Travel affiliate programs
Travel programs pay on completed trips, so income arrives after the travel date. Tours and activities pay higher percentages than hotels.
| Program | Commission | Cookie | Network | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | Share of Booking.com's commission | Not stated | CJ | Third-party figures |
| Expedia | Varies; about 4% hotels | 7 days | Expedia Group | Checked on the brand's own page |
| GetYourGuide | 8% (direct) | 31 days | Direct, Awin | Partly confirmed |
| Viator | 4%–8% | 30 days | Direct, Awin | Partly confirmed |
What to check before you join
Travel programs pay on completed trips, so a booking made today earns nothing until after the travel date, and a cancellation reverses it. Here, the tours and activities programs, Viator (4% to 8%) and GetYourGuide (8% when you join directly), have cookies of about 30 days, while Expedia lists about 4% on hotels with a 7-day cookie and Booking.com shares part of its own commission. Destination guides and itineraries suit tours and activities best; hotel programs work better for sites that compare where to stay.
Which program suits your site
- Booking.comHotel, destination and road-trip content with readers booking accommodation worldwide.
- ExpediaTravel blogs, destination guides and hotel roundups, especially content that also covers vacation rentals (Vrbo).
- GetYourGuideTravel guides and city itineraries that recommend tours, tickets and day trips.
- ViatorDestination guides and travel blogs that recommend tours and activities, where readers book ahead of a trip.