Aerie Affiliate Program

Aerie built its brand on liking your body and loving yourself. Young women really connect with these two important ideas. But as an affiliate, you have a real question: Can you make good money selling bras and clothes for home use, when you only earn a 2% commission on each sale?

Let’s do the simple math and talk honestly about who makes this program work.

What Makes Aerie Different in Fashion Sales

Aerie started in 2006 as the underwear and casual brand for American Eagle Outfitters. They sell bras, underwear, swimsuits, workout clothes, clothes for home, and items for dorms to women and men. But the products are not their biggest difference.

It’s the #AerieREAL campaign.

Since 2014, Aerie has shown unedited photos of models. These models have different body types, abilities, and sizes. No Photoshop. No airbrushing. Just real people wearing their clothes.

Why does this matter for your sales plan? Because customers become very loyal. Aerie’s shoppers are not just buying clothes; they are joining a movement. We see this pattern all the time: Affiliates selling brands that match their audience’s values see 20% to 30% more sales than those just pushing basic products.

Your audience can feel the difference between, “Here’s another cute bra,” and, “Here’s a brand that truly respects real bodies.”

How the Aerie Affiliate Program Works

Aerie runs their affiliate program through CJ (Commission Junction), a very large affiliate network. It is free to join the program, and people from all over the world can sign up.

Once you get approval, you get unique tracking links. When someone clicks your link and buys anything from Aerie’s website, you earn a commission on that sale.

• Cookie duration: 60 days (This is better than average)
• Commission model: Last-click attribution (The last link clicked gets the credit)

Aerie gives you marketing materials. These include banners, product lists, emails, coupon codes, and special sales offers.

Best fit for: Bloggers, content creators, and social media influencers in fashion, lifestyle, body positivity, wellness, or young women’s spaces.

But now, we must look at the numbers.

Commission Reality: The Math You Need to Know

Aerie pays a 2% base commission on all products. Let me show you what this means for your earnings:

• $50 average order = $1.00 commission
• $75 average order = $1.50 commission
• $100 average order = $2.00 commission

To earn $500 per month, you must drive:

• 500 sales at $50 average order value
• OR 333 sales at $75 average order value
• OR 250 sales at $100 average order value

Let’s be honest—a 2% commission means you need huge amounts of traffic or extremely high sales rates to make much money from Aerie by itself.

We see this pattern: Successful Aerie affiliates treat it as one small program in a larger group of programs. They typically earn $100 to $400 per month from Aerie while promoting five to eight other fashion brands.

Payment Rules and Minimums

CJ pays affiliates every month through:

• Direct deposit (minimum $50)
• Payoneer (minimum $50)
• Check (minimum $100)

That 60-day cookie window is helpful. If someone clicks your link today but waits until next month to buy, you still get credit. This is true as long as they do not click anyone else’s link in between.

Key insight: People often compare prices when buying clothes. That long cookie duration catches shoppers who browse now, think about it, and then come back to buy later.

The Honest Pros and Cons

After watching fashion affiliates for the past three years, here is what really matters:

What Works for You

1. Brand trust and recognition. Aerie is not a new company you need to explain. Your audience probably already knows them from stores, social media, or friends. This makes selling easier.
2. Diverse products. You are not just selling bras. You can promote swimsuits in the summer, clothes for home when people work remotely, or workout clothes all year. This variety lets you create fresh content.
3. 60-day cookie duration. Shoppers rarely buy fashion on the first visit. They browse, save their favorites, check reviews, and then buy days later. That two-month window catches this normal shopping behavior better than the standard 30-day cookie.
4. Dedicated support. You get a real affiliate manager, monthly emails with sales dates, product lists every day, and ready-made banners. This support helps beginners a lot.
5. Body positivity drives interest. Content about Aerie’s inclusive marketing and unedited photos works very well. We see this pattern: Posts that mention the #AerieREAL campaign get two to three times more shares than simple product reviews.

The Limits Nobody Mentions

Here is what makes Aerie hard.

1. 2% commission is one of the lowest in fashion. Other apparel programs pay 5% to 15%. You will need to work three to five times harder to earn the same money from Aerie.
2. High competition. Thousands of fashion influencers promote Aerie. You must have great content or a very dedicated niche audience to stand out.
3. Minimum payout delays earnings. New affiliates might wait two or three months to reach the $50 minimum. This can cause a problem with cash flow when you are just starting.
4. No bonuses for top sellers. Some programs give better commission rates to top performers. Aerie keeps everyone at the same 2%, no matter how much you sell.

5 Steps to Join the Aerie Affiliate Program

Ready to apply? Here is the exact process:

Step 1: Go to Aerie’s affiliate page. Find Aerie.com, scroll to the bottom, and click “Affiliate Program.” This takes you to their CJ sign-up page.

Step 2: Create your CJ account. Enter your email and confirm it. You need this account even if you already work with other CJ programs.

Step 3: Apply for Aerie specifically. Search for “Aerie” in the CJ marketplace and send in your application. Include your website link, social media names, and a detailed description of how you will promote their products.

Step 4: Wait for approval (usually 5 to 14 days). Aerie checks your platform, the quality of your audience, and how your content fits with their brand values. Check your CJ dashboard for updates.

Step 5: Get your affiliate tools. Once approved, grab your tracking links, banners, and product feeds from the CJ interface.

Bottom line: Your application quality matters. Do not write, “I’ll post links on social media.” Instead, say something like, “I run a body positivity blog with 8,000 monthly visitors. I’ll create seasonal outfit ideas, try-on reviews, and comparison posts. I will focus on Aerie’s inclusive sizes and unedited photos.”

How to Actually Drive Aerie Sales

Simple “share on social media” advice will not work at a 2% commission. Here is what works, based on successful Aerie affiliates:

1. Create body-positive content that matches #AerieREAL. This is your sales advantage. Posts like “Brands That Use Real Models” or “My Experience Shopping as a Size 14” draw in audiences who care about fairness. They are more likely to buy from Aerie because of shared values.
2. Write seasonal buying guides, not just reviews. “Best Aerie Swimsuits for Summer” or “Aerie Lounge Sets for Working From Home” catch shoppers who are already planning to buy.
3. Use their frequent sales wisely. Aerie runs sales often: 10 for $35 underwear, 25% off everything, buy-one-get-one deals. Post your content when these sales happen. We see this pattern: Affiliates who publish “Aerie Sale Guide” posts during sales see 40% to 60% spikes in sales.
4. Use video for try-on reviews. Written reviews convert, but video try-ons that show the actual fit on real bodies? Those get two to three times more clicks. Use YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.
5. Build comparison posts: Aerie versus its competitors. “Aerie vs. Victoria’s Secret: Which Has Better Bralettes?” or “ThirdLove vs. Aerie: Sizing and Comfort Test” catch shoppers who are comparing brands.
6. Email your list during special promotions. CJ sends you alerts about upcoming sales. Send your email before the sale goes public to get the best results.

Key insight: Affiliates who earn $300 to $500 per month from Aerie follow the same pattern—they create six to eight useful pieces of permanent content, and then they add time-sensitive posts around sales events.

Is Aerie Worth Your Time?

Here is my honest summary after reviewing many fashion affiliate portfolios:

Join Aerie if:

• You are building a fashion/lifestyle business (not relying on just one program).
• Your audience cares about body positivity and inclusive brands.
• You can create content regularly (at least 1 to 2 posts each month).
• You are okay with waiting longer to make money.

Skip Aerie if:

• You need high commissions to make your effort worthwhile.
• You are targeting audiences outside their group (teens to 30s).
• You want easy, passive income without constant promotion.
• You rely on a single program for good income.

The truth is, Aerie has a strong brand but a frustratingly low commission. People trust and love the brand, so you will get sales. But you will need huge sales volume to earn serious money.

We see this pattern repeatedly: Fashion affiliates who sell across six to ten brands (including Aerie) earn a steady $1,000 to $3,000 per month. Those who put all their effort into a single 2% program struggle to earn $300 per month, even with lots of traffic.

Aerie deserves a spot in your fashion affiliate list. Just do not expect it to be your main source of income.

5 Better-Paying Aerie Alternatives

Looking for similar brands that pay higher commissions? Here is what sells well:

1. Victoria’s Secret Affiliate Program: The powerful alternative to Aerie with huge brand name recognition and higher average order values. Focus on wedding content, holiday gifts, and comfort-fit themes during busy shopping times.
2. Savage X Fenty Affiliate Program: Rihanna’s inclusive lingerie brand with bold styles and high demand. Focus on new collection drops and membership deals. Target fashion-forward audiences with trend stories, fit guides, and bundle ideas.
3. Adore Me Affiliate Program: A direct-to-consumer competitor that offers good value and variety. Adore Me has subscription options, a wide range of sizes, and frequent new releases. Win with try-on content, body-type-specific guides, and cost comparisons.
4. ThirdLove Affiliate Program: The brand focused on perfect fit, with half-cup sizing and data-driven fitting tools. ThirdLove sells well through educational content: bra-fit explanations, comfort reviews, and quiz recommendations. This is great for audiences looking for everyday comfort.
5. Parade Affiliate Program: A Gen-Z favorite with colorful basics, sustainable materials, and body-positive branding. Parade performs well with social media lookbooks, color-drop alerts, and bundle savings. Use seasonal colors and sustainability stories to capture impulse purchases.