Travel Agent Commission

Does anyone know how the TA commission is based, a flat rate for the booking or what type of cabin is booked?

Our TA gets certain percentage depending on the cabin type we book -- the cost of the cruise -- in order words -- the longer the cruise and the higher cabin category we book, the bigger commission she gets.

Our TA gets certain percentage depending on the cabin type we book -- the cost of the cruise -- in order words -- the longer the cruise and the higher cabin category we book, the bigger commission she gets.

yes indeeds that true. just like in most professions:

cars - more expensive higher commission

real estate - moere expensive higher commission

grocery shopping - more u buy..the more the store makes

insurance agents - higher the premium...higher the commission

airline tickets - the higher the price, the more airlines make

waiters - the higher the bill - the more the waiter makes on a tip....

just want to make the original poster that this rules does not only apply to travel agents - its a life thing....its the way the world turns...

yes indeeds that true. just like in most professions:

cars - more expensive higher commission

real estate - moere expensive higher commission

grocery shopping - more u buy..the more the store makes

insurance agents - higher the premium...higher the commission

airline tickets - the higher the price, the more airlines make

waiters - the higher the bill - the more the waiter makes on a tip....

 

just want to make the original poster that this rules does not only apply to travel agents - its a life thing....its the way the world turns...

True, but some in some professions, people work on straight commission, while others work on salary + commission, and then there are those who work on salary + bonus. I think this is what the OP was asking.

I have always been curious as to when the Travel Agent receives his/her commission on your cruise. Is it after final payment? Or is it after you return from your cruise? I am too chicken to ask our travel agency. Always wanted to know.

I have always been curious as to when the Travel Agent receives his/her commission on your cruise. Is it after final payment? Or is it after you return from your cruise? I am too chicken to ask our travel agency. Always wanted to know.

I believe it's after you board; it's not before. I don't know if you have to complete the cruise.

Hi Everyone, I'll answer all your travel agent questions. I'm a TA in NYC and I don't make a salary but just work on commissions. You are right about the more you purchase from a cruise the more we get in commissions. How Commissions work is that the Cruise Lines will pay us. They will pay us between 15% to 20% depending on the sales of the agency. From my agency I'll make at least 11% of the sale and the travel agency will make the rest. The travel agency will get the commision when the final payment is made by the client. The Cruise Line will probably take a few weeks to cut the check to the agency though. When I work with a client, they can e-mail or call me as much and they want and I never charge them anything for my time. I will also give my clients extra perks like onboard credit, wine, a free dinner at a specialty restaurant and so on. I hope this helps and have a nice day.

So, if a travel agent gives you a 12 percent discount, would it come out of their commission, and then they only have 3 to 8 percent left?

Costco TA told me that that they receive no comission.

Hi Everyone, I'll answer all your travel agent questions. I'm a TA in NYC and I don't make a salary but just work on commissions. You are right about the more you purchase from a cruise the more we get in commissions. How Commissions work is that the Cruise Lines will pay us. They will pay us between 15% to 20% depending on the sales of the agency. From my agency I'll make at least 11% of the sale and the travel agency will make the rest. The travel agency will get the commision when the final payment is made by the client. The Cruise Line will probably take a few weeks to cut the check to the agency though. When I work with a client, they can e-mail or call me as much and they want and I never charge them anything for my time. I will also give my clients extra perks like onboard credit, wine, a free dinner at a specialty restaurant and so on. I hope this helps and have a nice day.

I know there's govt tax and there are 'non-commissionable' fees, so is the 15-20% you're referring to based just on the basic fare, the cost shown online before all the fees are added on?

Is that what an independent agent gets too if there's no 'agency'?

One wonders what you would think if someone asked your boss what your salary was. Why is this important? I do not use a TA (nor am I one), but if I did all I would be concerned with is the level of service I was being provided by the individual. Their income is their own business.

I have always been curious as to when the Travel Agent receives his/her commission on your cruise. Is it after final payment? Or is it after you return from your cruise? I am too chicken to ask our travel agency. Always wanted to know.

It depends upon the cruise line's policy. My TA told me some pay before, some after.

I've been wondering this.... Do you consider it appropriate to give a little thank you gift to you TA after a trip? I'm thinking of creating a small photo book of scenic pictures from the trip or sending her a gift card for dinner....

What do you think?

the more expensive the property doesn't mean the % of commission is higher, it's usually less although the actual $ may be higher. Rarely will the seller pay 6% on a property over $1mm.

The standard commission is 10%, but it is not based on the total fare. There are deductions.

Example:

A gross fare for two of $1,595.18 with no air or CPP would have these deductions.

Taxes and fees -$177.18

Non commissionable amount -$340.00

Net $1,078.00

Commission $107.80

HAL also pays commissions if you buy a CPP plan, but not on air fares or shore excursions.

I don't know of other circumstances with big agencies.

Bill

Ancient Mariner.

Thanks for the information.

I've been wondering this.... Do you consider it appropriate to give a little thank you gift to you TA after a trip? I'm thinking of creating a small photo book of scenic pictures from the trip or sending her a gift card for dinner....

 

What do you think?

I think it depends on how much work and communication your TA did for you. On one cruise we took all the TA did was the booking, nothing else. She only does cruises, no airfare unless it's through the cruise line. So we booked our own airfare. We also did our own travel insurance. I felt that her commission from the cruise line was payment enough for what she did.

However, for the cruises we currently have booked she's done quite a bit more work. Besides booking the cruise she did our insurance with an independent company we wanted. On one cruise where we booked the air it kept getting changed and we finally got a refund and booked with another airline. Our TA had to cancel our post-cruise hotel and had to keep changing our flight info with cruise line for our pre-cruise pickup/transfer.

After we'd added airfare we forwarded a copy of the receipt and she had the value added to the insurance program.

On the other cruise I added a B2B to it which required several changes in the original booking, including calling insurance to add value and to change dates.

We will definitely be giving her some kind of gift after our next cruises. She had to do much more than just book the cruise.

So, I think it depends on what your TA has done for you.

So if you book online yourself, what happens with the commission? Do they just keep it?

And I thought that TA's did it just for the fun of it! I was using the same TA for over 10 years with a nary an incentive or bottle of wine. We referred our friends to her and ususally had everything worked before we handed it over to her. I now book all of my own travel on line and direct through the cruise lines. It's a shame that she lost our business, but after reading some of the perks other travelers received, we took our business elsewhere.

I've been wondering this.... Do you consider it appropriate to give a little thank you gift to you TA after a trip? I'm thinking of creating a small photo book of scenic pictures from the trip or sending her a gift card for dinner....

 

What do you think?

I think the best gift we can give him is more business, and steering more customers to him where possible.

Hi Everyone, I'll answer all your travel agent questions. I'm a TA in NYC and I don't make a salary but just work on commissions. You are right about the more you purchase from a cruise the more we get in commissions. How Commissions work is that the Cruise Lines will pay us. They will pay us between 15% to 20% depending on the sales of the agency. From my agency I'll make at least 11% of the sale and the travel agency will make the rest. The travel agency will get the commision when the final payment is made by the client. The Cruise Line will probably take a few weeks to cut the check to the agency though. When I work with a client, they can e-mail or call me as much and they want and I never charge them anything for my time. I will also give my clients extra perks like onboard credit, wine, a free dinner at a specialty restaurant and so on. I hope this helps and have a nice day.

This satisfies my curiosity. I always wondered about it and now I know.

Johanna

Some must get more and some must get less how else could there be a 15% variance in prices charged between regular agents and online agents. I once asked if i could have the online price over the phone, i was told it was not possible because they had to pay the salesperson there %.

Are HAL PCCs (in Seattle) and shipboard FCCs salary + commission, or just salary? If a shipboard FCC books a cruise for you that immediately transfers to the TA you used for that cruise, does the FCC get anything above a base salary for their time? Or do the FCC and the TA split some commission?

And I thought that TA's did it just for the fun of it! I was using the same TA for over 10 years with a nary an incentive or bottle of wine. We referred our friends to her and ususally had everything worked before we handed it over to her. I now book all of my own travel on line and direct through the cruise lines. It's a shame that she lost our business, but after reading some of the perks other travelers received, we took our business elsewhere.

I would have done the same thing. With all the competition both on and off line, your TA definitely did know how to keep her customers.

I have used the same agent for 15 years and she shows her appreciation of my business, and the new business I send her, in many ways.

What happens if you cancel after final payment and don't use HAL's insurance? Does the T/A still get the commission (they should, since HAL keeps all your money!)?