Complete Amazon Referral Bonus Guide: Higher Earnings Tips (2025 Update)

Amazon’s dynamic marketplace is not only a choice destination for billions of shoppers every month, it’s also an attractive storefront for sellers. It’s only natural that they would develop various programs to support and incentivize sellers.

The Amazon referral program is one of those programs, and if you don’t know about it, you will want to jump in on this one!

What is the Amazon Referral Bonus?

The Amazon Brand Referral Bonus Program is an incentive program created by Amazon to award Brand Registered Sellers for driving external traffic to the Amazon marketplace.

Who can get an Amazon Referral Bonus?

We cover this point in more details in our eligibility section further down, but just to give you the highlights now: Only Sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry can participate in the Amazon Referral Bonus Program.

How Much Is The Amazon Referral Bonus?

Pay-outs  from the Brand Referral Bonus Program vary by product category and are either a percentage of a product’s Amazon sales price or a minimum amount that also varies by product category (whichever is greater).

The average Amazon Referral Bonus ranges from 5% to 45% based on the category and quantity sold. Amazon often cites an average 10% Brand Referral Bonus (Source). You can find a breakdown of these percentages in the Amazon Seller Central Help Articles (You must be logged into Seller Central to view the link).

Example Referral Bonus Rates for Popular Amazon Product Categories

Knowing how much you can actually earn via Amazon’s referral bonus program is a question we get a lot.  At the time of this writing referral bonus payments for popular categories are as follows (for Amazon US):

• Amazon Device Accessories:  45% referral bonus or $0.30 (whichever is greater). This makes this category the most lucrative one in terms of percentage pay-out.
• Clothing & Accessories: Pay-outs for this category are tired based on the total sales price of items:
  5% for products sold for $15.00
  10% for products for $15.00 to $20.00
  17% for products that sell for more than $20.00 
• Toys & Games, Home & Kitchen and Pet Supplies: For these popular categories Amazon pays a 15% bonus (except for veterinary diet products in the pet supplies category, for which a bonus of 22% is paid. Minimum pay-outs for all three categories are $0.30 per referral.
• Other categories like Electronics, Beauty, Health & Grocery have varying bonus pay-out ranges that range from 8–15%, depending on price.

Another popular category is Furniture. In this category eligible Sellers can earn 5% for the portion of the total sales price for items priced up to $200 and 10% for items that exceed $200 (minimum pay-out is $0.30).

How is the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus Calculated?

To figure out your expected bonus, you just need to take the total of your qualifying sales and multiply that by the minimum bonus rate for your product’s category.

However, keep in mind that the actual bonus you receive might be different. This is because things like shipping costs and whether you offer gift wrapping can change the bonus amount, and these factors can differ from one seller to another.

You can see the exact bonus you’ve earned for your sales in the weekly bonus report provided to you in Seller Central.

The 14‑Day Conversion Attribution Window

Whereas most standard e-commerce referral programs operate on standard 24 hours, last-click conversion window, Amazon is way more generous: Any brand purchase within 14 days of a referral click qualifies for referral bonus. This shows that Amazon really wants to encourage qualifying brands to drive traffic to Amazon. 

How to Enroll in Amazon’s Brand Referral Bonus Program

Are you ready to get your Amazon Brand Referral Bonus? Let’s get you enrolled in the program. The first step is to log into Seller Central, then follow these steps:

From Seller Central, click Brands in the drop-down and select Brand Referral Bonus from the fly-out menu.

Eligible brands will be able to enroll with one click. Otherwise, you will be prompted to enroll in Amazon Attribution.

Once you’re ready to go with Amazon Attribution, create Attribution tags for your products. In order to receive the bonus for your products, they must have Attribution tags.

When you have your tags, create your external advertising campaigns.

That’s it.

Mistakes to Avoid While Enrolling

Naturally, you want to avoid common mistakes during the enrollment process, so here are the key things to watch out for:

• Not Being Part of Amazon Brand Registry – Before you can benefit from the Brand Referral Bonus Program, ensure your brand is enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry. This step is a must for access to the program and the other brand protection tools Amazon offers.
• Not Putting Enough Emphasis on Eligibility Criteria – Amazon is clear about what you need to be eligible to access the Amazon app referral program. Make sure you have all the requirements squared away beforehand to ensure a smooth enrollment process.
• Using Amazon Attribution Incorrectly – Amazon Attribution is essential for tracking the performance of your external marketing efforts and calculating your referral bonus. Incorrect setup or misuse of Amazon Attribution can result in inaccurate tracking and potentially lower bonuses.
• Ignoring Amazon Guidelines and Policies – The guidelines and policies are specific. Know how you can market your products to drive external traffic to your Amazon listing while adhering to these guidelines. Ignoring these factors will disqualify you for the Amazon referral bonus and may also lead to penalties on your Amazon Seller account.
• Not Optimizing Your Marketing Efforts – Driving traffic isn’t enough. You will need a hands-on approach with your campaigns to ensure you are targeting the right audience and using calls-to-action that drive conversions. Poor optimization will lead to disappointing results.
• Not Monitoring Your Performance and Adjusting Your Strategies Accordingly – The Amazon Brand Referral Bonus Program provides valuable data through Amazon Attribution. Failing to regularly review this data and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly can result in missed opportunities to improve your campaigns and increase your bonus.
• Disregarding the Impact of Returns – Remember that returns will affect your referral bonus, as Amazon adjusts bonuses based on net sales (after returns). Make sure you account for your return rates so your expectations are accurate.

Strategies to Maximize Your Amazon Referral Bonus Earnings

Now that you understand how the Amazon Referral Program works, who can enroll and what the pay-out tiers are we get to the most interesting question: How can you maximize your Amazon Referral Bonus Earnings?
Consider that to maximize earnings you need to ideally send high cost-effective (or better free) external traffic to Amazon product listings that have a good blended pay-out considering their sales price, pay-out ratio and conversion rates. Here is a detailed playbook to cash out:

Prioritize Product Categories based on Actual Bonus Pay-out (not Percentage)

As we have outlined in this article, the actual bonus varies by category. And the gaps are massive. Refer to the table we have provided above and analyse bonus pay-out percentage vs average sales prices. So to squeeze the most out of your efforts, strike a balance between high price point and high pay-out ration

Focus Your Efforts on Categories with High Conversion Rates

The next piece of the puzzle are conversion rates: Conversion rate (CVR) determines how much bonus you can generate per click. While exact CVRs vary by brand and listing quality, some categories tend to convert better on Amazon than others (think replenishable Beauty/Health, Pet, or low-consideration Home gadgets) versus high-consideration, spec-heavy electronics. That start driving external traffic to categories with HIGH Pay-out structure AND strong conversion rates 

Piecing it all Together: Amazon Categories Where High Pay-outs Meet Strong Conversion Rates 

When we consider pay-out bonuses, total sales price and conversion rate, not surprisingly the  Amazon Device Accessories categories dominate. Although prices and conversion rates vary significantly within this niche, the whooping 45% pay-out (or at least $0.30) ensures that it tops the table in terms of pay-out potential.

Next in line are Toys & Games, Home & Kitchen, and Pet Supplies (veterinary excluded) with solid 15% rates and relatively healthy conversion rates (10–25%). These categories balance volume and bonus well.

Clothing & Accessories is more nuanced: bonuses scale from 5% to 17% based on price, and their conversion rates (7–12%) are decent, but they can differ massively in a brand dominated category. 

Lastly Electronics, Beauty, Health & Grocery are really a mixed bag. Again, these are categories that tend to be dominated by strong international brands, but overall, the combination of moderate bonus rates (8–15%), varying conversion rates CVR (~10–18%) and somewhat lower AOVs make these categories less appealing. 

In our analysis Furniture comes in last. The reasons therefore are the notoriously low conversion rates of this category.

Rank	Category	Bonus Structure & %	Est. CVR Range	Attractiveness Score
1	Amazon Device Accessories	45% (or ≥ $0.30)	—	1 (Very High)
2	Toys & Games	15% (≥ $0.30)	10–20%	2 (High)
2	Home & Kitchen	15% (≥ $0.30)	12–20%	2 (High)
2	Pet Supplies	15% (vets 22%), baseline ≥ $0.30	15–25%	2 (High)
3	Clothing & Accessories	5–17% depending on price tier	7–12%	3 (Medium)
4	Electronics	8–15%, varies	10–18%	4 (Moderate)
5	Beauty	8–15% range	~10–18% (assumed)	5 (Lower)
6	Health & Grocery	8–15% range	Health 15–25%, Grocery unknown	5 (Lower)
7	Furniture	5% up to $200, 10% above	Likely lower due to high-ticket and consideration	6 (Low)

External Traffic Source Prioritization: Selecting Channels with Optimal Bonus-to-CAC spread

Traffic is the other key variable to maximize your referral pay-outs. But make no mistake: Not every click is equal. A random, accidental or maybe even bot generated click on some banner ad, will not convert at the same rate as clicks originating from higher intent traffic sources. So: Your goal isn’t just more traffic; it’s more profitable traffic that ultimately converts and helps you earn bonus credits that meaningfully offset your Customer-Acquisition-Cost (CAC). Here is an overview of channels vs their ability to drive quality traffic:

Google Search: High Intent and Somewhat Scalable

Google search is a great channel in many ways. First of all, if you know which keywords convert for certain products on Amazon search, then that will be a strong indicator for Google ads performance. However, especially paid search really only works well for mid-to-high AOV products. That’s because for lower priced products CPCs of Google ads are often too high to make an investment in Google ads worthwhile. To track performance setup Amazon Attribution tags.

Affiliates & Influencers (aka Affiliate ONLY)

Influencers are tricky. While we all know stories of content creators who have managed to turn their audiences into loyal customers, more often than sometimes do influencer campaigns from a pure ROI perspective. So, if you do decide to test out influencers then consider these two things: prioritize TikTok or YouTube. TikTok has much better “organic reach” than Facebook or Instagram. Meaning: it’s more likely that posts go “viral” and on average more people will see their posts. YouTube has the advantage that some videos become “evergreen”, meaning that they rank for high traffic search terms on YouTube and keep raking up views (and sales!). Secondly, only agree to performance-based commission structures. As you also receive Brand Referral Bonus credits on attributed sales, well-structured affiliate deals can yield double efficiency (commission + bonus still < typical CAC). This is particularly strong for evergreen products where creators can rank on YouTube. 

Email & SMS – Lowest Marginal CAC

Your owned audiences often drive the cheapest external conversions. Sending an email is virtually free of charge and even SMS are often cheap. Use emails when inventory is deep and you want to spike sales velocity for ranking plus build up bonus credits for the following weeks’ referral fees. 

Paid Social Meta & TikTok Ads – Scale but Often Low Intent

While social ads seem like a great idea to drive external traffic, they really are not – unless you utilize a small trick. But more on that later. Let’s first explain why social ads often perform poorly when sending traffic directly to Amazon. The secret of Meta’s (and TikTok’s) advertising machine is pixel based optimization. A pixel is nothing more than a tracking script that gets installed on a website and feeds analytical data back into Meta’s / TikTok’s advertising algorithm. By understanding who clicks, stays, adds to cart and finally converts the ad algorithm “learns” who to send to your e-commerce site (and who not to send). Also with pixel implementation, you can optimize social media ads for sales or conversions. 

Things are very different when you send paid social traffic straight to Amazon. You cannot implement YOUR pixel on Amazon.com. As a result, the Meta / TikTok ad algorithm is flying blind and you can only optimize your ads for clicks. That usually leads to abysmal results because you are essentially buying “the cheapest clicks” available (that is because highly converting clicks usually have higher CPCs). And these clicks are only cheap, because Meta has long figured out that those clicking are not in buying mode. So in a way running traffic campaigns straight to Amazon listings is an almost sure-fire way to not drive sales effectively. 

But there is a workaround! At LandingCube, we have developed the industry leading gold-standard for creating a custom Amazon landing page (and also the industry leading Amazon link shortener)

Our landing pages can be hosted on your domain (so you can set up a tracking pixel) and incentivize users to leave their email addresses in return for an Amazon discount code. So in addition to qualifying your traffic, you can also collect email addresses and you qualify for Amazon referral bonus!

Pro Modelling Tip: Calculate Bonus-Adjusted CAC Before Scaling

Use this formula to estimate your CAC:

Adj. CAC  =  CAC  −  (AOV×Bonus%×CVR)Adj. CAC=CAC−(AOV×Bonus%×CVR)

Drive more budget to campaigns where Adj. CAC falls below your target contribution margin.Executed well, these steps turn the Brand Referral Bonus from a “nice extra” into a repeatable margin lever that compounds as your external traffic strategy matures.

Other Benefits of the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus Program for Sellers

The Amazon app referral program is designed to support sellers who are taking advantage of external marketing strategies to drive more sales on Amazon.

You’ve already done the work of getting your products on one of the most lucrative and influential marketplaces in the world. Now it’s time to let everyone know about your brand, products, and the place where they can find them.

There are many benefits to the Amazon referral program. Here are some of the main advantages:

Reduced Referral Fees

This is the big one. There are a lot of fees involved with selling on Amazon because Amazon takes a percentage of every sale for use of their selling platform and endless customer base.

The Amazon brand referral bonus offsets a portion of those fees, lowering the cost to sell your product on Amazon.

Increased External Traffic

If you are taking advantage of external marketing strategies like social media, email, or SEO, the Amazon referral bonus incentivizes and monetizes your efforts.

Amazon pulls in billions of customers every month, but promoting your listing outside of the Amazon platform allows you to leverage your own warm customer base with a better potential for the shopping experience to end in a sale.

Better Product Visibility

When products receive increased external traffic, they will also likely see improved visibility on Amazon. The higher traffic and sales velocity can lead to better rankings in Amazon’s search results.

This will allow customers to find and purchase your products more easily.

Optimized Advertising Spend

If you are investing in advertising outside of Amazon, the brand referral bonus can help you see a better ROI for those efforts.

The program offers a way to offset some of these costs by awarding a bonus for traffic and sales outside of Amazon.

Promotes Brand Building

Selling is about your brand. People buy from the brands they identify with. They adopt brands that represent them in all sorts of ways like style, prestige, business, and more.

The Amazon referral program is targeted toward sellers who are building brands. By leveraging your own website and brand-centric marketing strategies, you enhance brand recognition and customer loyalty. Amazon will reward you by offsetting your advertising costs with the referral bonus.

Detailed Data Insights

Amazon provides sellers who participate in the amazon brand referral bonus program with insights into their external marketing strategies.

This allows you to understand which channels and methods drive the most sales on Amazon. You can then refine your marketing approach and invest more wisely in your promotions.

Competitive Advantage

Sellers who use the tools like the brand referral bonus program gain a competitive edge over those who are relying on Amazon’s internal traffic alone.

By leveraging external traffic, you can achieve higher sales volumes and the potential for better profit margins.

Brand Referral Bonus Program Eligibility and Requirements

Amazon’s brand referral bonus program has specific requirements for eligibility you must meet before participating. The program goes hand-in-hand with Amazon Attribution, so if that’s something you’re already doing, then the Amazon referral program shouldn’t be an obstacle.

You’ll want to check Seller Central for all of the requirements, but here are the key things you can expect to be eligible:

Amazon Brand Registry Enrolment

If you’re already enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, you’re ahead of the curve. This program protects your intellectual property and helps you establish a trusted brand on the Amazon platform.

It has some hefty requirements, like owning a registered trademark for your brand, but keep in mind that every difficult requirement you meet sets your brand apart from your competition.

You will be rewarded for doing the hard things that others aren’t willing to try.

Active Seller Account

This one kind of goes without saying, but you do need an active seller account in good standing with Amazon.

This means that you adhere to all of Amazon’s policies and meet the performance levels that are required of you.

Use of Amazon Attribution

To be eligible, you must use Amazon Attribution. This is essentially a measurement tool that allows you to use specific tags and links to generate data about your marketing efforts outside of Amazon.

It makes perfect sense that you need to use Amazon Attribution to be eligible for the brand referral bonus.

Eligible Products

Not all products are suited for the Brand Referral Bonus Program. Amazon may outline specific criteria for eligibility about which products can earn a referral bonus.

Certain products and maybe even entire categories of products may be excluded. It’s important to check Seller Central and stay up to date on the products that fit within the program’s framework.

LandingCube focuses specifically on helping sellers promote their products and build an email list from external marketing strategies that drive traffic to your Amazon listings.

Transform your external traffic into a thriving customer base with our landing page builder, tailored for Amazon FBA sellers.

Since our launch in mid-2017, LandingCube has been the go-to solution for capturing customer information and boosting Amazon sales, driven by our commitment to create user-friendly, visually appealing tools.

Join the legion of successful sellers who have harnessed the power of LandingCube to not just sell, but build lasting relationships with their customers.

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Final Thoughts

The Amazon Brand Referral Bonus is a wonderful tool for sellers looking to leverage their external marketing on Amazon while offsetting some of the cost of those efforts.

If you’re already using Amazon Attribution, then the brand referral program is really a no-brainer. It allows you a competitive edge while reducing your overall advertising costs when you do it right.

Take a strategic approach to marketing and follow the Amazon guidelines carefully. Avoid the common mistakes we mentioned and optimize your strategies.

Embracing the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program is an excellent opportunity for sellers to build their brand, optimize their presence on Amazon, and unlock greater profitability. With diligent planning and execution, this program can significantly bolster your sales strategy in the competitive Amazon marketplace.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Maximize Your Amazon Referral Bonus