THE DESTINATION EXPERTS

Fee Structure

One-time fee of $199.99 plus HST to join. “We pride ourselves as being a travel agency and not a recruiting company. Our philosophy as a company is to make a little bit of money from booking a lot of travel, not from recruiting new agents,” says The Destination Experts President Deanna Byrne.

Agents residing in licensed provinces are also required to maintain a Provincial Travel Insurance License as well. That cost is at the agent’s expense but The Destination Experts assists with the application process.

A maintenance fee of $49.99 (taxes included) per month covers the costs to maintain the agency’s outside service providers and platforms that begins roughly three months after the day they sign up. If an agent resigns or the company terminates the agreement for whatever reason, the monthly fee ends immediately with no additional charges.

New agents will need a computer, telephone (landline or cell) printer/scanner/ fax, secure filing system, business cards, some kind of home office space and access to high speed Internet. Costs to have a home office and equipment are the agent’s.

Renewal Process

As mentioned, the Independent Agent Agreement is automatically renewed as long as the agent has maintained the criteria, good business practices and all addendums as mutually agreed upon.

FLIGHT CENTRE ASSOCIATES

Fee Structure

Flight Centre Associates pay an annual fee of $300 that covers off on Errors and Omissions insurance. This is billed each March and pro-rated at $25 per month if an associate starts in later months. A monthly fee of $70 is billed quarterly at $210 in January, April, June and October. All fees are plus applicable taxes. The annual fee, pro-rated if need be, is charged in the start-up month and the first monthly fee of $70 is waived while new Associates are trained and settled with all their new logins and systems. “These are the only fixed costs in the business,” says Lee Zanello, Brand Leader, Flight Centre Associates.

There are two variable costs, he adds. The first is for any marketing collateral, including print pieces, etc., that are niche or individualized and not a part of Flight Centre’s suite of materials.

Associates also incur variable costs with credit card fees if credit cards are processed mostly in-house. However, “most of our Associates pay very little or nothing at all in either variable category and it is definitely possible to run your business successfully paying only the two fixed fees,” says Zanello.

Renewal Process

No renewal process other than the annual fee.