✧ Key takeaways
A cookie duration is the window after a click in which a purchase still earns you commission. Here's how it works and how to check any program's window.
You clicked a link on Monday and bought the product on Thursday. The person who shared that link still got paid — and the reason is a small file your browser stored on Monday called a cookie. The cookie duration is simply how long that file keeps counting: the window of time after a click during which a purchase still earns the affiliate a commission. If you buy inside the window, the affiliate gets credit. If you buy after it closes, they get nothing — even though you arrived through their link. This guide explains the idea in plain English, what the numbers usually look like, and how to check any program's window.
What a cookie duration actually is
When you click an affiliate link, the merchant's site drops a cookie in your browser holding two things: which affiliate sent you, and when the click happened. It is a note, not a spy — it does not record what else you browse, and it only matters on that merchant's site.
The cookie duration — also called the cookie window, cookie life, or referral period — is how long that note stays valid. Buy within the window and the sale is attributed to the affiliate; buy after it expires and the sale is treated as if the affiliate was never involved. The program sets the length, not the affiliate, and every program picks its own number.
How it works, step by step
- You click an affiliate link. The link carries the affiliate's ID.
- The merchant's site stores a cookie in your browser with that ID and the time of the click.
- You browse, leave, and come back later — directly, or through a search — and buy something.
- At checkout, the merchant checks the cookie. If it is still inside the window, the sale is credited to the affiliate.
- The commission is paid after the order is delivered and paid for, not at the moment you click. Returns and cancellations cancel it too.
What the numbers usually look like
There is no industry standard, and anyone quoting one is guessing. Durations run from a single day to several months. A few real examples, checked against the programs' own help pages:
- Amazon Associates (US): 24 hours. You earn on qualifying items the buyer adds to their cart within 24 hours of arriving through your link. The window closes early if the buyer places an order or comes back through another associate's link. If the item was carted inside the window, you can still earn when the buyer completes the purchase later — Amazon says carts usually expire after about 90 days.
- Many software and SaaS programs: 30 to 90 days. Longer windows are common where buyers take time to decide.
- Referral platforms: 60 days is a common default. Rewardful, a referral tracking platform, publishes a 60-day default cookie window, configurable per campaign.
- Some programs offer lifetime cookies, where the first click is credited forever — rare, usually tied to a lower commission rate.
Never trust a roundup blog for the exact figure. Programs change their terms — the only number that counts is in the program's own terms, FAQ, or sign-up page.
First-click vs last-click: who gets the credit?
Most programs use last-click attribution: the affiliate whose link was clicked most recently before the purchase gets the credit. Click your link Monday, another affiliate's Wednesday, buy Thursday — the Wednesday affiliate gets paid, and your cookie was overwritten.
A smaller number use first-click attribution, where the first affiliate to send the buyer keeps the credit no matter what happens later. It is rarer, but it exists, and the program's terms will say which model it uses.
Amazon's rule shows how this plays out in practice: your 24-hour window closes the moment the buyer re-enters through another associate's link. The window is short, and it is also fragile — one competing click ends it.
What can cut a cookie short
The stated duration is a maximum, not a guarantee. Ordinary things end a cookie early:
- The buyer clears cookies or uses a browser that deletes them automatically.
- A different browser or device. A cookie stored in Chrome on a laptop does not exist in Safari on a phone. Click on one device, buy on another, and the affiliate usually gets no credit.
- Private or incognito mode, which discards cookies when the window closes.
- Ad blockers and privacy settings that block third-party tracking cookies.
- The program's own rules — placing an order, or clicking another affiliate's link, can close the window before the stated days run out.
Experienced affiliates do not treat the cookie window as money in the bank. It is a chance at credit, not a promise — and the longer the gap between click and purchase, the more chances something has to break the chain.
Does a longer cookie mean more money?
Sometimes, but not as often as people assume. A long window helps when buyers take time to decide — business software, mattresses, high-priced courses. For impulse buys, the difference between a 30-day and a 90-day cookie is close to zero — almost nobody waits a month to buy a phone case.
Do not pick a program by cookie length alone. A 90-day window on a product nobody buys is worth less than a 24-hour window on a product that converts well. Commission rate, product quality, conversion, and whether the program pays on time all matter more than the day count. Treat the cookie duration as one line in the terms, not the reason to join.
How to check any program's cookie duration
Open the program's affiliate terms, FAQ, or sign-up page and search for "cookie", "referral period", or "attribution". The number is usually stated in days, sometimes with the attribution model alongside it. If you cannot find it, ask the affiliate manager — a program that hides its window is telling you something. When you compare two programs, compare the same thing: some quote the click-to-purchase window, others a cart window like Amazon's, and the two are not the same number.
If you run a site with affiliate links, your readers deserve to know how the money works. Our privacy policy guide covers the legal pages a small site needs, including how to handle cookies and tracking honestly.
The short version
A cookie duration is a countdown that starts when someone clicks your link. Inside the window, you get credit for the sale; outside it, you do not. Amazon gives you 24 hours to get the item into the cart; most software programs give you 30 to 90 days. Nothing about the number is standard, and the stated window is a maximum that browsers, devices, and competing clicks can cut short. Read the terms, check the number yourself, and judge a program by what it pays and how it converts — not by how long its cookie lasts.