Awin

What Awin is

Awin is a global affiliate network owned by Axel Springer and United Internet. Its roots go back to 2000 through Affiliate Window in the UK and zanox in Germany, later joined by affilinet. Awin bought ShareASale in 2017, moved all active ShareASale clients onto the Awin platform by August 2025 and shut ShareASale down on October 6, 2025. Commission Factory is a sister brand. Awin says it has 1 million publishers, 30,000 advertisers, more than 1,400 staff and 17 offices, and covers more than 180 countries. EU-resident publishers contract with AWIN AG in Berlin; non-EU publishers, UK included, contract with AWIN Ltd in London, with separate entities for Brazil and Mexico.

Offers and verticals

Awin is a retail-heavy CPS network with a deep travel, finance, telecoms and services catalog. Brands named on its publisher pages include Adidas, AliExpress, Booking.com, Etsy, Nike, Samsung, Sephora, Viator and Vodafone. Accepted publisher types include content sites, influencers, voucher and cashback sites, price comparison, email, card-linked offers, sub-networks and technology partners. Each advertiser runs its own program, sets its own terms and approves publishers itself; some use auto-approval, which helps new accounts get started.

Commission models and payouts

Advertisers set the rates: usually a percentage of sale, sometimes a fixed fee per sale or lead, and occasionally CPC or CPM. A transaction moves from pending to approved once the advertiser validates it (30 to 45 days on average, and longer for travel bookings) and then to cleared once the advertiser has paid Awin. Each advertiser’s payment status matters. Green advertisers’ approved commissions are paid on Awin’s schedule. Amber advertisers’ commissions are paid only after the advertiser settles its invoice. Red is reserved for bankruptcy or severe credit problems.

Awin pays twice a month. The 1st-of-month run covers earnings approved up to the 15th of the previous month, and the 15th run covers the rest of the previous month; publishers can choose a single monthly payment on the 15th instead. The minimum threshold is £20, €20 or $20 (or the equivalent of $20 in other currencies), and anything below it rolls over. If no threshold is set, defaults apply: 50 for GBP, EUR, USD, CHF, AUD and BRL, 100 for CAD and PLN, and 500 for SEK and NOK. Methods depend on currency and bank location: BACS for GBP in the UK, SEPA for EUR, ACH for USD in the US, domestic transfers in DKK, SEK, NOK, PLN, CHF, BRL and MXN, and Payoneer for international payments plus all AUD and CAD payouts. Sign-up needs a refundable 1 GBP, USD or EUR security deposit, which is returned with the first payment.

Tracking, tools and platform

Tracking uses first-party cookies plus server-to-server tracking for cross-device attribution. Publishers get a link builder, the MyAwin Chrome extension, a mobile app with shoppable Storefronts, banners and text links in My Creative, voucher code listings, product feeds, a publisher API and an Opportunity Marketplace for selling placements. One account can hold multiple sites and users, and reports export to CSV or Excel.

Traffic rules and compliance

Every publisher must accept the publisher terms and the Awin Code of Conduct. All promotional methods must be disclosed on the profile, publishers may not interfere with advertiser pages, and downloadable software needs Awin review and advertiser consent. Coupon and cashback publishers follow extra codes. Paid search and brand bidding rules are set per advertiser, and many restrict brand terms. Breaches can lead to forfeited commission, suspension or a network ban. Awin may also suspend accounts with no logins or no commissions for six months.

Support and getting started

The four-step sign-up covers account setup, promotional type, promotional space and verification. Awin’s compliance team usually processes applications within 24 hours. Support runs through the Partner Success Center and its contact form, and rejected applicants can appeal to approvals@awin.com.

Who it suits

Awin fits content sites, creators, coupon and cashback platforms and comparison sites monetizing mainstream brands in Europe, the UK, the US and Australia. It fits poorly for affiliates who want CPA offers with fast weekly payouts, crypto payouts or a dedicated manager from the first day.