One of the biggest perks of becoming a travel agent is the wealth of travel experiences you have access to. As a travel agent, if you take vendor training, or reach a supplier's sales threshold you unlock travel agent rates for personal travel, special perks, amenities, and access to FAM (familiarization trips).

The career outlook for a travel is great, plus it's an amazing way to see the world! (And if you still think travel agents don't exist, definitely read the previous link as you may be surprised that travel agencies book a larger share of travel than online travel agencies in the US!)

Not a travel agent just yet? You need to be one to access travel agent rates. Here's how to become a travel agent.

But the big question is, what are these discounted travel agent rates, and how do travel agents access them? We've got it all together for you in one handy dandy little download.

HAR's Travel Agent Rate PDF download includes details on 200+ supplier discounts! The download includes information on travel agent rates, special discounts, and special reward programs — all exclusive to travel agents (and maybe your friend or family :) ).

Not only that, but the download lists eligibility details and links to the travel advisor portal so you can register your travel agency. You can view the full PDF below!

But of course, this article is so much more than a travel agent rates download!

We'll cover:

• what different kinds of travel agent discounts are out there,
• how to qualify a supplier's travel agent loyalty or reward program,
• and elaborate on some of the top travel agent hotel discounts

⭐️ HAR ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: ⭐️

• Do Travel Agents Get Discounts?
• Different Types of Travel Agent Discounts
• 8 Things to Know about Travel Agent Discounts
• 200+ Travel Agent Rates (It’s Bonkers!)
• Questions to Ask About Travel Agent Rates & Discounts
• Travel Agent Hotel Rates
• IHG (International Hotel Group) Travel Agent Rates
• Hilton Hotels Travel Agent Rates
• Hyatt Hotels Travel Agent Rates
• Marriott Hotels (formerly Starwood)
• Travel Agent Airline Rates
• How to Become a Travel Agent (if You’re Not One Already)

Do Travel Agents Get Discounts?

First question on the docket: Do travel agents get discounts? They sure do, my friend!

Although, as we'll discuss further, there is a lot more nuance to things than just a yes or no when it comes to if travel agents get discounts. Keep on reading because we'll go over which travel agents get discounts (every supplier is going to have different parameters) and what types of travel advisors can get discounts for.

Different Types of Travel Agent Rates & Incentives

Every supplier is going to have a different kind of travel agent rate or loyalty program. Some are complicated. Some are simple.

Here’s what you can generally expect in terms of travel agent discount programs:

• Point Systems: Depending on the vendor, point systems offer you just that — a certain number of points per night booked. Points allotted will likely vary by tier of property. If you book a luxury property, you’ll get more points. Travel agent point systems, while somewhat complicated, are great for flexibility. It levels the playing field and operates like an amped-up client-facing rewards program.
• Cash Incentives: Some vendors will offer travel agents hard cash for bookings (e.g. you get $25 for every room night booked). This isn't a rate or discount, but it's definitely an incentive!
• Straight-up Flat Discounts: Some travel agent discounts are simple—you get a certain percentage off your stay. Easy peasy.
• Special Reduced Rates: Because you’re a travel agent (or because you love to travel), you know that suppliers have peak seasons, different classes of properties, rooms, etc. Many suppliers will issue reduced rates exclusive to travel agents, outlining what the cost is for a different room category, itinerary, sailing date, etc.
• Traveling for Free: Free travel is not the norm. There are circumstances travel agents may get a free cruise, a free theme park ticket, or free nights at a resort (etc.). This typically happens after a travel agent completes a vendor’s training program or if you're a top sales person of that supplier/brand.
• Group Travel Rates: I’m not going to go deep into group rates, since this is something that (believe it or not) is typically offered in addition to travel agent rates. If you book a certain number of people on a trip or cruise (or a certain number of nights stay) you get a free credit you can use for yourself or for a client. (e.g. for Globus brands, you can receive travel agent discounts ranging from 25% - 100% depending on itinerary, group size, and when you book.)
• Familiarization (FAM) Trips: In my mind, FAM trips are more of a travel agent perk than a travel agent discount or rate. FAMs are free or deeply discounted trips offered to travel agents (or travel professionals) to educate them about a product or destination. Here's a great explainer of FAM trips.

Suppliers want to keep travel agents happy! Many will have some combination of these perks above.

8 Things You Need to Know About Travel Agent Rates & Discounts

Here are a few things to know about what to expect when you're shopping for travel agent discounts:

1. You Need an Accreditation Number to Get travel agent Discounts

You need to be a travel agent to access travel agent rates and discounts. What makes someone a travel agent? An accreditation number . . . whether you get your own oralign with a host agency.

New to the industry? The easiest way to get a travel accreditation number is to align with a host agency. But there are tons of reasons why we love hosts! Here are the top ten benefits of using a host.

2. Travel Agent Discounts are for Active Travel Agents

Beyond having an accreditation number, you need to sell travel. I know this may seem incredibly obvious, but oftentimes vendors will only offer travel agent rates or perks after you reach a certain sales threshold.

Wondering how much a travel agent makes? We've got you.

3. A Niche Will Help You Get More Travel Agent Bonuses & Rates (Here’s Why)

Part of developing a travel agent niche is getting a pulse on who your preferred suppliers are. When you begin to get a handle on what suppliers you love, you can focus your time and energies on learning those suppliers inside out.

This will help you establish the deep product knowledge and supplier relationships required to be a successful seller. In turn, you'll have access to more travel agent discounts and rewards as your sales increase.

Here's how to navigate finding a niche!

4. You Often Need to Complete a Vendor Certification to Get a Discount

If you’re completely new, you’re not going to have a long scroll of past sales to help you access travel agent rates. But don’t worry. Many suppliers offer special rates, FAMs, or even free trips once you complete their training programs.

You'll want to make sure you stay current on supplier certifications so you can keep up with their updates and offer your clients the most recent info. Suppliers want you to love their brands and they know you gotta experience it yourself to love it!

5. Rules Most Likely Apply

Travel agent discounts are often saddled with long terms and conditions and/or fine print. This fine print may be peppered with info like blackout dates or that rates are subject to change (without asking for your permission). Unsurprisingly, travel agent rates are non-commissionable.

What the heck are travel agent commissions?

6. Travel Agent Rates and Programs can Change

Yep. They can and do. So when you read about specific travel agent discounts below, be sure you always check directly with your supplier/ BDM (Business Development Manager) for the most updated travel agent discount policy!

7. Q: If You Book Under a Host agency, Will You Get Your Discount?

Yes. When you set up your logins on host portals, suppliers will know which agent booked what and you’ll get your due glory.

When you set up your logins on host portals, suppliers will know which agent booked what and you’ll get your due glory.

An exception is Disney. For Earmarked Disney agencies (Disney's top selling agency program), it's the accrediting agency that will receive the allotted theme park tickets and travel agent rates to distribute among their agents. So ask your agency how that works if you want to get in it. That said, there are still incentives for solo Disney advisors who complete the College of Disney Knowledge! (Just check out the download!)

8. If you get bonuses, you may need to pay taxes on it

Any point system that can be exchanged for cash may be subject to taxes if you earn more than $600 in bonuses. Don’t ask me. Ask your accountant and make sure you know the tax implications of points you cash in.

For more travel advisor tax fun, check out our guide to quarterly estimated taxes or take a gander at what travel expenses travel agencies can (and can't!) write off.

Travel Agent Rates & Discounts that Will Make Your Brain Explode 🤯

Let's be honest with ourselves, this is probably why you're here for! To find more information on the travel agent rates, click on the link in the cell.

Also, things change. While we update this annually, check directly with the supplier for the most current travel agent rates and discounts.

Questions to Ask About Travel Agent Rates

You'll likely have questions about a supplier's travel agent rates. One thing to stress is that only asking about a supplier's discounts for travel agents is... well, it's tacky. Bottom line: Your first communication with a vendor should not be about their travel agent rates.

Your first communication with a vendor should not be about their travel agent rates.

These rates are for travel pros who are serious about their trade and want to increase sales. Make the effort to educate yourself on the product, let your BDM (business development manager) know your plan to help increase your sales for their product, and THENyou can ask about the travel agent rates.

If you’re really wanting to compare different rates and programs, here are a few questions you to think about, some of which are in the download above!

• What travel accreditations are accepted? (TRUE may not be accepted everywhere)
• Are there companion benefits?
• Do you need to complete supplier education to secure the rate? If so, how often do I need to renew or recertify (if at all)?
• Are there other eligibility requirements?
• What's the sales threshold to attain travel agent rates or benefits?
• Does belonging to a host agency impact my benefits?
• What are typical blackout dates or seasons?
• How long do I have to redeem my travel agent benefits (if it’s a point system)? When do they expire?
• How do I request or access these benefits?

Want more tips on how to research and qualify suppliers? Look no further!

Travel Agent Hotel Rates

I'm going to do a deeper dive into a few travel agent hotel rates. There are a zillion different properties so I'm including just a few here. They offer a good idea of what kind of rates travel agents can expect from hotels.

You may be able to find better travel agents rates if you book the hotel through a tour operator.

Keep in mind that these hotel programs listed below are hotel-direct. Advisors seeking discounted hotel rates will need to book them directly through the hotel (rather than booking via a tour operator).

Another thing to note is that hotels with education programs typically will offer the best travel rates (above a standard travel agent rate).

(International Hotel Group) IHG Travel Agent Rates

IHG is linked and included in our download above. Yay! IHG offers a baseline discount of 35% off their Best Flex Rate to travel agents. Not to0 shabs!

Here are a few more details.

IHG offers a baseline discount of 35% off their Best Flex Rate.

But IHG often has offers beyond their base discounts, induing higher discounts on room rates, discounts on spa services, and other fun stuff. At the time of writing this, IHG had special offers that ranged from 35% - 50%.

If you're a travel agent, accessing IHG's travel agent rates is easy. Here's how:

1. You need an ARC, IATA, TIDs, or TRUE number to set up an account with IHG. If you're a travel agent employee and you don't have a travel ID card, you can provide a letter on agency letterhead from agency management verifying your agency employment.
2. To book IHG's travel agent rates, you need to login to your IHG travel agent account. If you don't have one, you can register here.

IHG Brands with travel agent rates:

IHG is the parent company for whole lotta hotel brands. Their IHG travel agent rates extend to:

1. Crowne Plaza
2. voco
3. EVEN
4. Candlewood Suites
5. Holiday Inn
6. Kimpton
7. Holiday Inn Club Vacations
8. IHG army hotels
9. Regent
10. HUALUXE
11. avid
12. Hotel Indigo
13. Atwell Suites
14. InterContinental
15. Holiday Inn Express
16. Holiday Inn Resorts
17. Staybridge Suites
18. Six Senses

Marriott Travel Agent Rates

Marriott acquired Starwood in 2015. So if you're looking for Starwood's travel agent rates, look no further than Marriott. Marriott has two different types of travel agent rates. Here's the rundown:

1. Marriott Travel Agent Rates

Marriott's travel agent rate is their blanket travel agent rate program which isavailable to any accredited travel agent with a valid IATA, ARC, CLIA or TIDSaccreditation number. It's worth noting that Marriott does not accept TRUE numbers.

The travel agent rate varies depending on availability, hotel category, and season. Marriott's travel agent discounts run up to 50%, but you can typically expect less. (At the time of writing this, the discounts ranged from 10-15% when I searched my hometown.)

Marriott's travel agent rate offers can be used to book up to two rooms for unlimited nights (depending on availability)

Marriott's travel agent rate offers can be used to book up to two rooms for unlimited nights (depending on availability).

Here's how to take advantage of Marriott's travel agent rate offers:

1. To access Marriot's rates, travel agents need an IATA ARC, CLIA, or TIDS number (and the ID to prove it when you check-in).

2. Search Marriott's travel agent rates here (Main menu>Promotions>Travel Agent Rate Search).

3. Log in/register to make a booking!

2. Marriott's Fam-Tastic Travel Agent Rates

Marriott's Fam-Tastic program is designed less for personal leisure and more to provide an opportunity for agents to familiarize themselves with properties (hence the name).

For Marriott's Fam-tastic program, advisors can reserve one room for four nights maximum.

This program is only available to Marriott's preferred travel agencies. You can visit host profiles and drop them a note in the Q&A section to ask if they are a preferred Marriott agency.

For Marriott's Fam-tastic program, advisors can reserve one room for four nights maximum.

Marriott's FAM-tastic rate offers deeper discounts than their standard travel agent rate but with more requirements. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a standard travel agent rate, other requirements include:

• Marriott Bonvoy membership
• Complete Core Hotel Excellence! (HE!) classes
• Fulfill HE! continuing credits every year
• Have an updated Marriott International (MI) Partner Privileges profile

Here's how to access Marriott's FAM-tastic rates:

1. Log into your Marriott Partner Privileges account.

2. To redeem your Marriott Fam-Tastic rates: Main Menu> Hotel Excellence> Access Fam-Tastic

MARRIOTT Brands with travel agent rates:

Here are a list of Marriott's brands that have a travel agent rates program (sorry, but you're not going to find the Ritz Yacht Collection here).

• AC Hotels by Marriott
• Aloft Hotels
• Autograph Collection
• Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Delta Hotels
• Design Hotels
• EDITION Hotels
• Element by Westin
• Fairfield by Marriott
• Four Points by Sheraton
• Gaylord Hotels
• Homes & Villas by Marriott International
• JW Marriott Hotels
• Le Méridien
• The Luxury Collection
• Marriott Executive Apartments
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Marriott Vacation Club
• Moxy Hotels
• Protea Hotels by Marriott
• Renaissance Hotels
• Residence Inn by Marriott
• The Ritz-Carlton
• Ritz-Carlton Reserve
• Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
• SpringHill Suites
• St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
• TownePlace Suites
• Tribute Portfolio
• W Hotels
• Westin Hotels

Hilton Travel Agent Rates

Hilton travel agent rates include 50% off newly opened properties and up to 25% off other properties in Hilton's portfolio.

Keep in mind that Hilton travel agent discounts are off full price, not Hilton Honors discounts, pay in full, or other discount prices like AAA or AARP.

Agents can book two rooms for a seven-night maximum at Hilton travel agent rates.

Agents can book two rooms for a seven-night maximum at Hilton travel agent rates. Below is an example of what it looks like on the user end. You can search the hotels with Hilton travel agent rates here.

Here's how you can book Hilton's travel agent rates:

1. Travel agents need an IATAN accreditation(and an ID card upon check-in) to access Hilton's travel agent rate. Agents outside the US need a valid ID.
2. Go to Hilton's travel agent site and click "Special Rates" then select the "Travel Agents" option.

Beyond Hilton's travel agent rates, they also offer the Unlimited Rewards program to their travel advisor partners, which awards you .50¢ to $2.00 per night stay you book for your clients. (This also applies to Avis and Budget car rentals as well.)

Just remember that if you start racking up the dough through Unlimited Rewards, you may need to report the income to your springtime friend, the IRS.

More tax fun in HAR's Beginner's Guide to Paying Estimated Taxes.

Hilton Hotels brands with travel agent rates:

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
• LXR Hotels & Resorts
• Conrad Hotels & Resorts
• Canopy by Hilton
• Signia Hilton
• Curio a Collection
• DoubleTree
• Tapestry Collection
• Embassy Suites
• Motto by Hilton
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Hampton by Hilton
• Tru by Hilton
• Homewood Suites
• Home2 Suites
• Hilton Grand Vacations

Hyatt Travel Agent Rates

While Hyatt's site advertises travel agent discounts up to 50%, you'll most likely find that large of savings at the more expensive properties in their collection. Similar to their friends at Marriott, Hyatt does not offer travel agent rates to agencies with TRUE accreditation.

There's a 2-room booking limit for Hyatt travel agent rates, with no room night cap.

There's a 2-room booking limit with Hyatt travel agent rates. However, they do not cap the number of room nights if the rate is available.

Here's how to book Hyatt's travel agent rates:

1. Agents must have a CLIA, IATAN, or TIDs (for agents outside the US) accreditation number and ID card. (Outside US, agents need an IATA/TIDS).
2. Agents must be a World of Hyatt member. (Create account)
3. Search/ book Hyatt travel agent discount rates. (You can also use corporate ID code 4469)

HYATT Brands with travel agent rates:

Here's a list of Hyatt brands that offer travel agent rates:

• Andaz
• Alila
• Caption by Hyatt
• Thompson Hotels
• Hyatt Centric
• Park Hyatt
• Miraval
• Grand Hyatt
• Hyatt Regency
• Hyatt Zilara/Hyatt Ziva
• Hyatt Place
• Hyatt House
• The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
• Destination Hotels
• Joie de Vivre

Travel Agent Airline Discounts

I'm going to take a deep dive into travel agent airline discounts. Why? Travel agent airline discounts are more complicated to access for a smaller reward.

Here's why . . .

These travel agent airline rates are typically referred to as "AD50" or "AD75," signifying 50%-75% airline discounts for travel agents. At first, this seems like an amazing discount.

But as you’ve probably guessed, travel agents do not get 50-75% off their airline tickets. Otherwise, so many people would want to become a travel agent that our website would break :)

Without going too deep into the weeds, here's why these airline discounts can seem misleading at first.

Airlines break seats down into many different fare classes. All these fare classes have different pricing and rules attached to them. Among other things, the fare classes help the airline understand if you paid full fare or a discounted rate, if you’re in first class/business class/economy class, if you’re doing one way or round trip, and lots of other details.

Even at 50-75% off, Y fare class seats usually cost more than the other economy tickets available.

When it comes to travel agent airline discounts, the AD50 and AD75 discounts apply only to Y-fare class seats, which are full-fare economy seats. Essentially, they’re the most expensive economy-class tickets possible. Even at 50-75% off, Y fare class seats usually cost more than the other economy tickets available.

Not only are AD50 and AD75 discounts often more expensive than other economy tickets available, but there are also more hoops to jump through to access them. Airlines that offer these flight discounts will often have stringent eligibility requirements and detailed terms and conditions required to even request them.

According to seasoned corporate travel advisor and owner of Pioneer Travel, Mike Edic, "By the time you figure out the 'discounted' price, you can still purchase a real ticket for a lot less." Edic elaborated that these rates are seldom cheaper unless it's a last-minute booking (where all that remains are those pricey, full-fare Y-class seats).

Want to Become a Travel Agent? Try HAR's 7-Day Setup Accelerator Course

The one thing that all travel agent rates, promotions, loyalty programs, and discounts have in common is that you have to be a travel agent.

HAR's 7 Day Setup Accelerator course walks you through step-by-step how to start your agency. The best part is, it comes with the support of a team that's help thousands of people become travel agents, and the accountability to make sure you keep going!

Holy Moly! Thank You!

I almost found myself on the dark web looking for travel agent rates. Google only gets you so far . . . that is until it got you to this article.

But here’s a list of fab industry professionals who picked up the slack for Google (brace yourself, it’s a long list!): Bonnie Lee at Travel Quest, Summer Corbitt at Uniglobe, Guy Young and Priscilla Odoom at Insight Vacations, Josh Mahon at Rocky Mountaineer, Maria Triantos at Celestyal Cruises, Jim Tedesco at Apple Leisure Group Vacations, Mike Edic of Go Pioneer Travel, and all the stellar travel advisors who weighed in on Steph Lee’s FB page.

This is a living, changing, breathing document . . . Do you have a favorite travel agent rate or reward program? Holler in the comments!