TripAdvisor is one of the world’s biggest travel platforms. It was established in 2000 to help travelers plan and book the best trips of their lives. It has over 800 million reviews on millions of accommodations.
And today, it ensures that each month, at least 400 million travelers get the best option.
TripAdvisor has an affiliate program for those who have built a following/audience in the travel niche. In this article, we’ll explore all there is to know about the TripAdvisor affiliate program and how to take advantage of it to earn a passive online income. Let’s dive in!
Affiliate Marketing Programs
Affiliate marketing allows businesses to employ others to market their products through web content. In turn, they offer these marketers a commission for their efforts. This commission depends on factors like product type, the number of referrals, or views, etc.
Travel affiliate programs like TripAdvisor provide an opportunity for bloggers and influencers in the travel industry to earn a decent amount of passive income monthly.
The TripAdvisor Affiliate Program
The program allows publishers to collaborate with TripAdvisor in providing excellent reviews to travelers. These publishers offer content and a site where they advertise TripAdvisor. In return, TripAdvisor offers them a percentage of its earnings as a commission.
However, due to the large number of applications received, it takes a while before an application is accepted. However, the program is not exclusive. As such, you can apply and work for other travel affiliate programs.
How to Sign up for The Program
Currently, the TripAdvisor affiliate program operates in partnership with two affiliate networks.
- Awin
- CJ Affiliate
To join the TripAdvisor affiliate program, you need to register through them. However, their sole condition is that you must have a website. If you don’t, click here to find out how to get one. Then you can follow the steps below.
Step 1
Sign up for free on any of the affiliate networks of your choice. You may consider their payout options below before selecting a preferred affiliate network. To join Awin, click here. On the other hand, to join CJ Affiliate, click here.
Step 2
Search for the TripAdvisor affiliate program on the network platform of your selected affiliate website. Then, apply to be part of the program.
Step 3
Utilize the links provided by the affiliate networks to create a personal link back to TripAdvisor. You can then add the links to your site and begin to earn a decent amount of passive income.
What Products Can You Earn Commission on?
TripAdvisor offers services related to restaurants, flights, hotels, and car rentals, among others. However, you can only earn a commission marketing Hotels.
Commission Structure
TripAdvisor offers you a minimum of 50% commission. This means you get 50% of whatever they get paid. Even better, your site visitors don’t need to make a hotel booking before you get paid.
As long as your site visitor clicks on any of the hotel booking links on TripAdvisor, you automatically earn a commission.
However, the amount you earn per click depends on factors such as:
- Booking partner
- Hotel
- Season
- Length of stay.
What Tools Do You Get from TripAdvisor
To make advertising for TripAdvisor easier, you get tools such as:
- Banners
- Widgets
- Logos
- Text links
- Badges
- Buttons.
What Is TripAdvisor’s Cookie Policy?
TripAdvisor has a 14-day cookie duration or referral window. As such, once a site visitor returns within 14 days and clicks any of the booking links, you get a reward.
Also, it doesn’t matter whether they come back through another device or channel. You’ll still get compensated for your work.
What Are The Payment Options?
The affiliate network you registered through makes payments.
For Awin
This network carries out its payments on the 1st and 15th of every month. However, if you decide to get paid once a month, you get paid on the 15th of a new month. Awin also offers payment in BACS, ACH, or international wire transfers.
Click here to learn more about Awin’s payment policy.
For CJ Affiliate
This network pays within 20 days following the end of a month. It makes payments through two methods.
- Direct transfer: The affiliate network credits your account with your accumulated commission. Still, you must have met a $50 minimum payment requirement.
- Check: The affiliate network issues you a check worth your accumulated commission. However, it has a minimum payment requirement of $100.
Luckily, in both cases, it combines your commission on all your programs. Then, it uses it to determine if you have met the minimum payment requirement. So, if you register for more than one affiliate program on the same network, it’s a big plus for you.
How to Make it Big With The TripAdvisor Affiliate Program
Although this program doesn’t pay as much as joining a luxury affiliate program, you can still rake in tons of cash with it. Here are a few tips on how to make it big with this program.
1. Write smartly
To succeed in the TripAdvisor affiliate program, you need to write intelligently. This will also ensure that you capture your audience’s attention. For instance, you should recommend alternative options.
So, whatever the budget or choice of your site visitor is, your selection remains appealing. Cross-selling isn’t a bad idea, either. Telling them how attractive a restaurant 1000 miles away is, means they’ll need a hotel when they get there.
2. Place your links strategically
You also need to ensure your links are embedded in your post attractively. Through this, your readers will be interested in exploring your links.
For instance, avoid placing your links at the end of your post. Instead, put your links next to descriptive sentences or paragraphs. Also, try to include your links in already existing top posts of yours.
3. Apply SEO
There are most likely hundreds of articles on whatever you’re promoting. You need to ensure yours is at the top of the list when people search on the subject. To do this, ensure your post contains relevant keywords that interest people.
You should also consider picking less competitive keywords with a large search volume. As such, you can enjoy the double advantage of prominence and a broad audience.
Other options include using social media marketing, backlinking, and email marketing, among others.
Merits of The TripAdvisor Affiliate Program
By joining this program, you tend to benefit from its:
- Multiple registration options
- High commission rate
- Fair cookie lifetime
- Available support team.
Other Competitive Affiliate Programs
To earn more, you can combine other travel affiliate programs with the TripAdvisor affiliate program. These other programs include.
- Agoda affiliate program
- Booking.com affiliate program,
- Expedia affiliate program
- Skyscanner affiliate program
- Trivago affiliate program.
1. Agoda affiliate program
This program is owned by Agoda and comes with over 920 000 accommodations. It offers a commission between 4% to 7% depending on the number of completed hotel stays.
It also comes with tons of customizable tools. So, you can easily integrate Agoda into your site. Compared to other alternatives, it has a higher minimum payment requirement pegged at $200.
2. Booking.com affiliate program
This is another top option thanks to its global appeal. It offers a reasonable commission ranging between 25% to 40%. This now depends on the number of referrals per month. However, it has no cookie lifetime as your cookie disappears once the page or browser is closed.
Registration is also pretty convenient. You can register with Booking.com directly and get approved in less than 30 hours. You then get cool tools such as banners, map widgets, and link generators that make marketing easier.
3. Expedia affiliate program
This program is another excellent opportunity to explore the travel niche and make money. For your stress, it rewards you with a commission between 2% and 6%. It also offers a 7-day referral window. So, you don’t lose commission just because site visitors fail to book on the same day they opened your link.
4. Skyscanner affiliate program
This affiliate program is one of the best alternatives due to its high commission and longer cookie duration. It offers 50% of its commission for every purchase made through your links.
Plus, any booking made within 30 days after your site visitors use your link gets attributed to you.
You also enjoy cool rewards when any of your site visitors install the Skyscanner app on their device. Also, like the TripAdvisor affiliate program, it operates in partnership with CJ.
Final words
The TripAdvisor affiliate program offers you a great opportunity. You get to explore the travel industry and make cool cash. However, you have to register, then produce top contents to make it big in the program. Now that you know, over to you.
