBay Partner Network is one of the best affiliate networks for affiliate marketers. This is because you can buy nearly anything you can imagine on eBay.
So, you will almost always be able to link back to a relevant eBay product on your website.
The commission structure ranges between 1% and 5% and will be based on the products that you link to on your site.
This commission is not linked to the price of the product, as it is based on the amount of profit that the affiliate network earns from a sale.
As a partner, your commission will be paid to you via direct deposit or PayPal once you have earned £10 or more.
This payment will usually arrive on the 10th of the month. eBay also offers affiliate support to help affiliate partners promote their products, as it benefits both eBay and the partner.
Link: eBayPartner Network
Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is one of the oldest and largest affiliate marketing programs in the world.
It is highly regarded for many of the same reasons that eBay’s affiliate marketing network is, as Amazon has a massive range of products to link back to as well.
The commission offered by the Amazon Associates affiliate network ranges from between 1% and 20% based on what the product is.
However, marketers don’t only earn a commission for the product they are advertising. They’re also able to earn money on other qualifying purchases in the same category.
Like eBay and some other affiliate networks, Amazon will only pay you once you have earned £10 or more. You will also only receive the money you make in a month 60 days after that month ends.
This can be a big drawback as many other affiliate marketing networks pay much sooner.
Amazon offers affiliate support and affiliate marketing tools that help marketers advertise and link to its products.
Link: Amazon Associates
CJ Affiliate
CJ stands for Commission Junction, and the CJ Affiliate network certainly lives up to its name, as it pays out over £1.5 billion in commission fees to partners each year.
The network offers partners a huge range of programmes to choose from, such as Domino’s, Sainsbury’s, and Argos.
Unfortunately, you will need to apply for each program individually on the network, and your application can be rejected without the program providing a reason.
The commission structure will vary widely, depending on the affiliate programs you are partnered with.
CJ will normally pay you the commission you earn in a month on the 15th of the next month.
One of the drawbacks of this network is that if you don’t use your account for a while, it could get marked as dormant.
This means you will need to reapply for the affiliate programs you signed up for.
Link: CJ Affiliate
Shopify Affiliate Program
The Shopify Program can be incredibly lucrative for partners. The program pays its partners a whopping 100% commission the first two times someone signs up for a subscription plan using a partner’s link.
Shopify’s affiliate support is also excellent, as the resources offered help partners improve both their conversions and their own content to increase conversions.
These resources include pre-made lead magnets, an affiliate performance dashboard, and much more.
After the initial payment structure, partners earn a flat rate of £125 per sale. Commission fees are paid out to partners via Paypal or direct deposit, and partners can choose to receive these payments twice per week.
However, partners will need to earn £10 or more in order to receive payments.
Link: Shopify Affiliate Program
Also check out our best side hustles for Shopify.
Skimlinks
Skimlinks differs from the affiliate networks listed above, as it gives you access to all of the advertisers on its network.
This will save you a lot of time, as you won’t need to individually apply for each program.
There is no set commission structure, as your commission rate will depend on the advertisers you include on your site.
However, Skimlinks is known for striking deals with merchants to get better commission rates for its partners.
Unfortunately, all of these benefits come at a cost, as Skimlinks takes a 25% cut of your earnings.
It also takes three months for your earnings to end up in your bank account, which is much longer than many other affiliate networks.
While this cut is rather hefty, it will be worth it for some beginner affiliate marketers, as Skimlinks will do all of the heavy lifting for you.
Link: Skimlinks
Where To Look For The Best Affiliate Companies?
The best affiliate program or network for your company will vary depending on the niche your website is in. If you are new to affiliate marketing, a company like Skimlinks will likely be a great fit.
This is because it provides you with a list of advertisers that you won’t need to individually apply for.
If your website operates in a niche where your content can easily be used to advertise products, you should opt for either eBay or Amazon.
Both companies have a massive number of products on offer to link to, so you’ll easily be able to produce leads.
What Are The Most Profitable Affiliate Companies?
Shopify’s affiliate program is widely considered to be the most lucrative program due to its excellent flat commission rate.
However, if your website regularly produces leads, a program with a percentage structure will likely be more profitable for your site.
For instance, Amazon Associates has a commission structure that can go all the way up to 20% depending on the type of products you link to.
Types of businesses that use affiliate marketing
- E-commerce stores (such as Amazon, eBay, and Shopify merchants)
- Online retailers (such as clothing, beauty, and technology brands)
- Travel companies (such as airlines, hotels, and vacation rental platforms)
- Financial services providers (such as credit card companies and investment firms)
- Software companies (such as SaaS providers and mobile app developers)
- Education and training providers (such as online courses and certification programs)
- Health and wellness companies (such as supplement manufacturers and fitness programs)
- Home and garden retailers (such as furniture and home decor brands)
- Entertainment companies (such as streaming services and music platforms)
- Food and beverage companies (such as meal delivery services and specialty food brands)
There are also many other businesses that use affiliate marketing to bring in products.
Generally people will do this via social media channels like Instagram or Youtube and also via channels like blogging.
FAQs
What are the best affiliate marketing niches?
The most profitable niches tend to be gaming, fashion, technology, and travel. So, if you want to generate leads, you should consider programs in these niches.
Is affiliate marketing legal?
Affiliate marketing is completely legal in the UK, so long as you follow the regulations outlined by the ASA. These regulations include a disclaimer stating that your website has a commercial relationship with the company you are advertising for.
In Closing
Becoming an affiliate marketer and joining an affiliate network can be a great way for you and your website to earn passive income.
So, don’t delay, sign up today!
Share on social media
Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
