13 High Paying Affiliate Programs Perfect for Beginners in 2024

Want to earn a steady stream of passive income from the comfort of your couch? Affiliate marketing could be your golden ticket. This performance-based opportunity allows you to earn lucrative commissions for referring customers to a company’s products or services.

While it takes work to build an audience and drive conversions, joining high paying affiliate programs gives you access to sell quality offers with sky-high earning potential. And the best part? You can get started as a total beginner with just a website or social media following.

If visions of four-figure monthly affiliate checks have you excited, this guide will reveal 13 of the best high paying affiliate programs definitely worth a look in 2024 for new affiliate marketers.

How Do I Choose the Right High-Paying Affiliate Programs for Me?

A common question beginners have is how to actually select which high-paying affiliate programs are the best fit for their audience, niche and platform.

Here are some tips for choosing the right ones:

Most importantly, start with just a few strategic programs first. Don’t spread yourself thin across too many in the beginning. As you gain experience, you can always expand your affiliate portfolio overtime.

The key is to consistently provide value and disclose affiliate promotions appropriately to build trust with your audience. As long as you have an audience and promote the right products well, high-paying affiliate programs can be an incredibly lucrative income stream.

1. Amazon Associates

Amazon’s affiliate program is a no-brainer for beginners to join given the e-commerce giant’s massive product selection and trusted brand reputation. As an Amazon Associate, you can earn up to 10% in advertising fees when you help drive qualifying product sales.

While 10% may not sound like a lot, consider that Amazon sells billions of products across nearly every category imaginable. From high-ticket electronics and home appliances to books, clothing, toys, and beyond, there’s incredible earning potential with the right promotion strategies.

Amazon affiliate links are easy to embed across your blog content, websites, and even allowable social media posts. Detailed earnings reports inside your Associate account show you what types of promotions and product categories are your biggest money-makers.

Pros:

• Nearly unlimited product selection to promote
• High conversion rates due to Amazon’s brand trust
• Performance stats and detailed reporting

Cons:

• Relatively low commission rates depending on the product category
• Strict program operating agreement with rules to follow

Getting started by signing up for an Associates account and browsing their tools is a must for new affiliate marketers.

2. Bluehost

If monetizing beginner “how-to” content on launching blogs and websites sounds appealing, then Bluehost’s affiliate program is one of the highest-paying options around. Their payments range between $65 per signup all the way up to a generous $325 for Bluehost’s highest tier referrals.

Even better, 60-70% of those affiliate earnings are recurring thanks to annually renewing domain and hosting packages. That means your initial efforts continue paying dividends year after year.

While the hosting niche is competitive with providers like SiteGround and HostGator offering similar programs, Bluehost has consistently topped industry lists for dependable support, uptime, and new customer onboarding for those just starting out online.

Pros:

• Lucrative $65 to $325 payouts per referral signup
• 60-70% of earnings are recurring
• Ideal for new bloggers and website owners learning online

Cons:

• Hosting niche is somewhat saturated for new affiliates
• Commission rates vary based on hosting plan referred

For affiliate marketers focused on instructing and monetizing beginner content, Bluehost is definitely one of the highest paying affiliate programs out there.

3. ClickBank

ClickBank is a massive affiliate network where you’ll find thousands upon thousands of digital info products to promote in categories like:

• Make money online / business opportunties
• Health & fitness
• Self-improvement
• Personal finance
• Parenting
• Cooking
• Spirituality
• And much more!

Some top-performing ClickBank affiliates even earn well into the six figures annually just by referring digital info products like ebooks, video courses, membership sites, and more with commissions in the 50-75% range.

However, the quality of many info products hosted on ClickBank has been heavily criticized over the years. Many are low-value, regurgitated content put together by shady vendors looking to make a quick buck.

Pros:

• Massive selection of digital info products to promote
• Very high commission rates up to 75% in many cases
• Detailed tracking tools and reporting

Cons:

• Lots of junk, overhyped, and subpar products to sift through
• Info products may not convert as well as physical goods
• ClickBank’s negative reputation among some users

To maximize earnings with ClickBank, be extremely picky about the info products and vendors you choose to get behind. Look for established brands creating legitimate, high-quality content and courses rather than shady “get rich quick” schemes.

4. eBay Partner Network

If you enjoy creating shopping and buyer’s guides highlighting the best and most popular clothing items, electronics, gadgets, sports equipment, collectibles, and more – you need to take a look at eBay’s partner affiliate program.

The eBay Partner Network gives you an easy way to integrate commerce links across your site, review sites, YouTube tutorials, and more. There’s no better fit for the reviews and unboxing side of modern affiliate marketing.

Affiliate income potential is enormous on eBay with PPC (Pay Per Click) rates as high as $100 commissions for referring qualified buyers in categories like gift cards, industrial motors, and eBay Motors listings. For most categories though, an 8-12% commission on promoted sales is more typical.

Pros:

• Highly trusted global brand
• Massive product selection, especially for new/used items
• High earning potential with eBay PPC and promoted listings

Cons:

• Separate applications needed for global eBay sites
• Site support and tools could be better

With over a billion active listings at any given time, the earning potential within the eBay Partner Network is unmatched in the affiliate world—if you know how to convert shoppers.

5. ShareASale

ShareASale is a monster of an affiliate network, partnering with more than 5,000 merchants across dozens of categories. You’ll find both physical and digital products related to business, home, health/fitness, food, travel, personal finance, ecommerce services like shopping carts, and much more.

Some of their popular brands include Bluehost (see above), Flex Seal, FreshBooks, Stitch Fix, and Turbo Tax among many others.

A key advantage ShareASale offers is flexible payment terms with options to get paid monthly once you reach their $50 earnings threshold or quarterly once you top $300 in commissions. Initial commission rates range from around 5% for tangible goods up to 50% for some digital products and services.

Pros:

• Wide array of 5,000+ merchants to choose from
• Varying commission rates and payout periods
• Detailed stats and analytics reporting

Cons:

• Base commission rates can be low for some merchants
• Highly competitive due to large publisher base
• Limited product type and pricing search functionality

Whether you’re running deals and reviews sites, ecommerce blogs, online publications, or even just a niche YouTube channel, the breadth of merchants on ShareASale makes them a smart affiliate network to join.

6. Awin (Previously Affiliate Window)

Formerly known as Affiliate Window, the Awin affiliate marketing network combines over 16,000 active advertisers and over 225,000 affiliates publishing blogs, mobile apps, email lists, and influencers.

Top brands in their advertiser mix include SmartBuyGlasses, Adidas, Seat24 for flights/hotels, and clothing merchants like New Look, French Connection, and Swarovski.

Known for excellence in support and service, Awin puts affiliates through a strict screening process to keep their standards high. Once approved, you’ll gain access to in-depth campaign data, benchmarking comparisons against competitors, and the ability to choose between earning fixed fees or revenue shares on all qualified commissions.

Pros:

• Well-known, trusted network with established global advertisers
• Campaign stats and insights tools are top-notch
• Very hands-on support for onboarding and management

Cons:

• Strict screening process makes for tougher acceptance
• Earnings on the lower side for some advertisers

While commissions and earnings may not be quite as lucrative as alternatives like Amazon, ClickBank, or ShareASale, Awin is a fantastic “quality-over-quantity” affiliate network for established publishers to access premium brands.

7. CJ Affiliate (Previously Conversant)

One of the oldest and most popular affiliate marketing networks out there, CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction or Conversant) boasts over 4,800 merchant programs in a wide variety of categories.

Top merchants currently on the CJ network include Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, Travelocity, BodyBuilding.com, TurboTax, Getty Images, Odell Beckham Jr.’s footwear line, and many more across retail, travel, subscriptions services, and more.

A standout feature of CJ is their extremely user-friendly interface which makes it easy to browse offers, get real-time data on conversions and earnings, create content links, and track performance across search, email, and other channels.

Pros:

• One of the largest and most trusted affiliate networks
• Exceptional usability and interface
• Diverse merchant pool with big brand names
• Helpful customer support

Cons:

• Can take time to get accepted into their exclusive programs
• Lower commissions compared to other networks for some merchants

Whether you’re looking to monetize buyers in home & garden, sports, technology, fashion, or another popular vertical, CJ Affiliate has enough earning opportunities for new and veteran affiliates alike.

8. Rakuten LinkShare

RakutenLinkShare is another heavy hitter affiliate network with over 1,000 top merchant brands like Walmart, Macy’s, New Balance, 1-800 Flowers, Nutrisystem, and thousands more across dozens of popular categories.

Two killer benefits of the LinkShare platform are their incredibly robust tracking tools and the ability to double-dip your commissions through their loyalty program.

On the tracking front, you’ll get access to detailed real-time reporting, segmentation tools, automated campaign creation capabilities, and more to ensure no unlucky affiliate is getting underpaid. LinkShare prides themselves on their transparency and attribution efforts.

Their loyalty program, LinkShareRewards, doubles down by offering affiliates reward credits for every piece of affiliate revenue generated. These reward credits can then be redeemed for bonuses, prizes, vacations, and more.

Pros:

• Over 1,000 big-name merchant brands
• Extremely accurate and transparent tracking
• LinkShareRewards loyalty program for bonus perks

Cons:

• Higher competition due to their size
• Some merchants have low base commission rates

For affiliates looking to earn revenue from a mix of big brand merchants, physical and digital goods, and multiple categories, LinkShare provides earning diversity and exceptionally reliable tracking.

9. JVZoo

JVZoo is a popular affiliate marketing network for all things related to internet marketing, work-from-home opportunities, and making money online. Their product catalog includes training courses, ebooks, software tools, website builders, membership communities, and much more.

With tens of thousands of digital products listed on JVZoo, affiliates can earn some seriously high payouts ranging from 50% all the way up to 100% of each customer sale in some cases.

Many top JVZoo affiliates specialize in creating reviews, bonus package deals, and promotional videos surrounding upcoming “launches” of new products to earn these lucrative commissions. Of course, launch jacking approaches like this present their own set of challenges.

Pros:

• Extremely high commission rates up to 100%
• Lots of opportunities in the work-from-home niche
• High earning potential for successful affiliates

Cons:

• Many low-quality get-rich-quick schemes on JVZoo
• You’ll compete with super affiliates and launch-jackers
• Launches and digital products can be difficult to properly review

For those seeking high paying affiliate programs related to health, wealth, and online business niches, JVZoo should be on your radar despite valid concerns around product quality.

10. WPEngine

If your niche revolves around web design, marketing, SEO, or serving the WordPress community, then WPEngine’s affiliate program offers tremendous earning potential. Best known for their premium managed WordPress hosting services, WPEngine offers a whopping 200% of the initial payout for referrals AND 35% lifetime recurring commissions.

That means you could earn $100 over and over again each time one of your referrals pays for just one year of hosting! Considering how essential hosting is for websites (and that customers stick around for years), WPEngine’s affiliate offering is potentially one of the most lucrative on the market.

In addition to lucrative hosting payouts, the WPEngine program also extends to products like their WordPress landing page templates, backup services, and other addons that can further boost your monthly commissions.

Pros:

• 200% initial payout on new hosting signups
• 35% recurring commissions on customer renewals
• Additional earnings from premium plugins and services

Cons:

• Limited opportunities beyond the WordPress niche
• Very high hosting plan prices (but more profit potential)

For bloggers and affiliates catering to entrepreneurs, freelancers, agencies, and website owners focused on WordPress, WPEngine’s affiliate program delivers the cream of the crop in terms of earnings – if you can drive signups.

11. VigLink

VigLink offers a unique approach to affiliate marketing by allowing you to automatically monetize existing links across your websites, videos, and digital content with their “revenuize” tool. No manually adding individual affiliate links required!

Rather than signing up individually for hundreds of merchant affiliate programs, VigLink gives you a share of the commissions from their pool of over 30,000 merchants like Amazon, eBay, Target, Walmart, Macy’s and more.

The specific commission rates vary based on a number of factors like your traffic sources and content topics, but typically range from 10-25% on retail and commerce sites. Just insert a simple script on your site and you’re off to the races in terms of earning affiliate commissions on nearly any existing link.

Pros:

• Completely hands-off automated monetization
• Massive selection of 30,000+ retailers
• Detailed analytics and reporting on earnings

Cons:

• No control over which merchants are monetized
• Lower commission rates than direct merchant programs
• Strict payment thresholds before getting paid

For affiliates unwilling to manage individual merchant accounts, VigLink’s turn-key affiliate approach can get you earning quickly across nearly every major retailer.

12. LandingCube

LandingCube is one of the rare affiliate networks solely focused on mobile traffic and offers. Affiliates have access to premium lead gen and app download offers from advertisers across a wide range of verticals like eCommerce, gaming, travel, entertainment, finance, and utilities.

Their user-friendly dashboard provides real-time analytics and filtering tools to maximize your mobile campaign earnings based on device, OS, geography, and more. Tapping into LandingCube’s exclusive mobile-first offers also reduces direct competition from general affiliate marketers.

LandingCube has both CPA (cost per action) and revenue share payment models available with payouts on a bi-weekly basis once you meet their $50 minimum threshold.

Pros:

• Exclusive focus on monetizing mobile traffic
• High paying lead gen and app download offers
• Analytics and real-time performance data

Cons:

• Smaller selection of advertisers than broader affiliate networks
• Mobile traffic requirements to get started
• Some regional offer limitations in certain countries

If you specialize in generating mobile website traffic, app promotion, or running mobile ad campaigns already, LandingCube is an affiliate network to definitely check out.

13. MaxBounty

Last but not least, MaxBounty is a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) affiliate network with primarily info product and lead generation offers that pay out fixed commissions. Their selection covers major verticals like health, business/investing, ecom stores, online education, telecom, personal finance, and more.

One of the bigger strengths of MaxBounty is their global offer availability. You’ll find profitable campaigns to promote across North America, Western Europe, Asia, and other regions around the world. Their network is designed to handle international traffic with ease.

MaxBounty’s campaign explorer lets you search offers by category, type, and specific payout range criteria. Customer support and analytics tools to monitor performance by offer, channel, and traffic source are top-notch as well.

Pros:

• Global offers for international traffic monetization
• Search functionality to find best payouts
• Performance analytics and customer support

Cons:

• Primarily limited to CPA/lead gen campaigns
• Many lower quality offers to weed through
• Higher traffic volumes needed vs other networks

For affiliates that generate a lot of web traffic across different geographies, MaxBounty provides an easy way to monetize that audience demand with a diverse range of global, fixed-rate CPA offers.

Conclusion

While there’s no shortage of high paying affiliate programs available today, these 13 stood out as some of the best options for beginners in 2024.

Whether you want to promote consumer products on Amazon, web hosting services, online courses, or a variety of niche offers, you now have a solid list of affiliate programs to research further based on your interests and audience.

The most important keys to success with affiliate marketing are choosing a niche you can build expertise in, creating high-quality and trustworthy content for your readers, and focusing on the long-term by selecting evergreen programs and offers.

If you can do those things while joining these high paying affiliate programs, you’ll be well on your way to earning a fantastic passive income stream. As a word of advice, I’d recommend trying out a few of these and doubling down on your top performers over time. Diversification is key for maximizing your affiliate revenue.

Ready to get started? Join the ShareASale program today and begin monetizing your traffic!