Travel agent commission rates by supplier type: hotels, cruise, tours, insurance and more

Travel agent commission rates are set by each supplier, and most don't publish them. Of those that do, Marriott and Hilton pay 8–10% of room revenue. Virgin Voyages pays 16% on cruise fares, and Aman at Sea 10% for May 2027 to December 2028. One tour operator publishes 5%. Delta, American and Continental dropped base commission in 2002.

Commission is a percentage of a smaller number than the trip price. Here is what named suppliers publish, what they leave out of the calculation, and how to work out what a booking actually pays.

What is a travel agent commission?

A commission is the share of a booking that the supplier pays the agency that sold it. The supplier sets the rate, and in most cases pays it after the guest travels. Marriott pays only on consumed reservations, and Aman at Sea pays within 30 days after a voyage sails.

The rate applies to the commissionable amount, not to everything the traveler pays. Taxes, fees, discounts and add-ons are often taken out first. For how commission flows from supplier to agency to advisor, see the supplier commission guide.

Travel agent commission rates by supplier type

These are the rates named suppliers publish on their own public pages, as published, checked October 2026. "Not published" means we found no public rate.

There is no published industry average in this table, and we don't calculate one. Waybird, a host agency, says suppliers pay somewhere between 7 and 20 per cent depending on what is booked. Treat that as a host's range, not a survey.

What do hotels pay travel agents?

Marriott pays 10% or 8%. Agencies in its Preferred Travel Agency (PTA) program get 10% on consumed transient reservations at commissionable rates. Everyone else gets 8%. To qualify, an owner or manager signs the PTA commitment, and the agency keeps at least one qualified advisor for each accreditation number. A qualified advisor completes Marriott's Hotel Excellence training.

Marriott pays only on room revenue the guest actually used. Late-cancellation and no-show fees aren't commissionable. Extended-stay brands such as Residence Inn pay for up to the first 29 nights.

Hilton pays up to 10%. In the US, Mexico and Canada, that is 10% of room revenue only. Elsewhere it is 8% of room revenue including tax, or 10% excluding tax. In the US, Mexico and Canada, all-inclusive stays pay 10% on the room rate without tax, gratuities and resort fees. Hilton then applies a 3% processing fee on all commission payments, so 10% nets you 9.7%.

IHG doesn't publish a rate on its public pages. Its public FAQ says to create an account and log in to the IHG Agent Portal, then go to the Commissions page.

What do cruise lines pay travel agents?

Virgin Voyages publishes 16%. Its advisor site lists 16% commission on voyage fare and prepaid gratuities, plus earnings on extras such as Bar Tab and Shore Things. It also says there are no NCFs.

An NCF (non-commissionable fare) is the part of a cruise price that earns no commission. Aman at Sea's policy lists what it leaves out: port charges, government fees and taxes, fuel surcharges, onboard credits and discounts.

Aman at Sea publishes 10%. Its trade policy pays 10% on Commissionable Revenue from May 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028. Commissionable Revenue is the published voyage fare minus the items above, transfers, shore experiences and administrative fees. A cancellation fee earns commission only if it equals 100% of the voyage fare.

Most big-ship lines don't publish a base rate. Carnival's public trade site, for example, showed no rate when we checked. Expect to find the rate in each line's trade portal or in your host's agreement.

What do tour operators pay travel agents?

Tour operators rarely publish a rate. Tripsite, a bike-and-boat tour company, is an exception. It pays licensed agents 5% on the base tour price, excluding any supplement such as single, seasonal, or optional services. It pays after the tour ends, and more commission may be offered for bigger groups.

Larger operators keep rates in their agent tools. Globus's agent site gives no percentage but advertises an average commission per booking of $1,200. G Adventures' public agents page sends advisors to its Sherpa booking portal.

Can you earn commission on travel insurance?

Yes, but the insurers we checked don't publish a rate. Allianz Partners says only that electronic orders via My Account or AgentMax pay our best commission. Seven Corners' agent page lists no rate.

State law decides who may be paid. In Iowa, a travel retailer such as an agency can offer travel insurance under a licensed limited lines travel insurance producer. It may receive related compensation if it is on the register that producer keeps. Its unlicensed staff may not evaluate or interpret the coverage's technical terms, or advise on a traveler's existing insurance. Check your own state's rules. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Do car rental companies and rail pay commission?

Some do, but none we checked publishes a rate on its public pages. Hertz's agent site redirects to a travel agent login page. Amtrak says agencies earn commission on reservations booked and ticketed through Amtrak Vacations, and its RailAgent site offers commission to international agents and tour operators.

Do airlines pay travel agents commission?

Not as a base rate in the US. In March 2002, American and Continental said they would no longer pay a base commission for tickets issued by travel agents in the U.S. and Canada, a week after Delta. Many advisors charge a service fee for air instead. See how to sell flights without an IATA code for the fee rules.

What affects your commission rate?

The same booking can pay different amounts depending on who you are and what you sell.

1. Preferred status. Marriott pays 10% to Preferred Travel Agencies and 8% to the rest. Stop meeting the criteria and you drop to 8%.
2. Consortium and agency agreements. Aman at Sea's 10% applies unless a different rate is set in a separate agreement with the agency or its consortium. Consortium agencies also earn pro-rata commission on cancellation fees. Others don't. If you're hosted, ask your host agency which consortium agreements your bookings fall under.
3. Volume and groups. Tripsite may pay more for bigger groups. Virgin Voyages calls its 16% only the start. None of the suppliers above publishes a volume tier table.
4. What's non-commissionable. Taxes, port charges, resort fees, discounts and onboard credits are often excluded. Hilton's US rate covers room revenue only.
5. Fees on the payment. Hilton's 3% processing fee comes off the commission, not the booking.
6. The right number on the booking. Marriott pays only when an ARC, IATA, IATAN, TIDS or CLIA number is present at booking. Hilton pays only agencies registered with a Hilton-accredited organization such as IATA or TIDS.

How is travel agent commission calculated? An illustrative example

This example is illustrative. The prices are made up. The rates and rules come from Hilton's and Aman at Sea's published policies.

Hotel. A US Hilton stay: 4 nights at $250, plus $140 in taxes and a $100 resort fee. Hilton's US rate is 10% of room revenue only.

Cruise. An Aman at Sea voyage with a published fare of $20,000, a $2,000 promotional discount and $900 in port charges and taxes. Aman pays 10% of Commissionable Revenue, which excludes discounts and port charges.

The hotel pays 7.8% of what the traveler spent. The cruise pays 9.5%. That gap is why "10%" is never the whole story.

If the cruise client cancels and Aman keeps 50% of the fare, a consortium agency earns 50% of the commission, or $900 here. An agency without a consortium agreement earns nothing.

If you work under a host, your commission split then divides what the agency receives.

Five rules for getting the commission you're owed

1. Put your accreditation number on every booking. Marriott pays only when the number is present at booking, and Hilton pays only agencies registered with an accredited body.
2. Quote commissionable rates. If a Marriott guest switches to a non-commissionable rate at check-in, no commission will be paid.
3. Know what's excluded before you price. Work out commission on the commissionable amount, not the total.
4. Track claim windows. Marriott takes missing-commission claims between 45 days and 12 months after departure. Hilton takes inquiries within 12 months of guest departure. See how to recover unpaid commission.
5. Don't rebate below the published fare without consent. Aman at Sea bars it, except at the agency's sole expense, and can suspend agencies that advertise below its fares.

How Tripdash handles commission

Tripdash's host agency includes IATA accreditation, E&O insurance and supplier access, and you keep 80%+ of every booking. What each booking pays still depends on the supplier rates above. See Tripdash for advisors.

Sources

1. Marriott. Commission policy, as published, checked October 2026.
2. Marriott. Commission FAQs, as published, checked October 2026.
3. Marriott. Hotel Excellence! FAQs, January 2026 update, checked October 2026.
4. Hilton. Transient commissions, as published, checked October 2026.
5. IHG. IHG Agent Portal: Commissions, as published, checked October 2026.
6. Virgin Voyages. First Mates, as published, checked October 2026.
7. Aman at Sea. Trade Policy, September 2026, covering May 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028.
8. Carnival Cruise Line. GoCCL trade site, checked October 2026.
9. Tripsite. Travel agents, as published, checked October 2026.
10. Globus family of brands. Why Globus, as published, checked October 2026.
11. G Adventures. Agents, as published, checked October 2026.
12. Allianz Partners. Travel agent partners, as published, checked October 2026.
13. Seven Corners. Travel agents, as published, checked October 2026.
14. Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code § 515K.3, Licensing and registration: limited lines travel insurance producers and travel retailers, 2024.
15. Amtrak. Travel Agent Resource Center, as published, checked October 2026.
16. Aviation Week. AA, CO follow Delta in cutting commissions, March 19, 2002.
17. Waybird (runs its own hosted program). 9 questions to ask a host agency before you join, August 19, 2026.