Operations and Support:

What are TPI's hours of operations?

Our experienced and friendly staff is standing by to assist you Monday - Friday 9:00am - 6:00pm and Saturday/Sunday 9:00am to 1:00pm (EST). Support is provided by toll-free phone, live chat and email.

Where is TPI located?

TPI offices are based in Central Florida at 2500 Maitland Center Parkway, Suite 230, Maitland, FL 32751-4174

What Can TPI Do For You?

As an independent contractor, you may run just your ARC business through us, or all of your business, it is your choice.  Most importantly, we do not mandate suppliers, airlines, or vendors.  You are free to do business as you always have and retain your agency name.  The outsourcing of any business through us should be transparent to your clients.  If you are running your ticketing through us, we do all of your reporting, allowing you the freedom to sell travel rather than be bogged down with weekly ARC paperwork or IAR reconciliation.

Does TPI have any requirements for joining?

For joining TPI, we require the following:

• Proof of U.S. Citizenship or Residency
• Valid Taxpayer Identification Number
• Proof of Travel Industry Experience or Training
• Meet our Acceptance Standards

Proof of Citizenship - TPI only accepts U.S. Citizens or U.S. Residents residing in the 50 U.S. States including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. At time of sign-up, you will be required to submit a copy of a valid U.S. state issued driver’s license or identification card, U.S. Passport or U.S. Resident Alien Card.

Taxpayer Identification Number - You must possess a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) - consisting of a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN). At time of sign-up, you will be required to complete an IRS Form W-9 (Request for Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification).

Proof of Travel Industry Experience or Training - At time of sign-up, TPI requires that you must submit 1 (one) of the following as proof of experience/training:

• Commission statement or sales report verifying past or current travel sales.
• A copy of your CLIA Id Card (current or expired).
• A copy of your IATAN Id Card (current or expired).
• W-2 or 1099 from any travel industry employer.
• A copy of your certification from CLIA (ACC, MCC, ECC, or ECCS).
• A copy of your certification from The Travel Institute (TAP, CTA, CTC, or CTIE).
• Proof of completion from a travel industry training program such as from TPI's preferred training provider, Travel Agent Campus.com - Travel Agent Training 4.0, or any school/college/institution providing a training program in the travel and tourism field.

If you do not possess travel industry experience or training or have not successfully completed an approved travel industry training program as required above, click here for our Travel Biz Starter Program.

Acceptance Standards (Pre-Acceptance Process) - To ensure the highest standards in our Independent Contractors and to uphold our professional reputation with our suppliers, you must undergo an approval process for joining TPI.  As members of PATH (Professional Association of Travel Hosts), we are committed to a professional “code of ethics” as well as providing you a secure environment for you to sell travel.  To screen and quality control all new Independent Contractors, we have a pre-acceptance process which includes a Credit, Criminal and Industry Reference check.  Our Acceptance Standards are as follows: TPI has the sole discretion to accept or decline any Independent Contractor for any reason whatsoever.  As a general guideline, we do not approve Independent Contractors with any unsatisfactory industry reference check, any financial criminal background history including, but not limited to, writing worthless checks, embezzlement, credit card fraud, identity theft, or grand theft.  Additionally, we do not approve IC’s with a FICO credit score of 575 or less; 576 - 650 will be reviewed individually, and 651 or higher will be automatically approved.

How am I paid commissions?

Commission generated 1st through 15th is paid by direct deposit on the 25th, while commission generated the 16th through 31st is paid on the 10th. You will receive your commission funds by the 10th and 25th via direct deposit (must be enrolled in TPI s Direct Deposit Commission Payment Program).  Agents not enrolled in this Direct Deposit program, can receive a paper check for a fee of $25.00.

What are TPI's ARC, IATA, and CLIA numbers?

Our identification numbers should be used when conducting business with travel suppliers if you'd like us to track and process your commissions.  TPI’s preferred suppliers will only pay members our contracted commission levels and honor discounted pricing based on your appropriate use of our unique ID numbers.  Sorry, we do not release our ARC/IATA/CLIA/BOOKING PHONE NUMBER until after you join TPI.

How will I receive my supplier confirmations?

Once our HelpDesk Support Team receives the confirmation from the supplier, it is emailed directly to you. You are welcome to have confirmations sent directly to you.

Do you offer any ongoing training programs?

Our TPI-AgentRC is loaded with destination specialist courses, tutorials, user guides, marketing how-to's and many other valuable training options.  In addition, we conduct weekly conference calls.  Topics include, but are not limited to:  New Member Orientation, Technology Training, Vacation & Tour Sales Training, Advanced Cruises Sales Training and Email Training.  Don't worry if you happen to miss a conference call as they are being recorded and archived in our Conference Call On-Demand Library.  Also, we offer periodic training seminars including Seminars-At-Sea, Group FAM Trips and Annual Conventions.

The process of transferring bookings from your existing Host Agency to TPI is determined by each supplier.  The supplier has an agreement with the Host Agency, not the travel agent who made the booking; therefore, it is the Host Agency that controls the booking. You should first create a list of all bookings that you require to be transferred, separated into two categories–one for bookings under deposit and one for bookings where final payment has already been made. In some cases, paid in full bookings may be transferred providing commission has not been paid to the host agency.

The supplier will have a designated policy which may require you to:

1. Obtain a transfer authorization letter from your host agency – this will require a signed letter from your current host agency (owner/manager) authorizing the transfer of the booking.  Contact your host agency and follow the appropriate procedures that they have for this process.  If this is not possible, you may want to consider the rebook/cancel option below.
2. Obtain a transfer request letter from your customer – this will require you to contact your client to advise them you are going with a new agency, and have them sign a release letter you can draft for them with the required booking details.
3. Obtain signed authorizations from both.

Please contact the supplier directly to determine what their specific policy is regarding transferring bookings and where to send your request. Be sure you have all the information required by the supplier, which usually includes booking ID, client name,  original agency name, address and phone, along with the new agency name, address and phone, as well as the booking agent’s name it’s being transferred to. 

In lieu of the above procedures, you may wish to consider a rebook/cancel option.  This is usually the best option when your host agency unwilling or unable to transfer your bookings. This option is usually only available on bookings deposited using a credit card paid directly with the supplier.  First contact the supplier for rates and availability as a TPI agent using TPI’s identification numbers.  If rates and availability are the same and the supplier allows duplicate bookings, make a new booking. Then have the supplier cancel the original booking. If possible, have the supplier transfer the deposit from the original booking to the new booking. If they are not able to transfer the charge, then they will refund the customers credit card and you will need to re-charge their credit card for the deposit to your new TPI booking.  In order to make sure sufficient funds are available, please advised the client in advance that the refund and re-charge may not appear on the same billing statement.

If you are not able to get an exact match on your new booking, please complete the “Contact a Sales Rep” form found in the marketing area www.tpimbd.com and we will do all possible to assist you with a possible solution.

Do you do the bookings for me?

As a professional travel agent you own your clients and their bookings.  TPI simply offers our services to you as a host agency and to assist you.  Our experienced agents are expected to do 100% of the work for 75% to 100% of the commission.  If we do any of the work for you, you will be paid at one-half your contracted commission level.

How do I setup a group with the cruise line?

Easy. Just call the group department at the cruise line and block the group space that you are looking for. We ask that you send our TPI Group Department a copy of the group contract so that we can have a copy for our records and if necessary, assist when the cruise line calls us.

Can I sell into TPI Group Space or allow my group space to be sold into?

Yes. We have a group coordinator that manages all of our group space, including the space blocked by TPI agents, speculative space we block and the space blocked through Vacation.com. The negotiated amenities selected at time of the group being setup are the amenities that you will be entitled to if you meet the required cabins for those amenities. When setting up a group yourself, you will need to communicate with us to let us know if you wish to open this space up to others or not. All available group space is diSplayed in our TPI-AgentRC.

Yes. We get co-op funds from 30 of our top preferred suppliers. It is up to you to put together a small marketing plan whereby our Marketing Department would do a one-on-one with you and the supplier to determine the best advertising strategy for a successful outcome. *Funds subject to availability and approval by the supplier.

Yes. We have an agent assistance program whereby we will assist your client on your behalf if you are on vacation or incapacitated. If agent assistance is required, we do reduce your commission by 50% of your contracted commission percentage (EXAMPLE: If you are contracted at 90% with TPI, you will only earn 45% for that sale).

My customer is paying by check, what is TPI's policy for accepting checks?

Airline Tickets - We do not accept personal checks or company checks for airline tickets issued by TPI (not applicable to consolidators). The acceptable form of payment for all airline tickets (regardless of departure date) issued by TPI is credit card (customers or yours).

Cruise, Tours, Consolidators, etc. - We do not accept personal check or company check for cruises, tours, consolidators, etc. within 30 days of departure. The acceptable form of payment for cruises, tours, consolidators, etc., within 30 days of departure is cash, money order, cashier check, or credit card. The acceptable form of payment for cruises, tours, consolidators, etc., 31 or more days from departure is cash, personal check, company check, money order, cashier check, or credit card.

Call the supplier and call in payment for the proper amount.  Never call in net amounts to the supplier.

Yes.  We offer Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre, Worldspan and G2SwitchWorks.  Using Amadeus Vista, MySabre, Apollo FocalpointNet, Worldspan Go, or G2Agent you will be allowed to issue your own tickets*, they will print at our office, and we will process them and distribute them according to your instructions.  E-Tickets are emailed free charge.  You or your clients are expensed for the cost of all postage on E-Tickets where you or the client requests a hard-copy receipt and on all paper tickets.  *restrictions apply.

Yes, but nominal fees will apply.  We are contracted with Reservation Center, Inc. based on Agoura Hills, CA.  Reservation Center is intended to give your client a "security blanket" no matter where in the world they travel as well as ticketing services for you outside of our normal operating hours. It is not a tool for you to use for researching or checking prices. They will book your client’s air reservations, make changes to existing reservations, book cars, hotels and assist in any way possible. All fees are deducted from your monthly commission. Reservation Center is open 24-hours-a-day and you are provided with our exclusive toll-free 800 number that you can give to your clients. If you have demanding corporate accounts, this is the service that will keep them loyal to your agency.

Working with Sub-agents:

Do you allow me to operate a mini host agency using your hosting plans?

Yes.  All hosting plans allow you to have sub-agents. Additional setup and monthly fees apply.

Yes.  All hosting plans allow you to have sub-agents. Additional setup and monthly fees apply.

What are the benefits of having sub-agents working for me?

Having sub agents allows you to generate additional revenue from these sub-agents who are reaching out to business that you could not service yourself.  The more people working for you selling travel = more money for you.

How do I add sub-agents?

Inside the TPI-AgentRC, you will find an option to add sub-agents under the Operations Tab, then click on Setting Up Your Business.

Yes.

Yes, as long as they are registered sub-agents.

Yes.  Each sub-agent automatically gets access to their own TPI-AgentRC. In addition, the TPI-AgentRC will show you as their main agent and will show their commission percentage that you have designated for them to earn along with the full capabilities for them to run their sales reports and interact for full support from our TPI HelpDesk. They get a free consumer website - additional setup and monthly fees apply for booking engines.

Yes.

We pay you and you pay your sub-agents.

Yes, we provide Marketing support for you and your sub-agents with all of our plans. As our first priority is you, we may limit the Marketing support or training (seminar space, FAM’s, conference call space) to your sub-agents.

Each supplier has their own policy on discounting.  If the supplier does not allow discounting, then the full amount must be paid to the supplier.  For those suppliers who allow discounting, you must document the discount when processing the invoice through the TPI-AgentRC so that TPI does not think that the supplier has shorted your commissions.  Check with the individual supplier for their discounting policy.

Yes. You may net the booking provided the supplier allows this (Example: Royal Caribbean and Celebrity do not allow this). If the supplier does not allow this, TPI will pay you 100% commission on this booking. You will be responsible for the postage costs of getting the documents to you.

The following fee structure will be used when processing documents received by TPI and then forwarding to the agent or their clients.  We highly recommend that you choose an appropriate method of shipping with tracking capabilities for all important travel documents. When only use the following methods when shipping documents.

United States Postal Service
Priority Mail = cost plus $2.00 handling fee

Federal Express
Express Saver = TPI contracted rate plus $2.00 handling fee
2-Day = TPI contracted rate plus $2.00 handling fee
Standard Overnight = TPI contracted rate plus $2.00 handling fee
Priority Overnight = TPI contracted rate plus $2.00 handling fee
First Overnight = TPI contracted rate plus $2.00 handling fee
Saturday = TPI contracted rate plus $5.00 handling fee
International = TPI contracted rate plus $10.00 handling fee

Special Notes:  Shipping and Handling charges are automatically deducted from your commissions and appear on your monthly Agent Statement.

TPI agents, at time of booking, have the option to request that travel documents be sent directly to them or even to their clients.
In most cases, the following cruise lines will absorb the costs of normal postage and handling thus saving you both time and money.  Express and overnight delivery fees will vary.

• Carnival Cruise Lines (change online at www.bookccl.com)
• Celebrity Cruises
• Clipper Cruise Line
• Costa Cruise Line
• Cunard Cruise Line
• Delta Queen Steamboat
• Disney Cruises
• Holland America Line
• MSC Cruise Line
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Oceania Cruise Line
• Orient Lines
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises (formerly Radisson Seven Seas Cruises)
• Seabourn Cruise Lines
• Silverseas Cruises
• Star Clipper

The following cruise lines have varying policies regarding client documents which are outlined below for your review:

• Carnival Cruise Lines - You may change the Doc Delivery address at www.bookccl.com.  Phone requests will not be honored. 
• Princess Cruises - supplier will send documents to passenger's address as an alternative to TPI.
• Peter Deilmann River Cruises - supplier will send documents to TPI agents but not directly to clients.
• Viking River Cruises - supplier will only send documents to TPI.
• Windstar Cruise - supplier will send to an alternative address for a fee of $25.00.

Does TPI stock supplier cruise/tour brochures? And, if so, do you mail them to the agent or the customer.

Yes, we stock over 150 different cruise/tour supplier brochures. If you need TPI to mail brochure(s) to you or your client, see the TPI-AgentRC for the brochure request page. After you submit a request, we will email you a confirmation of availability and shipment notification. Postage fees apply.

Yes.  Submit a Service Fee Charge Form which can be found in the TPI-AgentRC along with a Credit Card Authorization Form.  Please remind your client that there will be 2 separate charges, one from the supplier and one from Travel Planners Int.

When making the reservation using any of TPI’s booking tools, simply identify how much of a service fee you wish to charge.  The customer will see the service fee amount on one detailed invoice and you receive your contracted commission rate based on that service fee amount.  Note:  All credit card service fees are subject to a bank merchant processing fee.  Your commission is based on this net amount of commission.

Some suppliers allow additional fees to be included in the total package price and are transparent to your client.  VAX/VacationAccess is a good example.  If the supplier does not allow you to add an additional mark-up that is transparent to your client, you will need to charge a separate service fee.  The best thing to do is be honest and have confidence in yourself.  You've worked hard for this client, you've booked him/her exactly what they wanted and you deserve to be paid for your time, effort and expertise.  If your client booked anywhere else, they would have had to pay, if not several fees, at least one or two additional fees for the transaction.  Expedia charges several fees once you have gone through the whole booking procedure on their website.  In fact, clients are not aware of Expedia's fees until the very end of the booking process.  So be honest and upfront with your client about this.

Yes.  All agents are eligible to receive a CLIA card after completing mandatory CLIA training and following their requirements. You are eligible for the IATAN card once you have generated a minimum of $5000.00 in commissions within a 12 month period.

Is TPI A “Referral Travel Company”, “Card Mill” or “Pyramid Scam”?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.  We do not sell the dream of free travel without the "inconvenience" of actually having to sell travel.  We are looking for professional travel agents who want to run their business in a professional manner.  We suggest you compare every program you can find before you decide.  Compare very carefully, especially those that want a hefty up-front fee.  Once your money is in their hands, where is their incentive to help, guide and encourage?  We make our money only when you make your money.

To receive travel agent discounts for travel with cruise lines, hotels, tour operators, etc., you must qualify for the CLIA and IATAN Id Cards.

In addition to other trade publications, our TPI-AgentRC will provide you access to Travel Industry news, supplier specials and much more - all updated daily.  Also, our Marketing Department sends out a daily email with news and specials attached.

The choice is yours.  There will be great advantages by using the Travel Planners International brand, but you can personalize all your marketing materials with your agency name with TPI as your affiliated agency.  Should you decide to use the TPI name and/or logo, you must identify yourself as an Independent Agent of TPI.  Example: Wonderful Trips, an Independent Agent of TPI or Jane Doe, an Independent Agent of TPI.

There are several things you can do to make your presence.  Old fashion word of mouth is the best and most cost effective or try walking down Main Street and handing out your business card.  If you want to register on search engines, then try Yahoo and its other search engine affiliates for a small monthly fee.  You can also create your own flyers and place them around your neighborhood, local coffee houses, churches, recreation centers, schools, or even community events.  If you want help, our Marketing Department has hundreds of templates to choose from or we’ll customize one just for your business.

Mailpound.com is a website that is dedicated just to travel agents and offers all kinds of FAM’s, as well as, travel agent rates.  It is also a great website to utilize the various specials that the suppliers are offering in which you can send in a mass mailer out to your clients.  In addition, we have other listings of FAM’s and agent rates in our TPI-AgentRC.

Technology, GDS, Ticketing and Supplier Websites:

How do I know when someone books on my consumer website through TPI’s booking engines?

You will receive a confirmation e-mail of the booking once it is confirmed.

While some suppliers allow self-registration, others require TPI's agency administrator to create your account.  Supplier registration instructions and details can be found in TPI-AgentRC.

I currently use TRAMS ClientBase Plus for all invoiving and CRM tools. Can I continue to use this with TPI?

Yes. You can use TRAMS ClientBase Plus to transmit (click here for instructions for transmitting invoices to TPI) each of your sales transactions to TPI. Our accounting department will interface your transactions directly into our TRAMS Back Office system. Once we have interfaced your transactions, using our TPI-AgentRC, you can view in real-time all of your pending/received/paid commissions. You are welcome to use your existing TRAMS ClientBase Plus or click here to order directly from TRAMS (only $15 / month).

The MAC operating system and browser versions could conflict with some applications in the TPI-AgentRC. Any relatively new computer on any windows operating system is fine (i.e. Windows 98, home, XP, etc) using Internet Explorer 6. Currently, we not support Internet Explorer 7. A broadband connection is recommended all though not required.

No hidden costs.  Other costs associated with the program may include document shipping fees, processing fees, monthly fees for a GDS (optional).

See TPI Fee Schedule.

Our ticketing fees start at $0.00. See TPI Fee Schedule.

Can I do my own air/car/hotel invoicing & ticketing?

If you subscribe to a GDS (Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre or Worldspan), you will have complete control of invoicing and ticketing once you have met our requirements.  In the meantime, you will place tickets in our ticketing queue and our HelpDesk will handle the ticketing.  If you are not using a GDS, you can book air, car and hotel with TPI simple to use Air/Car/Hotel Booking Engine which is accessed in our TPI-AgentRC.

Normally, you may need to make a few changes in your computer, but our Technology Dept. will help with this simple process. In the worst case, TPI may need to ship you new software and you may need to reload the software using TPI's GDS office identification numbers.

Yes. Choose from Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre or Worldspan. We do require a complete background check (criminal, credit and employment verification) and we have a nominal $149.95 setup fee. Unfortunately, we do not approve agents with a criminal background or low credit score. Agents with a credit score below 500 will not be approved; 501 - 699 will be reviewed individually, and 700 or higher will be approved. In addition, we have a nominal monthly fee of $20.00 for the GDS software, for Amadeus Vista, Apollo FocalpointNet, MySabre and Worldspan Go.

Errors & Omissions Insurance, Travel Seller Laws and Bonding:

Will I need Errors & Omissions Insurance?

Having Errors & Omissions (E & O) Insurance coverage (Professional Liability Insurance) is not mandatory for Independent Contractors; however, it is highly recommended and a wonderful piece of mind coverage. Our TPI Pro Hosting Plans include $1,000.000.00 of E & O Insurance coverage for all travel booked through TPI for you and your sub-agents. If you wish to have your own individual coverage, the company below can provide you with E & O coverage for around $300 per year.

The Berkely Group, Insurance Exclusively for the Travel Industry
300 Jericho Quadrangle, 3rd Fl., PO Box 9022, Jericho, NY 11753
Phone: (800) 797-4514, Fax: (516) 294-1821
Web:  http://www.berkely.com

Some states have a "Sellers of Travel Law".  Do I need to register?

Please check the state in which you live in order to determine the requirements.  Generally, you will need to complete a form identifying your name, business name, address and our agency as your host.

No.  Since you will be booking under our agency ARC/IATA/CLIA number, there is no need for you to be bonded.  Agents using their own Name or using a DBA - you may need to be bonded depending on the laws governing your state.

Pull your agreement/contract and read it.  All contracts have a cancellation clause and process.  Follow the cancellation process and draft a letter of cancellation and mail it off to your host.

Our sign-up process is online using our secure website. Click on the "New To TPI - Join Now" button below. You will need to complete all the required fields and then hit the "Register" button. Your sensitive information is safe as it is being transmitted using our secure server. You will receive an email containing further setup instructions along with a copy of the Agreement. You will be instructed to provide certain required security (copy of your driver's license or passport, completed credit card authorization form, copy of your voided bank check and a completed IRS W-9 form) & proof of experience as part of the sign-up process. Additionally, you will be required to view a short orientation video and take a short orientation quiz.

Yes. We provide a short video orientation. The orientation/training is mandatory and you will not be able to process any bookings through us until this has been completed. To be successful in this new relationship that you our entering into with TPI, it will require you to understand our systems and way of doing business.