Allowing your items to be resold through affiliates is a great way to gain exposure and fill seats on your tours. FareHarbor’s affiliate features streamline the booking process so that you don’t have to pick up the phone to take affiliate bookings. The less time you spend manually entering affiliate bookings, the more you can focus on your business! If you’re new to partnering with affiliates, check out our guide on partnerships and resellers or join the FareHarbor Distribution Network. 

There are four ways affiliates can directly book your tours or activities, allowing you to easily track bookings and any commission you owe them or net rates owed to you at the end of the billing cycle. 

1. Affiliate Book Buttons

Best for: Affiliates who have highly trafficked websites or blogs

The Channel Support team (a.k.a. FareHarbor’s affiliate pros) can create a custom URL that generates a “book now” button, booking calendar, or booking flow when integrated on your affiliate’s website. It’s just like the “book now” buttons on your website, but they can be customized for your affiliate. See an example here.

Any bookings made through these buttons are tracked as coming from that affiliate, and the commission you owe them (if applicable) is automatically calculated, so you don’t have to spend any time crunching the numbers.

Benefits

• Prices can be customized for each affiliate through these buttons.
• Tours/booking flows can be customized to limit inventory.
• Semi-customizable formatting options help match the affiliate site’s layout and look.
• Fill seats and get more exposure on well-known websites!
• Unlisted items can be included in flows.

Additional Factors to Consider

• A credit card is required to complete the booking (with the full payment going directly to your bank account). You’ll then need to pay the affiliate their commission on these bookings.
• Just like with online bookings, the user pays in full online. You will also be able to communicate with your customers as you would with those who book on your website directly.

There are several integration options available for the Affiliate Shortname Buttons, so affiliates can choose what works best on their website. 

Book Now Button:

Embedded Booking Flow or Item:

Embedded Calendar:

2. Affiliate QR code

Best for: Affiliates who prefer physical marketing materials

We generate a QR code that affiliates can advertise on menus, pamphlets, business cards, or magazines to refer customers to your tours. Once a customer scans the QR code and makes a booking, the affiliate is tagged and any commission you owe the affiliate is tracked on your Dashboard.

Benefits

• Prices can be customized for each affiliate.
• Booking flows can be customized to limit inventory.
• Customers get direct and easy access to online booking from paper marketing material.
• Unlisted items can be included in flows.

Additional Factors to Consider

• A credit card is required to complete the booking (with the full payment going directly to your bank account). You’ll then need to pay the affiliate their commission on these bookings.
• Just like with online bookings, the user pays in full online. You will also be able to communicate with your customers as you would with those who book on your website directly.

3. Affiliate Promo Code

Best for: Affiliates who want to refer guests to book on your website

The affiliate code operates in the same way as a regular promo code. Affiliates refer customers to your website with a promo code, the guest enters that code when they book, and the booking is tracked. The affiliate can also book on behalf of a guest (such as at a concierge desk at a hotel) and use the code. Either way, when the code is applied, the referring affiliate and commission owed are tracked on your Dashboard. This option is often paired with a discount to incentivize the customer to book with you! 

Benefits

• You get increased exposure and traffic to your website.
• You can offer a discount to the customer, and your affiliate receives a commission for referring them – win win! 
• You can limit the number of times the code is used and which tours it can be used for.

Additional Factors to Consider

• A credit card is required to complete the booking (with the full payment going directly to your bank account). You’ll then need to pay the affiliate their commission on these bookings.
• Just like with online bookings, the user pays in full online. You will also be able to communicate with your customers as you would with those who book on your website directly.

4. Affiliate Dashboard

Best for: Affiliates who are collecting payment from the customer in their own system

An affiliate Dashboard allows the affiliate to log into their own account and make a booking just as you would in your FareHarbor Dashboard. They won’t see any of your private information – just your booking calendar and reporting for their own bookings. Any bookings they make in their affiliate Dashboard are made in real-time, and the bookings are tracked so you know they came from the affiliate. 

Benefits

• Prices can be customized for each affiliate.
• You can choose which tours are sold by the affiliate.
• Affiliates can collect payment in their own point of sale system, and you can bill them for the net rates. 
• Affiliates can book for multiple companies from the same place. 
• Bookings are made just like your direct back-end bookings.

Additional Factors to Consider

• Calendars are not customizable for affiliates. They will see your default calendar but will be limited to booking only.
• Unlisted or private items can’t be sold through affiliate Dashboards.

In Conclusion

No matter which one you choose, these features make it easy for affiliates to book directly into your live availability and for you to track any commission you might owe them. If you’re ready to get started with affiliates, you can fill out this form or email [email protected] with the following information:

• Affiliate name (i.e., hotel name/company name)
• Commission % or $
• Website URL (if they have one)
• Which payment set up will you use? 
  • Billing Set Up: They collect payment and you bill/invoice them.
  • Referral Set Up: You pay the commission to the affiliate after a tour or activity is booked.
• Which feature of those listed above will your affiliate utilize to make bookings?

Want to learn more about reselling your tours? Get all the essential details in our working with affiliates 101 article!