Affiliate Marketing in the UK 2026: Is It Legal, What the Rules Require and Which Programs Pay

"Is affiliate marketing legal in the UK?" is a fair question in 2026. The UK has some of the most detailed rules in Europe on how affiliate links must be labeled, and since April 2025 the competition regulator can fine businesses up to 10% of their global turnover for misleading consumers.

The short answer: yes, it's legal, and it's regulated. Here's who sets the rules, what they require from affiliates in general and in gambling and finance in particular, how affiliate income is taxed, and which programs pay UK affiliates.

Is affiliate marketing legal in the UK?

Yes. No UK law bans it; several regulators decide how it's done. The ASA treats affiliates as advertisers, the CMA enforces consumer law, and gambling and financial affiliates answer to their own sector regulators.

The ASA: label it as an ad, at the top

Affiliates are advertisers under the CAP Code. The ASA calls affiliates "effectively acting as a secondary advertiser" and says "both the business and the affiliate marketer are responsible under the Code". The core rule is that marketing must be obviously identifiable as marketing.

Where the label goes matters as much as the label. The ASA's advice says:

• content that's entirely about affiliate products must be clearly commercial before the reader engages, for example with "Ad" in the title;
• a disclaimer at the bottom of a post "is unlikely to be sufficient";
• the word "affiliate" on its own isn't widely understood by consumers, according to the ASA's own labeling research; "#Ad" is the clearest label on X;
• banner ads, branded emails and cashback sites are usually obviously advertising by their nature, but blogs, vlogs, social media, news sites and voucher sites may need a label.

The ASA has ruled against a national publisher on exactly this. On December 21, 2022 it upheld all 5 complaints against MailOnline over shopping articles with affiliate links. The articles carried a disclaimer at the top, but the ASA found its phrase "may earn an affiliate commission" ambiguous, because it suggested the publisher might not be paid at all.

The CMA: consumer law with real fines

Since April 2025, the CMA can fine directly. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the CMA can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover for breaking consumer protection law, up to 5% for breaching undertakings it has given, and the Act explicitly bans posting and commissioning fake reviews.

Hidden advertising is a consumer law problem now, not just an ASA one. In October 2026 the ASA and the CMA published the 4th edition of their joint influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads, updated for the new Act and with new material on fake reviews. If a reader can't tell your recommendation is paid, 2 regulators can act on it.

Gambling affiliates: the operator answers for you

The Gambling Commission holds operators responsible for their affiliates. Its guidance says gambling businesses using affiliates for direct marketing must comply with its licence conditions, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, and that the operator is responsible if an affiliate markets to people who have self-excluded. That's why UK gambling programs check affiliates' mailing lists and creatives so closely.

The offers you promote changed in January 2026. From January 19, 2026, the Commission capped bonus wagering requirements at 10 times the bonus and banned mixed-product promotions, such as bonuses that require both betting and slots. Its own example: a £10 bonus with 50x wagering meant £500 of play; under the cap it's at most £100. Old banners and reviews promising other terms are now out of date.

Finance and crypto affiliates: you need an approver

Promoting regulated financial products without approval can be a criminal offence. The FCA's guidance on financial promotions on social media, FG24/1, says unauthorised persons, "including influencers or other affiliate marketers", who promote a regulated financial product without approval from an FCA-authorised person "may be committing a criminal offence".

Tax: the £1,000 trading allowance

Small affiliate income can be tax-free. HMRC's trading allowance lets you earn up to £1,000 a year in gross trading income without declaring it, in most cases. Above £1,000 you need to register for Self Assessment and report the income; HMRC notes there are circumstances where you must register even below that amount.

Which programs pay UK affiliates

Awin is one of the largest networks working with UK brands. It says it connects brands with over a million partners and generated £18 billion in revenue for advertisers and £1.2 billion for publishers in its last financial year. Most large UK retailers, travel brands and telecoms run their programs through networks like Awin, CJ, impact.com or Partnerize.

Amazon.co.uk Associates publishes fixed rates by category. Its UK fee schedule includes:

Read the current schedule before you plan content: Amazon cut rates for some publishers in other markets in 2026 without a public announcement.

How big is the UK market? IAB UK puts total UK digital ad spend at £40.5 billion in 2025, up 10%, with search at £17.9 billion and social at £11.5 billion. Its headline study doesn't break out affiliate spend, so treat any single "UK affiliate market" figure with caution. For the global picture, see our analysis of the affiliate marketing industry.