What a Cookie Window Is

Someone reads your page and clicks your link. They do not buy that day. They come back a week later and buy. Do you get paid?

The cookie window answers that. It is how long a program keeps counting your click.

The marker in the browser

A click on your link leaves a small marker in the reader's browser. That marker is the cookie. It tells the program who sent the reader. When the window ends, the marker no longer counts for you.

Where to find it

Look on the program's own affiliate page. The window is often near the commission and the payout lines. Some pages call it a cookie. Others say they track referrals for a number of days.

Here is how a few pages put it, each in its own words.

• Semrush's affiliate page says the program uses last-click attribution and a 120-day cookie.
• HubSpot's affiliate page says its referral cookie window is 180 days.
• Elementor's affiliate page says it uses a 45 day cookie policy.
• Shopify's affiliate page says it tracks referrals for 30 days after a click, and up to 400 days for free trial stores.

Each number belongs to its own program. Read it from that program's page, and check the date it was read.

When a later click wins

A window can end early. Another link can take its place.

iHerb's affiliate page says its cookies last 7 days unless another affiliate or Rewards link overwrites them.

Kinsta's affiliate page says it uses a 60-day tracking cookie and last-touch attribution. Last touch means the last link clicked gets the credit.

So a long window still has limits. If the reader clicks someone else's link after yours, that later click may count.

What to check before you link

Ask three short questions of any terms page.

1. How many days does the window last?
2. Does a later click replace yours?
3. Does the window change for a trial or a different plan?

If the page does not say, the program has not told you. Do not guess a number for it.