What is an Amazon Associates ID? Store ID vs Tracking ID, explained
An Amazon Associates ID is the short code, something like mysite-20, that identifies your Amazon Associates account. It rides along in every affiliate link you build, and it's the only thing that tells Amazon which account to pay when a shopper clicks and buys. No ID in the link, no commission.
The reason people search for this is that Amazon uses three names for what is, at first, one thing: Associates ID, Store ID and Tracking ID. This guide untangles them, shows you what the ID looks like and where to find yours, explains how it works inside a link, and covers the handful of mistakes that quietly cost affiliates money.
Three names, one job
When you join Amazon Associates you're asked to choose a Store ID. Amazon appends a marketplace suffix to it, and the result, mysite-20, is your primary identifier. That same string is also your first Tracking ID, and when Amazon's help pages, forums or tools say "Associates ID" or "affiliate tag", they mean this too. So on day one, all three names point at the same code.
They diverge only when you create more tracking IDs. Your account can hold up to 100 of them (more on request), all paying into the same account and all sharing the same Store ID as a base. The Store ID is the account; the tracking IDs are the labels you attach to links so you can see where each sale came from. Think of the Store ID as your username and the tracking IDs as the campaign tags underneath it.
What it looks like
An Associates ID is lowercase letters and numbers, chosen by you, followed by a hyphen and a two-digit suffix that Amazon adds:
| Part | Example | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Name | mysite | You, when you sign up (or create a tracking ID) |
| Suffix | -20 | Amazon; identifies the marketplace |
| Full ID | mysite-20 | What goes in your links |
The suffix is why you'll see -20 everywhere in U.S. affiliate links: it marks an Amazon.com ID. Each Amazon store has its own suffix, and the same number is shared by several countries:
| Suffix | Amazon stores | Example ID |
|---|---|---|
-20 | United States (Amazon.com), Canada (Amazon.ca) | mysite-20 |
-21 | United Kingdom (Amazon.co.uk), Germany (Amazon.de), France (Amazon.fr), Italy (Amazon.it), Spain (Amazon.es), India (Amazon.in) | mysite-21 |
-22 | Japan (Amazon.co.jp), Australia (Amazon.com.au) | mysite-22 |
The number tells you which program the ID belongs to, not which country a shopper is in, and that distinction matters because each store is a separate Associates program. An Amazon.com ID earns nothing on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de; you need an account and an ID for each store you want to earn from, and Amazon's OneLink feature to send international visitors to their local store with the right ID attached. Once created, a Store ID can't be renamed, so pick something you're happy to see in your links for years.
Where to find yours
Log in to Associates Central. Your active tracking ID is displayed in the account area at the top of the page. The full list, and the place to add more, is under Account Settings → Manage Your Tracking IDs. You'll also see the ID inside any link you generate with the link builder or SiteStripe, as the value after tag=.
How it works inside a link
An Amazon affiliate link is just a normal Amazon URL with your ID attached as a query parameter called tag:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0EXAMPLE?tag=mysite-20
When a shopper clicks it, Amazon reads the tag, drops a 24-hour cookie tied to your account, and pays you for anything they buy in that window (and for anything they add to the cart in that window and buy within 90 days). Links generated by Amazon's tools usually carry two more parameters, linkCode and linkId, which tell Amazon which tool built the link; they're harmless but not required. The tag is the part that pays.
That's also why the ID is the last thing to check when commissions seem low. A link that goes to Amazon without tag=, or with someone else's tag, or with a tag from the wrong marketplace, sends the shopper through exactly like a normal link and pays you nothing. If you're building a site with dozens or hundreds of product links, it's worth letting your tooling insert the ID rather than pasting it by hand; the mechanics are covered in our guide to how to earn commission on Amazon.
Store ID vs Tracking ID: when to create more
You don't need more than the Store ID to get paid. You need more tracking IDs the moment you want to know which content is paying. Amazon's reports break down clicks, orders and earnings per tracking ID, so the usual pattern is one ID per:
- Site, if you run more than one under the same account.
- Content type: buyer guides versus single reviews versus how-to articles, to see which format converts.
- Channel: your site, your YouTube descriptions, your newsletter's landing page, so you can see which audience buys.
- Placement, on a big site: comparison-table links versus in-text links versus buttons.
Creating one takes a few seconds on the Manage Your Tracking IDs page: type a name, Amazon appends the suffix, and you can start using it immediately. The 100-ID ceiling is generous, but it's not infinite, so name them by what they measure rather than making one per article.
Is your Associates ID secret?
No. It's visible in every link you publish, which is by design; there's nothing sensitive in it and nothing anyone can do with it except send Amazon traffic that you get paid for. What is a problem is the reverse: purchases made through your ID by you, your household, friends or employees. Amazon's rules ban that outright, whether the product is for you or someone else, and it's one of the most common reasons new accounts are closed. The details and the grey areas are in can you earn commission buying for yourself.
Mistakes that cost commissions
- Links without the tag. Copying a product URL from the address bar instead of from the link tools drops the ID. Everything after that click is unpaid.
- The wrong marketplace's ID. A
-20tag on an Amazon.co.uk link earns nothing. Use the ID from the matching store, or OneLink. - Using a friend's or a template's ID. Site templates and copied tables sometimes ship with someone else's tag baked in. Search your site for
tag=and confirm every one is yours. - Expecting the Store ID to change. It can't be renamed. If you dislike it, create a tracking ID with the name you want and use that in links; earnings still land in the same account.
- Never joining the marketplace you're linking to. Each store is its own program with its own 180-day, three-sale approval rule; a tag from an account that never qualified pays nothing. Our Amazon Associates beginner's guide covers getting the account through that gate.
FAQ
What is an Amazon Associates ID?
The short identifier, like mysite-20, attached to your Associates account and added to affiliate links as the tag parameter so Amazon knows who to pay. Amazon also calls it a Store ID or Tracking ID.
Store ID vs Tracking ID?
The Store ID is the primary identifier you create when you join, and it doubles as your default tracking ID. Extra tracking IDs, up to 100, are labels under the same account for seeing which site, page type or channel each sale came from. All pay into one account.
Where do I find mine?
In Associates Central: your active ID is shown at the top of the page, and the full list is under Account Settings → Manage Your Tracking IDs. It's also the value after tag= in any link you generate.
Why does it end in -20?
The suffix marks the Amazon store the ID belongs to: -20 is Amazon.com (US) and Canada, -21 covers the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and India, and -22 is Japan and Australia. Each store is a separate program with its own account and ID.
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