When it comes to earning online, travel is a great niche to consider. The worldwide tourism industry is creating more than tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars in online travel revenue in 2025. In fact, it is estimated to reach an estimated 838 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. This implies that affiliate marketers have immense opportunities to earn revenue by endorsing travel-related products and services. In this post, I’m going to take you through some of the highest paying travel affiliate programs out there, explain how they work and give some tips on how to choose the best one for your audience.
What Is a Travel Affiliate Program?
Travel affiliate programs allow you to make money by introducing products that are related to travel, such as hotel and tickets booking, cars rentals, travel tours and insurance, etc. You receive a percentage or set amount when someone visits the site through your link and completes a purchase. These programs are also popular, as travel is an evergreen niche, and people are looking to book everything online.
8 Highest Paying Travel Affiliate Programs to Join This Year
Tripadvisor Program
Tripadvisor is the world’s largest travel review platform, known for its hotel reviews and travel advice. Their affiliates receive a 50% commission on the revenue made by Tripadvisor from hotel bookings (it changes to 80% on special campaigns). One unique aspect is that you can earn commissions even when users don’t book immediately but instead click through to booking partners. The cookie life is 14 days.
Pros:
- High commission rates (50%-80%)
- No booking required to earn commission; clicks count.
- Well-known brand, with lots of traffic.
Cons:
- The platform exclusively offers commission for hotel bookings, not for flights or restaurant reservations.
Tripadvisor stands out due to its effortless promotion, a substantial volume of traffic, and reliable reviews. If your content is on hotels, this would be a great option. If you wish to join, visit our Tripadvisor affiliate program review.
Travelpayouts Network
Travelpayouts is a popular travel affiliate networks with a variety of affiliate programs (flights, hotels, car rentals and even insurance). The commission rates vary, with some offers reaching as high as 80%. This network is perfect for affiliates interested in advertising multiple travel services from one source.
Pros:
- Several options in one network
- High commissions up to 80%
- Good cookie periods (30 days)
Cons:
- May be difficult to use because of many offers
Travelpayouts is well known for its versatility and diversity. Join if you like trying out different travel products.
The WP Travel Program
WP Travel is a WordPress plugin helps create travel agency websites. Their commission is a 30% flat, and that is really generous. It’s perfect for bloggers or marketers who have an audience on WordPress interested in creating travel sites.
Pros:
- High flat 30% commission
- Quick and easy sign-up and approval
- Perfect for WordPress travel bloggers
Cons:
- You can only promote the WP Travel plugin or other associated products.
If you operate a blog or run a website about travels, the WP Travel program will help you make high commissions by recommending a useful tool.
Trip.com Program
Trip.com is a comprehensive travel service website supplying all types of travel products, such as hotels, flights, trains, and tours. Their commission rate is up to 8% and a 30-day cookie duration, which is longer than Tripadvisor. This program is great if you want to earn commission on several travel products in one place.
Pros:
- Many products to promote (hotels, flights and tours)
- Up to 8% commission
- Extended cookies (30 days)
- Good marketing support
Cons:
- The commission on hotels is slightly lower than that offered by Tripadvisor.
I recommend Trip.com if your audience is diverse and interested in booking various types of travel services, not just hotels.
Expedia Affiliate Program
Expedia is a large travel company with an expansive reach (over 3 million properties around the world). Their commission rates run the gamut: 4% for hotels, 2% for vacation rentals, and 4% for activities. The cookie duration is much shorter, at around 7 days, and payouts are monthly following completed trips (which take 60-150 days).
Pros:
- There is a vast selection of hotels, flights, cars, and cruises available.
- Trusted global brand.
Cons:
- Commissions are lower than others.
- It takes a long time to get payouts.
Expedia is an excellent choice if you want to promote around a dozen travel products or so and are okay with extended payout cycles. Joining is simple! Here is how to enroll in the Expedia affiliate program.
Booking.com Affiliate Program
Booking.com is a popular online hotel reservation service worldwide. As an affiliate, you can earn around 4% on the booking of hotels, as they have a wide range of properties and more. Their program uses a 30-day cookie window. Booking.com offer great support and lots of resources for their affiliates.
Pros:
- Large hotel selection around the world.
- Trusted brand that converts very well.
- Decent affiliate support and tools.
Cons:
- Moderate commission percentage compared to some others.
If you’re looking to promote hotels from a reliable brand with consistent commission rates, Booking.com is a safe choice.
Agoda Affiliate Program
Agoda specializes in Asian destinations, but it also features global hotels. They offer a 7% commission and 30-day cookie window. Agoda is a favorite among thrifty travelers and for bookings in Asia.
Pros:
- Higher commission (up to 7%).
- Strong presence in Asia.
- 30-day cookie duration.
Cons:
- Not as global as Booking.com or Expedia.
If your audience targets Asian travelers or budget tourists, Agoda makes perfect sense.
Viator Affiliate Program
Viator concentrates on tours and activities rather than accommodation. They pay a commission of around 8%, which is pretty decent for this market. If your content focuses on travel experiences and activities, offering Viator promotions is really worth considering.
Pros:
- Decent commission on tours and activities.
- A variety of experiences are available all over the world.
Cons:
- For tours and activities only.
For travel bloggers who want to develop an additional revenue stream outside of hotels and flights and capitalize on the experience market, I think Viator is a valuable resource. Visit the Viator affiliate program page and follow our step-by- step guide to sign-up.
Tips for Picking the Right Travel Affiliate Program
Before joining any of these highest paying travel affiliate programs, you need to keep in mind:
- Commission Rates: The higher the commission rates, the more money you’ll make on every sale. Search for programs where commissions start at 5% or higher.
- Cookie Duration: This is the number of days after a user clicks your link you can earn a commission. Your chances of receiving payment increase with the length of the cookies.
- Product Diversity: With programs that have a variety of products (hotels, flights, tours), you can speak to a number of different traveler needs.
- Minimum Payout & Payment Method: Look for acceptable payout minimums and easy payment options such as PayPal and bank transfer.
- Affiliate Resources: You need to know if the program offers tracking, marketing, and support.
How to Succeed in Travel Affiliate Marketing
Here are a few pointers that I find really helpful for steady results in affiliate marketing:
- Know Your Audience: Stay tuned in to programs that match your readers’ travel interests—luxury, discount, adventure, or family travel.
- Write Good Content: Reviews, city guides, and suggestions for travel often perform well.
- Leverage More Than One Channel: Share your links on your blog, YouTube, social media, and in your email newsletters.
- Monitor Performance: Utilize affiliate dashboards to optimize your performance based on what works.
- Stay Informed: You should consistently update your content and promotions based on the patterns of people’s travel adjustments.
Final Thoughts
Travel affiliate marketing is a booming industry with tons of high-paying programs to choose from. From all these highest paying travel affiliate programs, I like the Tripadvisor affiliate program due to its good commissions and unique click-based earnings; however, I also appreciate the variety offered by Trip.com and Travelpayouts. If you’re a travel writer or blog owner, a combination of a few of these programs can help you to increase your income and at the same time offer value to your readers.
For sure, success starts with the right program and delivering helpful travel content, not click-baiting readers or manipulating search engines. With the right system, you can convert your love for travel into a recurring income source.
Check these top airline affiliate programs for other ways to monetize your traffic. Also, follow us on social media for super affiliate tips:
Sources:
- www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/worldwide
- www.authorityhacker.com/travel-affiliate/
- www.publift.com/blog/highest-paying-affiliate-niches
- www.ecomobi.com/travel-affiliate-programs-with-the-highest-commissions/
Hello folk,
I’m here to provide you with tips, tricks, and guidance on how to join affiliate programs and monetize your sites or social media accounts. On the right of the site, you can find a list of categories. Just click on those that interest you and see the affiliate programs available. Join those that fit with your writing expertise and your target audience. If you like my posts, please give me a like here:
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