Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I operate under my own agency name and brand?

  Yes. TPI’s philosophy is Your Brand. Your Business. Your Identity. You can operate under your own agency name, logo, website, domain, email, social media, marketing identity and brand.

• Who owns my clients?

  Your clients are your clients. TPI does not have a non-compete and does not operate a retail travel division competing with its advisors.

  If you leave TPI, you remain free to continue working in the travel industry and maintain your client relationships.

• What commission options does TPI offer?

  TPI offers 70%, 80% and 90% commission plans, allowing advisors to choose the membership/commission structure that best fits their business.

  We also have Platinum and Diamond options for qualifying high-producing advisors and agencies, which can include 100% commission.

• Is my commission split the same regardless of what I sell?

  Generally, yes. Your selected TPI split applies to the commission TPI receives on eligible commissionable bookings.

  What varies is the supplier commission rate. For example, one cruise line, hotel company or tour operator may pay TPI a different commission percentage than another supplier. The advisor’s selected TPI split is then applied to the applicable commission received.

  Certain special programs, incentives or compensation types may have their own rules.

• Are there minimum annual sales quotas?

  No. TPI does not require a general minimum sales quota to select or maintain the standard 70%, 80% or 90% commission plans.

• How and when are commissions paid?

  TPI pays advisor commissions twice a month via direct deposit.

  Once TPI receives and reconciles the supplier commission, it is included in the applicable payout cycle. TPI does not automatically hold an advisor’s commission simply because the client has not yet traveled if the supplier has already paid the commission.

• Can I charge professional planning or service fees?

  Yes. You can charge professional fees such as consultation, planning, concierge, group coordination, air-ticketing or other appropriate service fees.

  If you process the professional fee through your own compliant merchant account, you can retain 100% of that professional fee. Your personal merchant account is for professional fees and is not used to process the underlying client travel purchase.

  If a professional fee is processed through TPI’s Back Office, the applicable TPI commission split and processing fees apply.

• Does TPI provide leads?

  TPI is not a lead-distribution host agency.

  Our approach is to help you build your own sustainable business through marketing resources, supplier promotions, Signature Travel Network resources, business-development support, training and tools that help you attract and convert your own clients.

• What technology is included with TPI?

  TERN is now included with TPI at no additional cost within current TPI membership pricing.

  TERN provides capabilities including:

  • CRM/client management
  • Itineraries
  • Forms
  • Workflows and automations
  • Scheduling
  • Client communications
  • Professional service fees
  • Secure credit-card authorization
  • Group travel functionality
  • Traveler mobile app
  • AI capabilities
  • Agency/team functionality

  TERN is also becoming an increasingly important part of TPI’s back-office and commission-management environment.

• Am I required to use only TPI’s technology?

  No. You can use your own website, CRM, accounting platform, email marketing systems and other independently owned business tools alongside TPI.

• Can I build an agency and add advisors underneath me?

  Yes. TPI refers to advisors working under a Primary Advisor/agency owner as Associate Advisors.

  Agency owners can build a team under their own brand, and each Associate Advisor is properly onboarded with TPI before using TPI supplier relationships or credentials.

  The current standard Associate Advisor fee is $99.95 setup + $25/month per Associate Advisor. Platinum and Diamond structures differ.

  The Primary Advisor determines the internal compensation arrangement with their Associate Advisors.

• What happens if I leave TPI?

  Your clients remain your clients, and TPI does not have a non-compete.

  Advisors using TERN can also take their TERN account with them if they leave TPI, so leaving the host relationship does not require rebuilding their entire CRM and trip database from scratch.

  Open bookings, commissions and other financial matters continue to be handled according to the current Independent Contractor Agreement and applicable supplier rules.

• What kind of support do I receive?

  TPI is designed to provide support without taking away your independence. In other words, you stay independent, but you’re not on an island.

  Resources include onboarding support, Learning & Development, Agent Support, accounting and commission assistance, supplier escalation resources, technology support, marketing and business-development resources, advisor communities, events and ongoing training.

• Does TPI support group travel?

  Yes, and this is an area where our technology story has become particularly strong.

  TERN’s Group Trip functionality includes:

  • Group landing pages
  • Self-service traveler signup
  • Room/cabin selections
  • Individual traveler or household sub-trips
  • Separate payment schedules
  • Separate credit-card authorization flows
  • Group email
  • Group-level itinerary content
  • Synchronization of shared itinerary information across sub-trips
  • Individual customization without affecting the rest of the group

  Booking and pricing details remain specific to the individual sub-trip, which is particularly helpful for groups where each household is responsible for its own booking and payments.

  TPI also has supplier group resources and hotel group sourcing capabilities.

• What air-ticketing options are available?

  TPI provides several options depending on your experience and business needs.

  These include:

  • Amadeus Point & Click
  • TPI ACH Air Team support
  • Direct Amadeus or Sabre GDS access for qualified and approved Experienced Advisors
  • TPI’s ARC air-ticketing infrastructure
  • Air consolidator relationships

  Direct-GDS advisors have more control over their reservations but are also responsible for their own post-ticketing servicing, including exchanges, refunds and reissues.

  The current standard ticketing fee is $8 per PNR on Amadeus Point & Click.

• Do TPI advisors have access to Expedia TAAP?

  Yes. Expedia TAAP is available to TPI advisors through self-registration.

  Advisors can personally book and manage their clients’ Expedia TAAP reservations and have access to Expedia’s dedicated TAAP support.

  This gives advisors another client-booking option across hotels, air, car rentals, activities, transfers and packages.

• I already have travel-industry experience. Do I have to go through beginner training?

  Not necessarily.

  TPI distinguishes between New-to-Industry and Experienced Advisors. Someone with meaningful prior travel-industry experience should be evaluated for the Experienced Advisor onboarding path rather than automatically being placed into beginner training.

  For New-to-Industry advisors, Travel Planners Academy is our primary training recommendation.

• What does Signature Travel Network add to the TPI relationship?

  TPI’s relationship with Signature Travel Network gives you access to additional supplier, marketing and technology resources.

  This can include preferred supplier benefits, marketing programs, supplier content and tools such as supplier microsites. For example, Signature supplier microsites can provide professional consumer-facing supplier content while keeping you connected to the client relationship.

• Does TPI provide a consumer-facing booking option?

  Yes. TPI offers the optional Vacation Specialist consumer website program, which gives you another client-facing online presence and booking option while allowing you to build under your own agency brand.

• Can TPI support an existing agency or corporation rather than just an individual advisor?

  Yes. We are increasingly speaking with existing agency owners, corporations and technology-enabled travel businesses that want to remain consumer-facing under their own brand while using TPI for the host infrastructure underneath them.

  The exact structure depends on how their advisors, booking workflow and technology are set up, but this is absolutely a conversation we are open to having.