March 2026 Program Update:
As of March 9, 2026, Amazon updated its Associates program, reducing ASIN-level reporting visibility for creators and publishers. This change affects the level of detail available in performance tracking, making it more difficult to see exactly which products and placements drove conversions.
As a result of these changes, the Wayward Associates program is no longer active. All Associates sales prior to March 9, 2026 will continue to be reported and billed as usual, but new placements and campaigns under this program are no longer supported.
To continue supporting brands and publishers, Wayward has transitioned to a new model built on Amazon Creator Connections (ACC), which allows brands to offer bonus commissions while maintaining measurable performance tracking. You can learn more about this program through the following Help Center Article.
What is Wayward Associates?
Wayward Associates is Wayward’s Amazon Associates–based program that enables promotion across our network of top-tier, premium publishers. This program is designed for major publishers who use their own Amazon Associates tracking links, allowing brands to access trusted editorial placements while maintaining accurate tracking and performance reporting through Wayward.
How it works
Wayward partners directly with top publishers that drive significant Amazon sales through affiliate content. These publishers use their own Associates tracking links to promote Wayward products, and Wayward manages all brand relationships, commission structures, and reporting on the backend. Sales are tracked via direct data feeds from publishers’ Amazon Associates accounts.
This program is specifically built for major publishers who cannot use Amazon Attribution links due to the policy update in December 2024.
Publishers include
Buzzfeed, DotDash, Forbes, BestReviews.Guide, BuyersReport, and more.
How do I join Wayward Associates?
To enroll in Wayward Associates and make your products eligible for promotion across our premium publisher network, simply set your Associates commission rate and enable your products for Associates through the Products tab on Wayward. Once enabled, your products are automatically eligible for promotion.
What was the policy change in December 2024?
In December 2024, Amazon updated its policy to prevent creators and publishers from “double-dipping” — earning multiple commissions on the same traffic through different programs or tracking methods. Since this policy change, creators must choose between promoting products via Amazon Attribution links or Amazon Associates links, but cannot use both for the same traffic.
Key benefits
Expanded Publisher Access: Work with large, established publishers that operate through the Amazon Associates network, including Buzzfeed, Forbes, and others.
Custom Commission Rates: Commission rates are set per publisher and ASIN, allowing for flexible partnerships that reflect each publisher’s reach and performance.
Integrated Reporting: Wayward audits Creator Connections data to prevent duplicate payments across programs, ensuring transparent and accurate reporting for all sales.