The 30-second summary

Which programmes we participate in

As of May 2026 we are members of the following affiliate programmes:

• Amazon Associates — UK (amazon.co.uk), US (amazon.com), Canada (amazon.ca) and Germany (amazon.de).
• Awin / ShareASale / Impact network merchants — for selected English-learning publishers, dictionary makers and tutoring platforms.
• Direct partner programmes with selected manufacturers (where this applies, the partnership is named in the relevant article).

We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, and amazon.de.

How affiliate links work, in plain English

1. You read a review on Happy English UK.
2. If you decide a product looks right for you, you click a “Buy” link.
3. You land on the retailer’s site (Amazon, etc.) with a small tracking code attached to the URL.
4. If you buy that product — or any other product within the retailer’s cookie window — within a short time frame, the retailer credits us a small commission.
5. You pay exactly the same price you would have paid by going to Amazon directly.

What the commission does not do

This is where most affiliate sites are vague. We’re going to be specific:

• It does not buy a product a higher ranking. A product paying 4% commission does not get ranked above a product paying 1%. Rankings come from our testing rubric, not commission rates.
• It does not buy a product into our “Best of” lists. We never accept payment for inclusion in a round-up.
• It does not buy positive language. If a product is mediocre, we say so even if it pays the highest commission in the category.
• It does not buy a product gift, sponsorship slot, or “review unit” coverage. All test products are bought at retail with our own money.

What the commission does do

• Funds the purchase of test products (every reading pen, dictionary and IELTS book on the site is bought at retail — that adds up).
• Pays writers and editors fairly so we can keep producing depth-of-research content.
• Keeps the site free of display ads, pop-ups, sponsored articles and “advertorial” content.
• Allows us to publish free resources (vocabulary PDFs, study schedules, the CEFR self-test) without paywalls or email gates.

How affiliate links are labelled

Outbound affiliate links on our site:

• Are tagged rel="nofollow sponsored" in the page source — the W3C/Google standard for paid links.
• Open in a new browser tab so you don’t lose your place on our site.
• Are visually distinct from internal links: “Buy on Amazon” and “Check Price” buttons are clearly retail call-to-actions, not editorial cross-references.

What you should know about Amazon links specifically

Amazon’s affiliate cookie lasts 24 hours. That means if you click an Amazon link on our site, then go on to buy something completely different on Amazon within 24 hours (a kettle, a book, anything), Amazon will credit us a small commission on that purchase. We are deeply grateful when this happens. It also means: you don’t have to feel obligated to buy the exact product we recommended for our work to be sustainable — using our links to start any Amazon shopping trip helps.

FTC, ASA & CAP compliance

This disclosure complies with:

• The US Federal Trade Commission’s Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255).
• The UK Advertising Standards Authority and CAP Code rules on affiliate marketing.
• Amazon Associates Operating Agreement disclosure requirements.

Questions about how we make money?

We’re happy to answer them. Email henqcy@gmail.com with anything that isn’t clear here, and we’ll either reply directly or update this page.