Is this an Amazon affiliate link?
An Amazon affiliate link carries tag= followed by an Associates tracking ID, such as tag=yourtag-20. If the tag is on the Amazon page the link opens, the person who made the link can earn from your purchase.
Short links such as amzn.to and a.co hide the tag until they open. Paste one above and we follow it to show the tag, the product and every redirect.
If you add your own tag in the "Your tag" field, every check also tells you whether the link carries your tag or someone else's. Your browser remembers it, and it is sent with each check so we can compare it. See About for what we keep.
Amazon link formats
| Link |
What it is |
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0EXAMPLE1?tag=yourtag-20 |
Product link with an Associates tag |
https://www.amazon.com/Example-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0EXAMPLE1?tag=yourtag-20&linkCode=ll1 |
The same link with the product name in the path |
https://amzn.to/4xExmpl |
Short link from SiteStripe. The tag shows once it opens |
https://a.co/d/9ExAmPl |
Share link from the Amazon app. Often carries no tag |
https://amzn.eu/d/3ExAmPl |
Short link for European Amazon stores |
These are the parts we look for:
| Parameter |
What it means |
tag |
Your Associates tracking ID. This is the part that earns |
ascsubtag |
A sub-tag some publishers add to track which page sent the click |
linkCode, linkId |
How the link was made, such as SiteStripe or a text link |
ref, ref_ |
Amazon's own navigation labels. Not affiliate tracking |
th, psc |
Product variation choices |
Tag endings and stores
Associates tags usually end in a two-digit number that matches the store. These are conventions, so a mismatch is a reason to look closer.
| Ending |
Usually seen on |
-20 |
amazon.com, amazon.ca and other stores in the Americas |
-21 |
amazon.co.uk and most European stores |
-22 |
amazon.co.jp and amazon.com.au |
Where to find your tracking ID
Sign in to Amazon Associates Central for the store you joined. Your tracking IDs are listed under Manage Tracking IDs in the account menu. Each Amazon store has its own Associates account, so a UK tag and a US tag are separate.
When you are signed in to Associates, the SiteStripe bar at the top of Amazon pages makes links with your tag already in them.
What this checker can and cannot tell you
We can tell you:
- whether a tag is present and spelled as a tag (
tag=, not Tag= or an encoded copy)
- whether its ending fits the Amazon store the link goes to
- whether the tag survives every redirect to the final Amazon page
- whether the link carries the tag you typed in "Your tag"
We cannot tell you whether a tag is real, whose account it belongs to, or whether that account is active. Amazon shows the same page for any tag, including a made-up one. To confirm a tag is yours and working, use the Link Checker in Associates Central.
Some links send visitors to their own country's Amazon store with a different tag, for example through OneLink. We follow the link from one place, so a visitor in another country may land on another store.
Common problems and fixes
Tag dropped on a redirect. A plugin, link shortener or http to https redirect can strip everything after the ?. The hop where the tag disappears is marked in red. Link straight to the Amazon URL, or fix the redirect so it keeps the query string.
Wrong store for the tag. A tag ending in -21 on an amazon.com link usually means the tag belongs to a UK or European account. Make the link from the Associates account for the store it points to.
No tag at all. Links copied from the address bar or the app's share button often carry no tag. Make the link with SiteStripe while signed in to Associates.
Someone else's tag. If the link was made while signed in to another account, or copied from another site, it carries that tag. Type your tag in "Your tag" to catch this on every check.
Amazon did not answer. Amazon sometimes shows a bot check instead of the page. The answer then reads Unknown. That says nothing about your link. Open it in your browser to confirm.
Common questions
How can I tell if an Amazon link is an affiliate link?
Look for tag= in the link. If you see it, the link carries an Associates tag. Short links such as amzn.to hide the tag, so paste them above and we open them for you.
Can you tell me if my Amazon tag is working?
We can tell you the tag is present, well formed, on the right store, and still there on the final Amazon page. Only Amazon can confirm the tag belongs to an active account. Use the Link Checker in Associates Central for that.
Can you tell me whose tag is on a link?
No. Amazon does not publish which account owns a tag. You can see the tag itself, but not the person behind it.
Do amzn.to links keep my tag?
They do when you make them with SiteStripe while signed in to Associates. Paste the short link here to see the tag on the page it opens.
Why does the checker warn about my tag's ending?
Tag endings usually match a store, such as -20 for amazon.com and -21 for amazon.co.uk. A mismatch often means the link points to a store your account was not made for. Check that the tag comes from the Associates account for that store.
Does checking my link count as a click?
It can. We read the link first without visiting it. The live check then follows it once, and Amazon may count that as one click. We reuse the result for an hour so the same link is not visited twice.
Does an affiliate link change the price I pay?
No. The price on Amazon is the same with or without a tag.
