Expedia Affiliate Program: How It Works, Payment Details & More

Do you want to share your favorite travel tips on your blog?

If you want to do so and make money, you may want to join the Expedia affiliate program.

The program offers some great benefits, but it’s not the right choice for everyone.

Consider the basics and the details to learn if you should join as an Expedia affiliate.

Does Expedia Have an Affiliate Program?

Expedia does have an affiliate program for the company’s many brands.

That means you can promote products on other select travel websites.

You won’t have to join and manage multiple affiliate programs.

What Is the Expedia Affiliate Program?

The Expedia affiliate program covers Expedia, Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Ebookers.

Expedia offers materials to help you market the program so that you can get sales.

You’ll apply through the Expedia website.

How Does the Expedia Affiliate Program Work?

The Expedia affiliate program works like other programs.

You have to drive traffic to the booking site and use your affiliate links to have the sale tracked back to you.

When you make a sale, Expedia will credit your account until you reach the payout threshold, which is when they’ll pay you.

You can choose the payment method, so you can get the money electronically or receive a physical check.

Is the Expedia Affiliate Program Free?

Fortunately, joining the Expedia affiliate program is free since you just need to apply.

However, if you’ve never used Expedia as a customer, you might want to try it.

That way, you can make sure you like and trust the service before recommending it to your audience.

While you can recommend services you haven’t used, you don’t want to break the trust of your readers.

If you are unsure about Expedia, it might be best to find similar programs to promote.

What Products Can You Promote for the Expedia Affiliate Program?

Travel is among the best niches for affiliate marketing.

While Expedia doesn’t pay a high commission rate, the products and services are usually more expensive, so you can make more from a sale.

Consider some of the best features of this affiliate program.

Then, you can make the most of it to further increase your income potential.

1. Banners

When you join Expedia’s affiliate program, you’ll get access to banners.

These don’t have to be intrusive to attract clicks and sales, but can still be eye-catching rather than text-based.

2. Search Widget

Search widgets fit right in with the content already on your site.

You won’t have to do a complete redesign to add this functionality.

Once you set it up, your readers can search for something.

The widget will show travel-related results to drive traffic using your affiliate link.

3. Deeplinks

The Expedia link tool creates trackable links easily within your dashboard.

You can paste these links into a blog post or on a page, and link to specific parts of the Expedia site.

So, if you want to promote a specific deal, you can do so.

You won’t have to only share the homepage and hope people click from there to a booking page.

4. Package Deals Widget

Sharing discounts is an effective way to increase affiliate sales.

The package deals widget lets you share deals on flights, cars, and hotels.

You can add a widget to your site to help your readers decide where to travel next.

If they click on the widget, they’ll save money on their next vacation, and you can make some money in the process.

5. Affiliate Hub

Once you join the Expedia affiliate program, you’ll have access to their affiliate hub.

It puts the company’s affiliate marketing tools in one place., and you can use the hub to create links or widgets to drive sales.

The hub also shows you metrics detailing your performance and other data.

You can use this feature to track your earnings and other metrics to help increase clicks and sales.

Other Things You Can Promote With This Program

As mentioned, you can promote more than just Expedia deals.

The program includes niche products from all brands under the Expedia group, such as Hotels.com and Travelocity.

What Products Are Excluded From the Expedia Affiliate Program?

Expedia won’t pay you for certain promotions or pre-packaged trips.

Also, if a car transaction is greater than $5,000, they will reverse it from your account and not pay you a commission.

How Much Do Expedia Affiliates Make?

If you’re looking into travel blogging, you may want to know if it’s a profitable niche.

Luckily, you can make good money if you promote the right products and services.

You’ll also need to be consistent, especially since the Expedia commission rates are quite low.

For better or worse, how much a blogger makes depends on multiple factors far beyond having a captive audience or interesting content.

Consider the details below as a guide to any potential earnings you could make as an Expedia affiliate.

Expedia Affiliate Program Commission Rates

The commission rates vary between Expedia’s brands and the types of products or services you sell on your website.

Most products pay a percentage, but you’ll earn a flat $2 for every flight someone books using your affiliate link.

Vacation rentals, packages, and cars pay 2%, while hotels pay 3% or 4%, depending on the brand and location.

You can earn 5% on any activities or ground transfers.

The highest commission rate of 6% is reserved for cruise bookings.

Expedia and Hotels.com calculate commission based on the net transaction value.

In contrast, Vrbo, Stayz, and other vacation rental brands pay commission based on the net rental amount.

How Long Does the Expedia Cookie Last?

An important part of high-ticket affiliate marketing is the cookie duration.

Not all conversions happen instantly, which is why tracking cookies are beneficial for affiliates.

They ensure you can still get credit for a sale even if a customer doesn’t buy right away.

After all, potential sales might hinge on finances or figuring out the best travel dates and destinations.

Most brands under the Expedia umbrella have tracking cookies that last for seven days.

For affiliates outside of the US and Canada, the Hotels.com brand tracks cookies for 30 days.

How Do You Get Paid From Expedia?

When looking at high-paying affiliate programs, you may wonder how to receive payment.

If you earn a lot, this can be a big deal.

Even if it takes months to reach the payout threshold, you still don’t want all of that work to go to waste.

Expedia can pay you through its partner, Partnerize.

Consider the details of program payments and when you can expect to receive your money.

When Does Expedia Pay Affiliates?

Expedia will pay you after a traveler finishes their trip.

Unfortunately, this means it can take multiple months from when someone books through your link for you to get the money.

But Expedia doesn’t pay on canceled bookings.

So waiting may be better than having to pay Expedia back if a customer cancels.

Then, you won’t have to worry about spending the money when you do receive it.

What Marketing Materials And Promotional Tools Are Available?

One of the most critical parts of an affiliate program is the tools you can use.

With the right tools on hand, you can promote your affiliate links to generate more clicks and sales.

Expedia offers banners, widgets, and deeplinks to affiliates.

Each has its unique advantages.

For instance, text links are great for social media, particularly Twitter.

Banners and search widgets are excellent options for enhancing the functionality and marketability of your site.

These visual elements are more effective at capturing the attention of more readers, so you can generate clicks.

Of course, the best approach is to use all of the tools and marketing materials as part of a layered affiliate strategy.

That way, you’ll maximize your potential to get conversions across several platforms.

Who Should Join the Expedia Affiliate Program?

The Expedia affiliate program may be well-regarded, but it’s not suitable for every blogger.

Before you enroll as an affiliate, consider if you can incorporate any links naturally in your content.

If you fall into one of the following categories listed below, it should be easy to integrate affiliate links into your blog.

In particular, you’ll be best placed to thrive as an Expedia affiliate if you happen to travel extensively, have a dedicated lifestyle blog, or if you have local knowledge of a specific area.

1. Travel Bloggers

Of course, anyone running travel blogs should join the Expedia affiliate program.

Whenever you write a post about your travels, you could explain the process of booking a trip and refer readers to Expedia.

2. Lifestyle Bloggers

A lifestyle blog can cover a variety of topics, from fashion and design to health and wellness.

Moreover, lifestyle blogs often overlap with their travel counterparts, meaning you likely have content well-suited to sharing Expedia affiliate links.

3. Local Bloggers

Do you run a blog that focuses on the area where you live?

Your passion for your town or village could be translated into a source of income if you enroll in the Expedia affiliate program.

You can write a series of blog posts targeting potential tourists to your city, and use Expedia affiliate links to help them book their trip.

Is the Expedia Affiliate Program Worth It?

If you’re in the travel niche, you may wonder if the Expedia affiliate program is worth it.

Many bloggers hold it in high regard.

However, it’s not always the best option for all bloggers, even those who write about travel often.

Consider both the good and the bad about becoming an affiliate for Expedia.

Pros of the Expedia Affiliate Program

Expedia has a few excellent benefits you can enjoy when you join the affiliate program.

Learn why you may want to be an Expedia affiliate.

• Reputable Brand: Expedia has a good reputation with many customers, meaning you can use its trustworthy status to promote the brand and get sales.
• Multiple Brands: When you become an Expedia affiliate, you can promote Hotels.com, Vrbo, and other travel brands without joining individual programs.
• Useful Marketing Tools: From banners to a linking tool, Expedia has plenty of options to market your Expedia affiliate links to drive sales and increase your income.
• Decent Cookie Duration: You can get credit on a sale up to seven days after someone clicks on your link.
  While it’s not the longest, it’s better than some programs with 24-hour cookie tracking.
• Free to Join: Any reputable affiliate program should be free to join, and Expedia is.
  You can pay to book something through them.

Cons of the Expedia Affiliate Program

The Expedia affiliate program does have some drawbacks.

Consider the following factors before you join:

• Long Wait for Payouts: Sadly, it can take weeks or months for Expedia to actually pay since they won’t do so until after a traveler finishes their trip.
• Odd Payment Method: Expedia pays you through Partnerize, which isn’t a very common payment method and can take time to set up.
• Not All Transactions Count: Another downside is that you can’t get credit for large car transactions or certain pre-packaged trips.
• Low Commission Rates: Even if a transaction counts, the most you can earn is 6%, which is limited to cruise bookings.
• Industry Saturation: The travel world has a lot of competition, so it can be hard to get traffic to your blog that you can convert into affiliate sales.

Conclusion: Is The Expedia Affiliate Program Worth It?

The Expedia affiliate program can be worth it if you have an existing audience or plan on promoting multiple Expedia Group brands.

However, you’ll need to make a lot of sales to earn a good income from it.

And you may need to wait months or even longer before you get paid out.

How To Join the Expedia Affiliate Program

If the pros outweigh the cons in your eyes, you can join the Expedia affiliate program online.

It’s free and quick to apply, so you don’t need to devote a lot of time to the process.

Consider the details for how to join as an affiliate.

Requirements To Join the Expedia Affiliate Program

It’s unclear what the requirements are to become an affiliate for Expedia.

You have to sign up and provide your personal, business, and tracking information.

There may be a requirement for website traffic or social media followers.

However, Expedia doesn’t list any preconditions to be eligible for the Expedia Affiliate Program.

Moreover, you do not need to be a US citizen. Instead, you only need to join the affiliate program belonging to one of Expedia’s regional domains.

Regardless of requirements, it’s always a good idea to take a close look at Expedia’s terms and conditions before committing to the program.

How To Apply [Step-by-Step Tutorial]

If you want to apply for the Expedia affiliate program, you’ll need to follow the right steps.

Fortunately, the process of applying to be an affiliate is straightforward, involving:

• Step 1: You’ll need to go to the Expedia affiliate website.
• Step 2: Click the Join Now button to go to the affiliate application.
• Step 3: Next, fill out all of the fields on the three pages of the application. Be as honest as you can to increase your chances of getting into the program. While lying might sound appealing, if Expedia discovers you lied, they could remove you from the program.
• Step 4: Verify your information before submitting the form.

How Long Does It Take To Get Approved for the Expedia Affiliate Program?

Expedia doesn’t share how long it takes to approve new affiliates, and you might encounter varying wait times depending on several factors.

For instance, a surge of applications or technical issues is likely to extend the application process.

Odds are, Expedia goes through applications in the order of when they receive them.

Does Expedia Support the Affiliate Program?

Expedia used to go through CJ Affiliate, but they now run the program themselves.

That means you can work directly with the brand and get support when you have trouble.

Of course, it’s not as easy as going through CJ, but it can still be a nice choice.

How To Make Money With the Expedia Affiliate Program

Once you join the Expedia affiliate program, you need to get strategic.

Doing so will give you the best chance to start making money from your blog.

Consider the following tips to help.

1. Use the Service

If possible, become an Expedia customer if you haven’t already.

The experience will give you an idea of how booking and traveling work on the customer side.

You’ll be able to write about your experiences with authority and accuracy.

2. Use as Many Marketing Tools as You Can

Expedia provides affiliates with various affiliate marketing tools.

Use all of them to increase the chances of making a sale.

You should also track the success of each thing, such as text links, banners, and widgets.

Then, you can put more effort into the things that work and less into what doesn’t work.

3. Add a Disclosure

To comply with federal law, you must include an affiliate disclosure whenever you use affiliate links in your blog.

You can write a dedicated disclosure page and link to it from your blog posts.

Be sure the disclaimer goes above any affiliate links.

It sounds simple, but not using a disclosure can lead to legal trouble, so it’s not worth putting this off.

4. Review the Rules

When you join the program, be sure to read through the rules.

That way, you’ll know how you can and can’t use your links to make money and ensure you don’t get kicked out of the program.

Also, pay attention to any program updates from Expedia.

You should subscribe to their newsletters or check your dashboard or the terms and conditions to learn of any changes.

Alternatives To the Expedia Affiliate Program

If you find the Expedia affiliate program isn’t for you, consider a few alternatives.

You can also use these travel affiliate programs with Expedia to increase your earning potential.

1. Airbnb Affiliate Program

The Airbnb affiliate program is a great option to earn money when people book a rental.

You can share links to specific properties you like or general links to the Airbnb website.

2. Uber Affiliate Program

Maybe your readers don’t want to rent a car but still need transportation during their travels.

The Uber affiliate program has the potential to generate a decent income from those who require rideshare on their vacation.

Moreover, since Uber is also used locally, your potential customer base can be sizable.

3. Hilton Affiliate Program

The Hilton affiliate program is an excellent alternative to rentals or Hotels.com.

Besides promoting high-end hotels, you can make a commission when customers use their Hilton rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have questions, consider some popular queries to help decide if you should join the Expedia affiliate program.

Wrapping Up

The Expedia affiliate program is a fantastic option for travel and lifestyle bloggers.

You can use the program to promote flights, hotels, and more.

And you get access to all brands that are in the Expedia Group.

Join the program to start sharing the best travel deals on your blog today.