Help/FAQ

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Classy Way Travel CRM Reporting

How to view commissions due in your CRM To view what bookings do not have commission posted to them yet you can run a report on commissions due straight from your CRM.

Option 1: Click the "Outstanding Commissions" button above your Active Reservations List on your Dashboard.

Option 2: From the left-hand menu select Reports -> Commission Reporting -> Outstanding Commissions Due Report

From here you will see a full list of active reservations that you have not received commission on yet. If a booking is not showing on this report, you were likely paid or commission has been scheduled and you will be paid. Run your commission received report and choose an end date for the following Friday to see if it will be on your next payroll.

Please remember that "Expected Commission" is the amount of commission you estimated would be received when you entered your booking into your CRM. If you did not enter in an amount or your data was uploaded for you from your Booking Desk, this amount will show as .01. This does not mean only .01 will be posted; it's just an estimation. We will post whatever is sent to us by the vendor as soon as the commission is received.

If you have not received commission for your booking and it has been 60 days past the travel date, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from your Classy Way Agent Hub. The form is required for all commission inquiries.

For a video on commission reporting, please see the link on Commission Reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Training Menu.

How to view a breakdown of your commission received by pay date (This can also be used to view what you will be paid in the future or this week's payroll.)

To view how much your commission was for a specific week and what bookings it was associated with, you can run a commission received report from your Classy Way CRM.

Option 1: Click on the "Paid Commissions" button above your Active Reservations List on your Dashboard. To view your upcoming commissions, filter the dates with an ending date that ends on the following Friday. This way you'll see what you will be paid this week.

Option 2: From the left-hand side menu select Reports -> Commission Reporting -> Commission Paid and Received Report. Next, select a pay week and click Submit. To view your upcoming commissions, filter the dates with an ending date that ends on the following Friday. This way you'll see what you will be paid in the coming week. Please allow 1-3 business days after the listed date for the funds to hit your account.

This can be used to understand what commissions have been received and how much, and you can run this report for tax purposes should you need a breakdown for the IRS or your tax handler.

To understand why you received this amount, please contact the vendor directly for a full commission explanation.

You can also view if an individual reservation has been paid by opening the reservation and clicking on the +Commission tab underneath the booking. You will see the payment date and commission amount posted.

For a video on commission reporting, please see the link on Commission Reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Training Menu.

Fees Your commission reporting has a section for fees and miscellaneous commission adjustments. You may receive an amount listed under the Fees section of your reporting that is not a "fee" in the general sense. The notation next to the amount will tell you what the amount is. It may be a positive amount (additional commission due to you) or it may be a negative amount that will be garnished from a future payroll payment. Please look at the notation to determine what the amount is and what it's for.

Common notations:

Recall: This means the vendor charged Classy Way due to a recall on your commission. This could be because of a cancellation, booking transfer, rebooking, etc. In this case, Classy Way will place a commission garnish on your account to recoup those funds and pay back the vendor. If you have questions about why your commission was recalled, please reach out to the vendor directly.

Carry-over: These can either be a negative amount that is due but could not be taken from your commission because the amount earned did not cover the full amount, or it can be a positive amount that could not be paid because it did not reach the Payoneer minimum payment amount of $25. In either case, the amount will be carried over to your next payroll. Remember, a recall will have a negative amount listed, and additional pay will have a positive amount listed. Please see the notation next to the booking for clarification.

Garnish: These can be due to recalls from the vendor or can be a system payment correction.

If you have any questions, please reach out! Submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

Tracking Business Expenses For every business expense you have, you can now input and track it from your CRM for evaluating the success of your business or for tax purposes. These can include monthly fees or other miscellaneous expenses.

Log into your Classy Way CRM From the left-hand side menu select Reports -> Financial Reports -> Business Expenses. Enter your expense by clicking on the Create New Expense Category tab.

You can find a full list of your monthly fees from your Classy Way Agent Hub by clicking on 1099 from under the Tools tab and then selecting Order History. From here, you can enter all your fees into your business expenses report.

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Why is it important that I post bookings to my Booking Desk correctly?

Can I use the agent rate on bookings for other people?

How to Post & Edit Bookings in Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

How to Post & Edit Bookings in Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

Booking information missing from my Active Reservation List

Please know the Active Reservation List on your CRM Dashboard ONLY lists active untraveled bookings. Once a booking has received commission or the client has traveled, the booking is removed from your Active Reservation List. You can view a list of all past bookings from your CRM. Click on "Reservation List," under Reports-> Client Reporting tab -or- you can click on the "Past Travel," button underneath your Active Reservation List.

How to post a booking to your Classy Way CRM

Check the Vendor List on your Classy Way Agent Hub in order to make sure you are following directions and posting the correct confirmation/reservation number. If you're still unsure how to post your booking, reach out to the vendor! Ask them how they send commission and what they reference on their check/payment. The more information you can give us on the Classy Way CRM, the easier it will be to locate your booking when the commission comes in so we can pay you.

1.Log into your Classy Way Agent Hub and click on “CRM,” from the Tools tab. You'll be redirected to your Classy Way CRM.

2.From your Classy Way CRM Dashboard, click on the purple "Create New Booking," tab. If this is a new client, you can create a client profile here by entering in the client's name, phone number, and email address. If not, choose which client this booking belongs to from the populated list.

3.Next, enter in the trip details like travel dates, destination, supplier*, confirmation number, total reservation amount, expected commission amount**, and assign the booking to a group (if applicable) and click Save.

4.Once the booking is created, you can add additional segments like tours, activities, insurance, etc., just click on "Add Segment," under the Reservations/Segments option under the booking. *Please choose a supplier from the populated list. Please choose "Other" only if your hotel/supplier is not listed. This will affect how commissions are posted.

**This is an estimation only. The commission amount posted will be what's received from the vendor directly. If you have any questions about your commission, please reach out to the vendor directly for a full commission breakdown.

Why is it important that I post bookings to Classy Way CRM?

It's important you are posting the correct information to your Classy Way CRM for your booking so you are paid correctly and on time. In the majority of cases the vendor does not provide us any information on a booking or the booking agent other than a confirmation number or travel date for the trip. This means if you have posted the booking incorrectly (whether the wrong number, the number is incorrect, or you haven't posted the booking at all) there's no way for us to determine which agent funds need to be paid to.

If you have not received commission on a booking and it has been 60 days past the travel date, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from your Classy Way Agent Hub. The form provides us the information we need to research your commission and pay it to you.

How to edit a confirmation number or booking information after a booking is already posted to Classy Way CRM To edit a booking on your Classy Way CRM:

Log into your Classy Way CRM from your Classy Way Agent Hub under the Tools tab.
Scroll down on your Dashboard to your Classy Way CRM Active Reservations desk and click on the reservation -or- locate the booking on the client's profile.
Click the + on the left side of the booking to open the edit features on the booking.
Scroll down to +Build/Edit Itinerary, and then click the blue edit button. You will then be able to edit the Confirmation Number (or trip total, estimate comm amount, etc) and click save.

How to add a passenger for an existing booking

1.Log into your Classy Way CRM

2.Locate the booking from your Active Reservation list on your Dashboard and open the booking.

3.Click on the + under Active to open all the booking options.

4.Click + Passengers to add an additional passenger. You can search for an existing client or add a new passenger with an option to add them as a client by clicking No under "Family Member Only." You would click Yes if the passenger is an infant or someone who you don't want to add as a client.

How to assign an existing reservation already posted to your CRM to a group:

1.Log into your Classy Way Agent Hub and click on “CRM,” from the Tools tab. You'll be redirected to your Classy Way CRM. If you have not already created a group booking in your CRM, please do so now.

2.Locate the existing reservation on your Active Reservation List on your Dashboard, or locate the booking under the client profile.

3.Click the blue edit tab next to the reservation

4.Under "Company/Group Association" select the proper group name.

5.Click Save

How do I Cancel a Trip in my CRM?

There are two options depending if the entire trip is cancelled or if it is just one component.

Cancel the full trip, by going to the right of the + where you open the booking and click on the Cancel button there.
If you need to cancel a specific component from the booking, open the booking, click + Build/Edit Itineraries, and click on the Cancel button to the right of the supplier/component.

How to reinstate a cancelled reservation

Open the booking. At the bottom of the Build/Edit Itinerary area you will see CANCELLED RESERVATIONS. If you click on that you can click on the UNCANCEL button and it will add it back into the Build/Edit Itineraries area. You can then go into the booking and make any changes/additions you need for the booking.

How to delete a booking

From a booking you can click the red Delete button to delete booking. Please be very careful when using this feature. Once an item is deleted, it's gone. You will never be able to retrieve the information for that booking one it's deleted. We do not recommend deleting past/traveled bookings. These are archived after travel.

If you need to cancel a booking, please use the yellow Cancel button next to the booking.

How to Add Reservations/Segments to an existing booking

If your booking includes additional components or add-ons for a vacation for your client, you can add them onto the original reservation without creating a completely separate booking. This helps you keep all the information for one vacation package together without having to create separate bookings on your Active Reservation List.

For example, you've booked a Carnival cruise with transfers from the airport and pre and post hotel stays. These additional travel components can be added onto the original reservation so you can still be paid on them but keep everything together.

Here's how to add Reservations/Segments to an existing booking:

1.From the Booking click on the + to open up the booking.

2.Next click + Build/Edit Itinerary and then click Add Segment or Add Reservation. Add Segment is used for transfers included in the main booking price (For example, a flight included as part of a Funjet vacation package). Add Reservation is used when you would like to add an additional paid service to your booking like additional hotel stays, paid transfers, tours, excursions, etc., that have a different confirmation number and have an additional price associated to them.

3.Input all the booking information. Please be sure to select Yes under "Print Reservation on Itin?" You can then upload an image or search for one available. Please be sure you are using either approved marketing photos from the vendor -or- search for a photo in the image search field. This is for copyright reasons. Good news is most vendors have a large catalogue of photos you can use for marketing purposes on their vendor site.

4.Next add information about this segment/reservation. This information can usually be taken directly form the vendor's site to describe what this additional service is or entails.

5.Add any additional information you have about this reservation/segment and then click Save.

Support Additional training is located on your Classy Way CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets," tab.

How do I obtain a travel agent rate for my personal booking?

When do I post a booking to the booking desk?

How to book directly with A hotel?

Fraudulent Bookings, Chargebacks & Disputes

How travel agents from Classy Way Travel Agency can help minimize the risk of fraudulent bookings:

Sometimes, in our eagerness to make a sale, we might overlook common signs indicating that something isn't quite right. As the number of travelers increases, it becomes crucial to recognize the indicators of fraud and take steps to reduce the risk of fraudulent bookings. Additionally, preventing chargebacks is essential to safeguard your business.

What is a chargeback?

A chargeback is a reversal of a transaction initiated by a credit card holder. It is offered by the cardholder's bank or financial institution as a means of protecting against fraudulent charges. Chargebacks can occur for several reasons:

True Fraud: This occurs when the card is lost or stolen, leading to unauthorized use and compromised payment information.
Friendly Fraud: This involves a dispute by the cardholder who perceives the charge as a billing error or disagrees with the conditions of the sale. It often arises when a family member uses the card without permission or due to misunderstandings about terms and conditions.
Chargeback Fraud: This is a form of theft where individuals use chargebacks to keep products or services and obtain a refund through a bank dispute. It is prevalent in the travel industry, often when clients don't understand cancellation policies or aren't eligible for refunds.

It's essential to note that the chargeback process tends to favor the cardholder, so agents should always strive to receive a Credit Card Authorization (CCAuth) Form from the cardholder.

Red Flags for True Fraud:

Last-Minute Travel: Clients wanting to travel immediately, especially air-only reservations, can be a cause for caution, especially if they are new customers.
Suspicious Information: Investigate the client's address, email, phone number, and credit card details. Be wary of VOIP phone numbers, invalid addresses, and unusual email addresses.
Mismatched Names: Ensure that the traveler's name matches the name on the credit card. Always obtain a copy of the government-issued ID and a signed credit card authorization form.
Multiple Credit Card Numbers: If the client keeps providing new card numbers after the first one is declined, it may indicate fraud.
Departure City Discrepancy: If the departure city isn't near the cardholder's billing address or itinerary, inquire why and consider checking the client's IP address.

What is a BIN Search?

A Bank Identification Number (BIN) search involves checking the first 4-6 numbers on a payment card to verify if they match the information provided by the client. While a BIN search alone isn't sufficient to identify fraud, it can be used alongside other methods.

Things to Check in a BIN Search:

Match of Issuing Bank Country with Shipping Address.
Consistency with the Card Type.
Determine if the Card is Prepaid.

A BIN search complements other research methods like IP address checks, Google searches, and Facebook searches.

Remember, these red flags warrant caution, not immediate rejection. Conduct additional research to confirm the client's legitimacy. If you proceed with the booking, ensure you have a physically signed Credit Card Authorization Form and a copy of the cardholder's government-issued ID before processing payment.

When in doubt, it's better to politely decline the client's request and refuse to service the booking.

How to Prevent Chargebacks:

Provide excellent customer service and support.
Be easily reachable and available.
Clearly explain booking terms, conditions, and cancellation policies.
Always obtain a signed Credit Card Authorization Form, ensuring it matches the cardholder's ID.

How to Fight a Chargeback:

Provide evidence that the cardholder was involved in the booking, authorized the transaction, received the booking's terms and conditions, and accepted or declined trip protection/travel insurance. Include:

Copy of the cardholder's government-issued ID.
Signed credit card authorization form.
Initialed credit card authorization form showing acceptance of terms and conditions and trip protection.

Classy Way Travel Agency provides a Credit Card Authorization Form to assist you in this process.

Can You Use the Vendor's Credit Card Authorization Form?

Yes, as long as it includes confirmation of the cardholder's understanding of terms, conditions, and trip protection, along with their authorization for the charge. Ensure you also collect a copy of their government-issued ID.

What if a Client's Refund Takes Too Long?

Contact the vendor to expedite the refund process. Avoid encouraging clients to initiate chargebacks, as this can lead to lengthy delays and potential liability for the agency.

How to book directly with hotel

How to book directly with a hotel Before you book

Please know that it is always best to work with the wholesale suppliers on your Vendor List when you can. We already have a working relationship with them, and it helps with the booking and payment process. If working with a supplier on the Vendor List is not an option, see below.

We do not suggest booking directly with a hotel resort outside the continental US. They rarely pay commission promptly and can be difficult to work with.

Training

Many hotel chains offer their own trainings. If you book through one of the supplier consolidators like Vax or Delta Vacations, we encourage you to take their specific training on hotel chains.

Other trainings are provided by the hotel chain directly, and some are on the Travel Agent University including Palladium, Langham, The Venetian, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and more! We also highly encourage you to take their fantastic training on all-inclusive resorts. Whether accelerated by the pandemic or not, all-inclusives are becoming ever more popular — especially among the major players in the hotel space. These trainings are FREE and can help you improve your business knowledge and sales. Please also check our our preferred supplier Pleasant Holidays for all-inclusive beach vacations at the top resort brands in Mexico, Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Panama.

How to Book

To book directly with a hotel, an agent can call the hotel directly and identify themselves as a travel agent with the host agency Classy Way Travel Agency before booking, and give them Classy Way Travel Agency's IATA (all of Classy Way's company information is located on the Vendor List located on the Classy Way Agent Hub under the Tools tab). The vendor will let the agent know if verification is required for the agent, or if they need additional information to set up an agency account for Classy Way. If you need assistance, please submit a help desk/support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

Once the agent is ready to book, they should mention any current promotions they received/found for the hotel, and make sure the promotion is for a commissionable rate before booking.

The agent may also consider seeing if there are any current promotions taking place through one of our preferred vendors on the Vendor List for a similar hotel instead. Commission rates are generally higher through Classy Way's preferred vendors, and can be received quicker than booking directly with the hotel.

We encourage agents to log into their Travelsavers account frequently for current Partner of the Month promotions or check the Travelsavers Promotions Archive.

Be sure to get a physically signed copy of the Credit Card Authorization Form from your client for the booking.

Groups

Commissionable Rate & Quote

Hotels in the US generally consider a group 10 or more rooms. Once your client has chosen the hotel they want for their group, you will need to contact the hotel and negotiate the group rate. Be sure to ask for a commissionable rate. If yes, tell the hotel that you are a travel advisor with the host agency Classy Way Travel Agency, and give our IATA (All of Classy Way’s company information as well as booking credentials are located on your Classy Way Agent Hub under the Vendor List tab). Then, get a quote and send it to your client.

Review the Group Contract When your client approves the rate, you will then ask the hotel for the group contract.

Ensure your contract lists Classy Way's IATA and your commission percentage. If you do not see this information, contact the vendor.

Remember, your booking is not commissionable unless you book it under an IATA and you have a contract with commission details listed.

Check to see if the contract has attrition in it and try to negotiate a contract without attrition. Attrition, also called slippage, is the term that hotels and meeting facilities use to describe the number of expected guests who fail to show. An attrition clause in the contract is a commitment to pay for a specific number of rooms and should your number decrease, this reduction of numbers may require a payment as a penalty. You will need to review the contract carefully and go over the hotel’s policies and penalties with your client.

Review the contract carefully for any errors

We recommend that you have your client acknowledge the contract. It’s usually received via email, and you can copy and paste it into a new document and remove any reference to your commission. Then print it and have the client sign and date it.

Commission and follow up

After the travel date, the agent should follow up with the hotel about their commission. Some hotels send commission directly to Classy Way or a third-party processor like ONYX or TACS who then send commission to Classy Way. Other hotels may require an invoice from the agent (a sample hotel invoice is provided for you on your Classy Way Agent Hub under Forms & Documents). The agent should communicate with the hotel and find out any requirements or procedures to receive commission. If the hotel requests a W9 from Classy Way, please submit a Help Desk ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub and provide us with the confirmation number, dates of stay, and guest name or group name for your booking. We will then email the hotel directly with our W9.

If the hotel indicates commission has been sent but it has been 60 days past the travel date and the agent has not received commission, the agent must submit a Travel Commission Research Form from the Classy Way Agent hub so we can look into the booking further. The agent should contact the hotel first for the payment information associated with the payment and include this information on their Commission Research Form. This includes the check date, check number, commission amount, confirmation number associated with the booking that was referenced on the check. This information will help Classy Way's Accounting Department locate the commission and apply it to the booking. If the hotel indicates they paid your commission through ONYX or TACS, please tell us!

Invoicing

To invoice a hotel please see the sample invoice provided to you by Classy Way from your Classy Way Agent Hub under the Forms & Documents tab. Download the template and edit it from your computer or print it and enter in the required information to send to the hotel.

We do not require a copy of the invoice, but you should keep a copy in your records. We will post your commission as soon as it is received. If it has been 60 days past the travel date and you have not received commission on your booking, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from your Classy Way Agent hub.

If the vendor requires anything else, like a travel agency registration form or require the host agency's banking information, please submit a help desk/support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub. Please let us know your booking number, travel date, confirmation number/group name, and provide a name and email address of a representative at the hotel we can contact. We will submit the required information to the vendor and reference your booking to expedite the payment process.

Marriott

If you have a group booking made with a Marriott property, please include the "Event Number," or "Sequence Number," as the confirmation number to your booking on your Classy Way CRM. You must request this number from Marriott. The event/sequence number is a unique number assigned to each group block built into the Marriott reservation system. Also include the property name or code. Example if you book the Marriott on Stanton South Beach, please put "MARRIOTT STANTON SOUTH BEACH," as the vendor/supplier.

If you have questions or need help with commission, please reach out to their Transient Commission Desk at [email protected] 800-831-3100 option 3, or for group commissions, reach out to their Group Commission Desk at [email protected] 800-445-1551 option 2.

Hyatt

Commission is issued 30-45 days after guest checkout for commission payment. You may follow up after booking directly with a Hyatt property by submitting a Hyatt payment request here. You will need to provide a copy of your hotel invoice to submit the form. You can also reach them at [email protected] or call the travel agent support line at (800) 634-3940.

Hilton

To book with Hilton, simply use their site here, and enter in Classy Way's IATA when making your booking in the appropriate IATA field. You can register for the Hilton Travel Professions Program here. When asked for "Travel agency code," put in "our IATA."

Commission information and more information on how to book is here. Most commissions are sent directly to Classy Way through TACS. Please know Classy Way is already signed up for payments through TACS.

Hilton FastPay

If the hotel you booked with uses Hilton FastPay, after the booking travels you will need to send an invoice to Hilton Fastpay. Please use: FastPay Invoice Template.xls.

You must include: An Invoice number: Usually the numerical date with the lead client initials at the end. Please post this invoice number to your Classy Way CRM so we can pay you once the commission comes in. Classy Way's IATA number (This is located at the top of your Vendor List on the Classy Way Agent Hub). The hotel 5-letter code, name, and address. The 5-digit hotel code can often be found on the group's contract or can be confirmed with the on-property team. Arrival date, departure date, and event number and name (if applicable). Either contracted or actual room nights, room rate, and currency A copy of the group contract. Please email your invoice including the information above and your contract to [email protected] and cc support@Classywaytravelagency.com.

Your invoice must be received within 180 days after the date of stay to receive commission on your booking. It is very important to submit it as soon as possible.

AIC Hotel Group (Hard Rock) When booking you should use Classy Way's IATA. Payment is sent to Classy Way via ACH 45 days after the travel end date. If it has been longer than 45 days, please submit an AIC Commission Request Form so they can process your commission. If you have questions about your commission please email [email protected]. Please know Classy Way is already signed up for payments through TACS.

Hotel Planner Group bookings (for 9+ rooms) cannot be made directly on Expedia TAAP and instead are handled by a third-party called Hotel Planner, who offers very low commission rates and slow payment. Please research other group options first before booking with Hotel Planner. If you decide to use Hotel Planner, be sure you select the option, "I am an agent,' and provide Classy Way's IATA and address. This must be done before booking or it may not be booked at a commissionable rate. After the group stays at the hotel, HotelPlanner will follow up with you and the hotel sales manager to confirm pickup and daily rate. Once verified, HotelPlanner will invoice the hotel for the commission. Once the payment from the hotel has been received, your travel agent commission will be processed on the first day of the following month. A check will be processed and mailed to the agency address. This entire process generally takes 30-120 days after the travel end date for commission to be received. Classy Way suggests using another vendor for higher commission percentages and quicker payment.

Be sure you post your booking on your CRM with the Hotel Planner invoice number to receive payment. It starts with "R" followed by a 12-14 digit number.

TACS and ONYX

TACS and ONYX are third party payment processors that most hotel commissions are paid through. Some hotels may still send checks, but as the industry evolves and automates their payment systems, you may see more and more that your hotel commissions are processed through a third party like TACS or ONYX. This is GREAT. Using these payment processors means commissions are processed quicker, and they have a better reporting system to be able to assist you should there be any payment issue. If the hotel you booked with tells you they pay through TACS or ONYX and you need to track down a payment or payment information for your commission, please use the contact information below.

TACS: [email protected] or 1-703-480-6916.

ONYX: [email protected] 1-214-396-3280

Please know, Classy Way is already registered and already setup with these third party payment processing companies. You do not need to register with them to receive commission.

LGBTQIA+ Travel

LGBTQIA+ Travel

Travel is a universal passion! According to data from the LGBT2030 report, led by marketing agency Out Now Consulting, the annual expenditure of LGBTQIA+ tourism currently exceeds $200 billion! (Note: LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and acesexual, and includes other sexual identities). However, it can be challenging to identify destinations that are suitable and safe for LGBTQIA+ travelers. Some countries have punishments for LGBTQIA+ people varying from death to prison sentences to fines. There are also cultural and religious perceptions that could affect the traveler based on identity alone.

When planning travel for your LGBTQIA+ clients, it's important to take into consideration local laws affecting LGBTQIA+ people, social attitudes towards their community, as well as the sizes of the communities in these destinations and how they are catered to. One resource that may be helpful is the LGBT Equality Index provided by Equaldex. The Equality Index measures the current status of LGBT rights, laws, and freedoms as well as public attitudes towards LGBT people.

Your goal is for your clients to not only enjoy their vacation but feel safe and comfortable during their trip. While you can never guarantee safety, you can take precautions and do research on the destinations and suppliers you choose to work with when finding the best vacation options for your LGBTQIA+ clients. Below are some additional resources for you and your LGBTQIA+ clients:

Please see the checklist for LGBTQIA+ travelers provided by the state.travel.gov website. This gives helpful information about what your LGBTQIA+ clients will need before, during, and after travel. Check also the International LGBTQIA+ Travel Association IGLTA site for additional safety information and helpful LGBTQIA+ travel guides. Provide contact information to your client for the US Consulate in their destination, who can help in an emergency situation. The following information is for transgender travelers that need to make a correction on their passport or change their gender marker on their passport. Please also provide TSA's policy for transgender travelers to your transgender clients. They'll also find additional information on knowing their rights and airport security through the National Center for Transgender Equality here. Classy Way Travel Agency works directly with over a hundred suppliers. Two that offer vacation packages specifically for LGBTQIA+ travelers are Gogo Vacations and Delta Vacations. Other suppliers that have made commitments for the safety and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ travelers are Disney, Classic Vacations, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Carnival, RCCL, and Virgin Voyages. You may ask any vendor you work with for their thoughts or suggestions about a specific destination or product to ensure your LGBTQIA+ clients are traveling to a property and/or destination that is safe for them.

FAM Trips .

FAM or "Fam trip" is short for "familiarization trip." They are generally short trips taken by travel advisors, usually at a discounted rate, designed to learn about a destination or travel supplier to gain first-hand knowledge through experiencing it. They serve two main goals:

Gain knowledge about the product or service: Go beyond the brochure! A fam trip helps you gain knowledge about a product or service that only someone who was there would know. As an advisor, you get to experience the supplier through the eyes of a client. This will help you anticipate the kinds of questions your clients may have about the product or destination. For example, if you take a Fam trip to a resort in Mexico, you may learn where the closest place to convert money is, what rooms have the best view, what the nightlife is like, if there are a lot of stairs, how long the walk is from the rooms to the restaurants or pools, etc. Some knowledge is not in a brochure and can only be learned by experiencing it.
Build relationships with travel suppliers: Exchange business cards and contact information with the managers and other people you meet while on the FAM. When your clients go to that hotel/destination/etc, you can reach out to those contacts to let them know you have a client traveling. Not only will you prove that your FAM was beneficial to you, but it will also show the supplier that it was beneficial for them. You'll be able to provide a personalized level of service to your client you may not have been able to provide without that FAM experience and build a close relationship with the supplier in the process.

Why take a FAM trip?

The bottom line is to gain current and accurate knowledge of a product/service to maximize your sales. Matching a client and their preferences to a specific travel supplier that caters to both their style of travel and their budget expectations is one of the biggest considerations when qualifying your client. FAM trips enable travel advisors to gain a deeper understanding of the product or service by experiencing it themselves. It also allows the advisor to anticipate what kind of client is best suited for this product or service, what the experience is actually like, and gives a better understanding in assisting with planning an overall budget for their client's trip.

What is FAM trip like?

It’s not a free vacation! Fam trips involve hard work to fully capture every aspect of the travel experience and understand the supplier's product. There’s often a lot of information to capture and very little downtime. They generally have a lot of early mornings and days packed with activities.

It's important to understand you are working on these trips, and you represent not only your personal business, but also Classy Way Travel Agency. Always dress professionally but comfortably to walk a lot during your inspection. This means having the right walking shoes and dress to accommodate not only the weather but the amount of activity you will be doing (it's a lot!). It's also a good idea to have business cards to give to your contacts to network. You want to leave a professional and positive lasting impression.

What should I do before I take a FAM trip?

Determine if this FAM is in alignment with what you plan to market and sell: If you specialize in all-inclusive travel, it makes more sense to find FAMs focused on destinations and suppliers who offer all-inclusive resorts, opposed to Alaskan adventures (for example). Unless you're looking to expand your focus, stick to what you know you can -or- want to sell.

Determine who you will sell this product or service to: Identify 1-5 clients that may be a good fit with this supplier. If you're new to the business, determine what kind of client they would be. This will help you determine if this FAM makes sense for your business. If you don't know anyone who would be interested in this product or service, really consider if this FAM is right for you. If you know at least 1-5 people who might be interested in this product or service, you have a better chance of this experience benefiting your business. Remember, none of us would be in this business if we didn't like to travel, but our bottom line is to run a profitable business.

Take the supplier's training: Most suppliers have a training program or, at the very least, a brochure or website. Learn as much as you can before you travel. You want to dive deep when you get there, not ask basic questions already answered on a website. This helps you ask meaningful questions when you get there and maximize your time to gain the greatest benefit.

Pro Tip: Look at all the room categories online. Communicate which room categories you would like to see with the supplier beforehand to make sure they're available while you're there.

Pro Tip: If you specialize in weddings, learn about the wedding packages online. Communicate with the supplier you would like to speak to the wedding coordinator when you arrive and gauge their availability. Also ask to visit their wedding venues/spaces.

How do I book a FAM?

Classy Way Travel Agency schedules FAM Trips, Classy Way Experiences, and other training events throughout the year; however, you are not limited to Classy Way hosted events! Many vendors offer agent FAM and inspection rates or specific FAM training events. Check the supplier's site or reach out to the vendor's BDM. Some vendors may require that you've earned your CLIA or IATA card. Others may have other qualifications like completing their training program. It's important to meet the qualifications determined by the vendor/supplier before you book.

For example, Marriott has a program called Marriott Hotel Excellence. Their "FAM-tastic" rate program requires advisors to complete their Hotel Excellence training program and hold a valid IATA or CLIA card when checking in.

Pro Tip: Amstar can help agents schedule FAMS for some resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico. They can assist in making appointments and arranging transportation between resorts.

What to do on a FAM?

Take postcard-ready photos: This allows you to create marketing materials to send to your clients. Get pictures of menus and food, rooms, pools, activities, transportation schedules, the outside of the venue, etc. Try to take photos without you or other people in them if you can.

Ask questions: Now is the time to ask questions that were not covered in the supplier's training or on their site. You can even print out information online and ask them if anything has changed to make sure you have the most current and accurate information to help you sell to your clients.

Network: Exchange business cards and contact information with the managers and other people you meet while on the FAM.

Experience & enjoy!: What are the must-try restaurants, spa treatments, pools, excursions, activities, etc.? Learn it by experiencing it yourself!

Pro Tip: If you visit a resort and are approached at the resort for a timeshare pitch and do not want this for your clients, politely and professionally ask what the process is to request that your client not be approached for a timeshare pitch and allowed privacy to enjoy their vacation. This is to respect your client's time and money they've spent at this resort, as well as for the resort to respect your business. This is your client, and you want to ensure repeat business for both you and the resort.

Important: Please never share FAM rates with your clients or other travelers or recruit agents or other travelers while on your FAM trip. These are experiences to gain knowledge and make professional contacts with suppliers only. It's important to respect other travelers and the supplier while on your trip.

What to do after a FAM trip?

Remember those 1-5 people you determined might be a good fit for this supplier? Once you get home, contact one or more of them to let them know about your trip and how it might be a good fit for their next vacation! It doesn't need to be a cold call to get them to book, just a quick message that you thought of them while on your trip and share a photo.

For example, if you have a client that loves Mexican food and you found the perfect authentic Mexican restaurant, tell them! Send them a picture of the menu or the dish you ate. Let them know you thought of them and they would love this dish too!

Next, go online and blog about your trip on your social media pages. Use the pictures you took and create marketing materials. Show what a great time you had and be sure to give contact information for how your clients can contact you to book!

Reach out to the BDM to let them know how your FAM went. Ask them to keep you in mind for any similar training events and ask to be put on a mailing list for special rates or promotions for this supplier.

Classy Way Travel Agency Fam Trips and Events

To learn more about member trips and events, please log into your Classy Way Agent hub and click on the Events tab for a list of events and updates. For questions, please send us a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub!

How do I update the bank account where I receive my commission?

Do I make commission on bookings made with an agent rate?

How to update where you receive commission

What are commission tiers?

Commission FAQ

Please remember we do not accept commission research requests over the phone or via email. We only accept commission research requests via the Travel Commission Research Form. If you have issues with the form, please let us know via a support ticket. This is to help the Commission Department keep all information about the agent's request and booking in one place that is easily retrievable and in our records. It also saves attachments to the ticket which we may need during the research process.

Using private email or over the phone requests means we have no accessible or searchable record that the request ever happened. This can lead to payment issues and misunderstandings, which are easily avoidable if the agent submits a Travel Commission Research form.

We will only accept Travel Commission Research forms up to 12 months past the travel date. You can review our Policies and Procedures from the Resources Center tab on your Classy Way Agent Hub.

Common FAQ

When do commissions payout?

Commissions release every Friday after 4pmCT*. You can view your commission reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Commission Reporting tab.

*Please allow 1-3 business days for the commission to hit your account. Every bank is different. We can't control when your online banking statement updates.

You can view when your commission will payout on a booking from your CRM under the +commission tab. Click the tab to view either that commission has not yet been received (it will say "Outstanding,") -or- you will see a listed forecast date for when the commission will be released to you. Please know this date may change depending on changes to your booking.

When do vendors send commission?

First, remember that our preferred suppliers generally pay quicker than other vendors on your Vendor List. For most vendors, we generally receive your commission 1-8 weeks after the travel end date. Car rental commissions and checks directly from the vendor (like hotels) can take longer to receive, especially if the payment is received via check through a postal delivery service. Keep this in mind when choosing which vendor to work with.

Next, it's important to realize every vendor pays differently. Classy Way does not control when a vendor sends your commission, but we will post it as soon as possible after it's received as long as your booking has been posted to your Classy Way CRM correctly. You should check your Vendor List in case there are any special instructions about commissions or how to post bookings to your Classy Way CRM.

If you're not sure when a vendor pays commission, ask them -or- review their training on their site. Many vendors give a timeline of when commission is paid to travel advisors, or can answer specific questions about your commission if you reach out to them. We've listed as much contact information we can find for each vendor on your Vendor List, but you can also check the vendor's site to see if there is any special contact information for their accounting or commission department.

Remember, you are an independent contractor and, as the booking agent, you are uniquely authorized to contact the vendor to inquire about your booking and your commission.

Tip: To view if your commission was sent for an ALG booking:

Log into Vax and bring up your booking under the Existing Reservations tab by typing in your reservation number and retrieving the reservation.
Scroll down to the bottom of the reservation page and click on the History tab. Then select Accounting Activity next to History Type.
If your commission was sent you will see "COMMISSION," in all caps with a negative amount (don't be worried about the negative. It means it was debited from ALG, meaning a negative to them, positive to you!), and then the date it was sent.

Remember we always pay your commission to you after the travel date in case any changes to the commission amount occur. If you did not post your booking to your Classy Way CRM until after the date the commission was sent, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form. Your commission is being held until claimed. We accept research forms up until 12 months past the travel date for your booking.

Please download the ALG viewing-reservation-history on their website for additional information on using the Reservation History in Vax.

Tip: To view if your commission was sent for a Carnival booking:

Log into goccl and open your booking.
Under the Payment tab select Payment History.
Commission will generally be indicated under the Description notes as "payment/ERF," and then a negative amount. This means negative to Carnival, a positive amount to you! You'll be able to see the date issued and the amount.

Please know we will receive the commission on the Friday following the listed issued date.

My commission was applied to my booking on my Classy Way CRM, but I didn't receive it

This is likely an issue with the agent's Payoneer account.

Log into the Classy Way Agent Hub and then click on the Resources Center tab or My Business tab. From there click on "Access Payoneer site."

Once the agent has accessed Payoneer they can update their banking information or set up their Payoneer account. Once the account is setup or updated, please submit a Help Desk ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub under the Travel Agent Support category. In your ticket indicate you did not receive your commission because your Payoneer account was not up to date. Give the date the payment should have transferred and the amount. We will then reschedule the commission payment through Payoneer. Please allow 1-3 business days for the payment to process.

Payoneer fee There is a yearly Payoneer fee of $29.95 if you choose to receive commissions via Payoneer debit card and do not earn more than $2,000 in a year. If you setup to receive payments via ACH, this fee does not apply.

Agent needs help with Payoneer

Please contact Payoneer directly at 1-800-251-2521 or [email protected]

My commission was never posted to my booking on my Classy Way CRM

Not receiving commission can happen for a few different reasons, but by taking a few steps we can quickly assist you to locate and release your commission.

First, check to see if the commission was already paid to you by checking your Booking Desk on your Classy Way Agent Hub. If no commission was posted next to the booking, check your commission reporting in your Classy Way CRM. If commission does not show on your Booking Desk or your Classy way CRM commission reports, review the Vendor List located on the Classy Way Agent Hub to see if there are any special posting instructions for how to post the booking to Classy Way CRM. Click on the vendor's logo you booked with to see the vendor's instructions, and the scroll through the information to see if there are any instructions listed under "Commissions." (Please remember no matter which vendor you book with, your booking should ALWAYS be posted immediately after you book the trip and receive a confirmation number. Any delay in posting your booking to your Classy Way CRM may result in a delay in payment.) Eg. Carnival and RCCL send commission for group cruises to Classy Way referencing the group number only (even if the group space wasn't filled). This means when you post your booking to your Classy Way CRM you must post the booking with the group confirmation number.

Next, review your confirmation details for the booking from the vendor to ensure you've posted your booking correctly on the Classy Way CRM. The letter l is not the same as the number 1, but they can look very similar. Be sure to correct any errors. If it has been 60 days past the travel date and you still have not received your commission on a booking, contact the vendor directly and ask if the commission has been sent to Classy Way Travel Agency. If no, see if the vendor requires any additional information from you. It can be the case the vendor requires the agent to invoice the hotel or vendor. A template hotel invoice is located on the Classy Way Agent Hub under the Forms & Documents tab from the Resources Center.

If the vendor indicates they have already sent the commission to Classy Way Travel Agency, submit a Travel Commission Research Form from the Classy Way Agent Hub. Be sure to include the check/payment date, the payment or check number, the commission amount, and the confirmation number they vendor referenced on the check/payment for the booking. If the vendor has sent the commission, they will have this payment information. Please include this payment information on the Travel Commission Research Form and any other information you can provide so we can locate your booking and your commission.

Once the Travel Commission Research Form is received, the Travel Commission Department will begin the research process and may reach out to you to verify your booking details. You may also be asked to follow up with the vendor for additional payment information. Remember, the more information you provide on the form, the quicker we can locate and post your commission.

Please remember we will only accept Travel Commission Research forms up to 12 months past the travel date. You can review our Policies and Procedures from the Resources Center tab on your Classy Way Agent Hub.

My commission amount is not what I expected

Classy Way Commission Tier payment schedule:

Tier 1 and New Face receive 75% of the commission sent to Classy Way by the vendor. This means if $100 in commission is sent to Classy Way, the agent will receive $75. Tier 2 receives 85% of the commission sent to Classy Way by the vendor. This means that if $100 in commission is sent to Classy Way, the agent will receive $85.

To receive commission on the Tier 2 payment schedule the agent must be an IATA card holding agent -or- must earn $5,000+ commission in a year. If you believe that the commission sent to Classy Way is not correct, contact the vendor directly for the commission breakdown for your booking. If additional commission was sent, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from the Classy Way Agent Hub. On the form provide the date the additional commission amount was sent, check or payment number, additional commission amount, and the confirmation number that was used on the check/payment for your booking.

How much is referral commission?

Total commission received will be paid out at 75%. If another agent has referred travel to you, the booking agent will receive 50% and the referral agent will receive 25%. Please put the agent's Agent ID on the booking when you post it to your Classy Way CRM on your Classy Way Agent Hub.

If you refer travel to the home office, you (the referral agent) will receive 25% of the commission received to Classy Way for referring the booking.

How do I view my enroller 5% bonus commission?

You can view your commission reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Commission Reporting tab..

My commission didn't transfer from my eWallet to my Payoneer account (non-US agents ONLY. As of November 2020 all US agents are paid directly through Payoneer.)

If you are an agent living outside the US and you have not received your commission transfer from eWallet to Payoneer, first check that your banking information is both correct and current in Payoneer. Then, please submit a Help Desk ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub. Please provide the Transaction#, date of the transfer, and transfer amount. We will reschedule the payment. Please allow 1-3 business days for the funds to hit your Payoneer account.

Payoneer and eWallet transfer minimums

Payoneer: Minimum of $25 eWallet: Minimum of $40

Both eWallet and Payoneer have a transfer minimum. This means the minimum amount the agent must earn in the account for the funds to release.

For US agents using Payoneer only, if this minimum is not reached, the funds will be listed in red as "carry-over". Once the agent reaches $25 in commission, all held commissions will process.

eWallet will not allow the agent to transfer funds for anything under $40. If you are a US agent that still has funds in eWallet, please submit a support ticket so we can manually push your funds through to Payoneer.

Commission not received; has not completed XTU or Agent Checklist

If the agent has not completed their XTU training or their agent Checklist, they must do so immediately. Once it's completed, any commission that did not payout within 30 days of completing XTU or the agent checklist, our system will reschedule the commissions automatically for the next commission payout period. If it does not, or the original commission payout period has been more than 30 days since the training or checklist was complete, the agent should submit a support ticket from their Classy Way Agent Hub so we can reschedule the commission manually.

I see my commission posted to my Classy Way CRM, but it's scheduled for a future date. Why can't I be paid out now?

It is against our company Policies and Procedures included on the document of the same name which we required our agents to sign upon enrollment. The vendor can initiate a recall, commission change, or send additional commission or bonus at any time. For financial and reporting purposes, we pay the agent after the travel date in case any changes to the commission occur. This also helps mitigate the frequency of commission garnishes, which happen when commission is already paid but then recalled from the agent by the vendor on a future date.

Where can I view a list of all commissions I've received and what bookings the amounts are associated to?

For bookings in Classy Way CRM click on your Commission Reporting tab from your Classy Way CRM. Under the Commission Reporting click on Commission Paid and Received Report. Here is where you will see what was paid and to which bookings. There is also an Outstanding Commissions Due Report that will allow you to see which bookings still haven't received commission.

. If you locate a reservation that has not received commission and it is 60 days past the travel date, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from your Classy Way Agent Hub and we can research into the missing commission. Please be sure to include the payment information from the vendor.

How do I receive a 1099 for tax purposes?

We post a 1099 in the agent's Classy Way Agent Hub oe amail them to your registered address at the end of January for all agents who earned more than $600 travel commissions.

Commission Recalls

Commission Research Fee FAQ

Commission Tiers

How do I add a service fee through the vendor when making my booking?

If I add on a service fee through the vendor, do I receive 100% of the fee?

Can I use the Vax payment link to send a client a payment request?

How do I bring up service fees to my client?

Where can I find a sample of a service fee agreement?

Why service fees are important

Can I charge my own service fee?

What to charge?

This is totally up to you! Each booking is different. Consider this, if your only income source is the commission on your booking and your client cancels, a non-refundable service fee or a cancellation fee, may help you retain some income in this circumstance. Also take into consideration bookings that take more time or offer less commission from the vendor. Charging a fee will supplement your income. Another idea is charging fees on non-commissionable or low commissionable add-on services like air, rail, car only, cancellation fee, trip changes, time intensive bookings like FITs, etc.

It's also important to understand the marketplace. Do some research and figure out the average fee in the current marketplace for travel agents. Google or ask on the Classy Way Travel Facebook page to see how much other travel agents are charging. Your fees are not the place to show you are the least expensive. Consider that higher fees can be perceived as higher value, but your decision should be based on your budgetary expectations as well as be within the means of the client.

A good place to start is to create a business plan for yourself. Figure out how much you need to make in a year and determine what you need to charge to meet your revenue goals. Your fee is going to be between your revenue goals and the average fee in the marketplace.

It's important that you communicate your fee schedule to your client and be sure the client physically signs a service agreement agreeing to your service fee schedule.

Different service fee models include:

Flat fee: One standard fee upfront to cover all the research and planning for the client's trip regardless of number of passengers or type of package. Many agents start at $100-$250 per booking (ultimately, it's up to you).
Per Person Fee: This fee would be a flat charge upfront for each passenger on the trip. This is popular for large groups.
Hourly Fee: A charge per number of hours it takes you to plan, research, and book a trip for your client regardless of number of passengers or type of package.
Transaction Fee: This fee would be for each type of service or add-on like an air or rail fee, excursion fee, car rental fee, etc. This means the client would be paying on how complex their package becomes.
Plan-to-go Fee: This type of fee is a service fee that you charge upfront but then apply to the cost of client's trip. This disincentivizes window shoppers and can be charged in any of the models above. It's also a great option for agents apprehensive about fees to get familiar with them.

Here's a sample service fee chart. Remember, what you charge is ultimately up to you:

Additional options to consider:

You may also consider promotions to encourage repeat clients like only charging fees on the first vacation for your client, and then waiving their fee for their next vacation. Another idea is to waive your fees on the client's next trip if they refer a client to you that travels.

You could also consider offering a complimentary 30 minute consultation for a client to qualify them to determine if they are the right client for you, and you are the right travel advisor for them. It will allow you to build trust between you, and provide a time and space to approach your fee schedule with them before you start researching.

How to charge the fee:

What should I call the fee?

When do I charge the fee?

Service Fees

Where is the CCAuth Form located?

Why does my client need to sign a Credit Card authorization Form?

Who should fill it out the Credit Card Authorization Form?

Can I use the vendor's credit card authorization form?

Do I need to send a copy of the form to Classy Way Travel?

What is the Credit Card Authorization Form?

How do I get the form from my client?

Why is the CCauth Form necessary?

1099

Every year at the end of January, Classy Way Travel Agency prepares a 1099 for the previous year's earnings to every agent who earned over $600 using the most recent W9 received, and the address on the agent's profile.

I did not receive a 1099.

If the agent did not earn more than $600, the IRS does not require we send/prepare a 1099. The agent can review their yearly earnings from their Booking Desk.

As of January 2022, we’re pleased to inform you that we post your (1099-NEC) to your Classy Way Agent hub for you to download directly! After January 31st, you can login to your Classy Way Agent Hub. Once logged in, simply select the tools tab then 1099 from the drop down for your download.

Can I receive a physical copy of my 1099?

If you would like to receive a copy of your 1099 tax form by mail, please send us an email to support@classywaytravelagency.com with that request. NOTE: Tax forms will be mailed to the address as shown on your Classy Way agent hub profile. Please review the address and make corrections if needed. Fees may apply for a printed copy request.

If you have questions or concerns about the information listed in your tax form, please contact us immediately.

Will my 1099 show how much I paid in monthly fees? No. The 1099 shows how much commission the agent earned for the previous year.

Where can I find information on what I paid in yearly and monthly fees? On your Classy Way Agent CRM ,This report will also show you any payments made for Classy Way Experiences as well!

Where can I find a breakdown of my commission? A breakdown in commission is not located on a 1099. The agent can view a breakdown of commission that includes amount, date received, and confirmation associated with each amount from their Classy Way Agent CaM nd also . For anything paid through the CRM, you will see a full breakdown by pulling your Commissions Paid and Received Report from your CRM.

Filing Taxes It's essential to understand the potential benefits available to us as travel agency owners. Here are the top 10 tax advantages that could significantly benefit our business:

Deductible Expenses: As a travel agency owner, you can deduct various business expenses such as office rent, utilities, marketing costs, travel expenses for business trips, and professional development.
Home Office Deductions: If you work from a home office, you may be eligible for deductions on a portion of your mortgage/rent, utilities, insurance, and maintenance costs.
Travel Deductions: Given the nature of your business, you can often write off travel-related expenses, including visiting destinations for research purposes or attending industry events.
Technology Expenses: Deductible expenses cover technological investments such as computers, software, website development, and other tools necessary for running your agency.
Insurance Premiums: Premiums for business insurance, liability coverage, or errors and omissions insurance are typically deductible.
Professional Services: Fees paid to accountants, lawyers, or consultants for business-related services are deductible.
Education and Training: Costs associated with improving skills or attending training programs directly related to your business can be deducted.
Advertising and Marketing: Costs for advertising campaigns, website promotion, social media ads, and other marketing efforts are deductible.
Equipment and Supplies: Deductions apply to the purchase or lease of office equipment, furniture, and supplies essential for daily operations.
Retirement Plans: Contributions to retirement plans, such as IRAs or SEPs, can be deducted, providing tax benefits while securing your future.

Always consult with a tax professional or accountant familiar with small business tax laws to maximize deductions and ensure compliance with tax regulations. The tax benefits for travel agency owners can vary based on specific circumstances and regulations.

W9

Classy Way Travel University CRM FAQs

What is a CRM?

CRM stands for customer relationship management. CRM systems help businesses streamline company relationships and interactions. Their purpose is to simplify data collection and organization for salespeople that interact with prospective customers.

A CRM system is only as good as the data a salesperson enters into it.

Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is designed to help you through the entire booking process from marketing, quoting, collecting necessary signatures, and making payments. There are also features to help you keep track of your vendor logins and keep up to date on important Classy Way Travel Agency announcements.

As part of your Classy Way Travel Agency membership, you will receive access to Classy Way Travel Agency CRM, your personal CRM software, and commission tracking tool.

What a CRM is not

A booking engine. The purpose of a CRM is to keep track of your bookings and clients. It is not integrated with any vendor and cannot book for you.*

*This may change in the future. We are currently working on integration, but this is still in the creation phase. We will keep you posted, and there will be plenty of notice and training before this goes live.

The CRM cannot apply payments to your client's reservations.

That's your job! The CRM just collects information. If a client submits payment through a payment link, you will need to apply that payment to the vendor.

How do I get access to Classy Way Travel Agency CRM?

Upon enrollment with Classy Way Travel Agency, you have access to Classy Way Travel Agency CRM. Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub and click on “CRM” from the Tools tab. You'll be redirected to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM.

Receiving error: "Invalid login Credentials" This generally happens for one of two reasons:

Your Classy Way Travel Agency account is in suspension. Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub and update your billing information. After, send us a help desk ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub, and we will have your CRM account reactivated.
You are a new agent to Classy Way Travel Agency that has not completed your training. After you've completed your training, please try to login again. If you are still experiencing an issue, please submit a help desk ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub, and we will have your CRM account activated.

Receiving error: "Your allotted login time has expired"

This is a time-out error. This is in place for security reasons to protect you and your client's information. Simply log out of your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub, and then log back in. You can then click on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM link to access the CRM again. If you continue to experience issues, please submit a help desk ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub.

Can I upgrade my CRM package?

No need! The CRM software package available to all Classy Way Travel Agency agents is the premium CRM services provided by our developer. We've invested in the very best for our agents!

Do I need to use Classy Way Travel Agency CRM?

Yes. As well as being Classy Way Travel Agency's new Client Relationship Management (CRM) system, it's also your commission tracking tool and the new way Classy Way Travel Agency pays agents. If you do not post your bookings to your CRM, we will not be able to pay you travel commissions. Classy Way Travel Agency CRM has your new booking desk, replacing the Booking Desk on the Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub.

Now your CRM, website, and active bookings list are all synced in one place!

Do I need to pay for Classy Way Travel Agency CRM?

No. Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is included in your Classy Way Travel Agency monthly fee.

Where can I upload my logo?

From your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM profile, click on the triangle next to your name in the upper left-hand side of the screen and then select Profile. Next, click "Itinerary Header/Footer" and "Choose File" under Logo Upload to upload your logo.

How do I update the heading and footer for Itineraries?

From your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM, click on your email address in the top left-hand corner of your screen and click Profile. Click on Itinerary/Header and Footer. Input the information you like and click submit.

If you have questions about your previous data, please email [email protected].

How to post a booking to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

Check the Vendor List on your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub to make sure you are following directions and posting the correct confirmation/reservation number. If you're still unsure how to post your booking, reach out to the vendor! Ask them how they send commission and what they reference on their check/payment. The more information you can give us on the Classy Way Travel Agency CRM, the easier it will be to locate your booking when the commission comes in so we can pay you.

1.Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub and click on “CRM” from the Tools tab. You'll be redirected to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM.

2.From your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM Dashboard, click on the purple "Create New Booking" tab. If this is a new client, you can create a client profile here by entering the client's name, phone number, and email address. If not, choose which client this booking belongs to from the populated list.

3.Next, enter the trip details like travel dates, destination, supplier, confirmation number, total reservation amount, expected commission amount*, and assign the booking to a group (if applicable) and click Save.

4.Once the booking is created, you can add additional segments like tours, activities, insurance, etc., just click on "Add Segment" under the Reservations/Segments option under the booking.

*This is an estimation only. The commission amount posted will be what's received from the vendor directly. If you have any questions about your commission, please reach out to the vendor directly for a full commission breakdown.

You may also add a booking for an existing client by clicking on your Client Listing and locating the client's name. Select the client, and you will be redirected to their client profile. Next, click the purple "Start a New Booking" button on the client profile page.

Booking information missing from my Active Reservation List

Please know the Active Reservation List on your CRM Dashboard ONLY lists active untraveled bookings. Once a booking has received commission or the client has traveled, the booking is removed from your Active Reservation List. You can view a list of all past bookings from your CRM. Click on "Reservation List" under Reports-> and then the Client Reporting tab -or- you can click on the "Past Travel" button underneath your Active Reservation List.

You may also bring up past bookings under the client profile. It will be listed under the ARCHIVED BOOKINGS tab if it is 3 months past travel.

When will we be able to import bookings?

The booking import should be ready before the third quarter of 2024.

How do I edit a quote?

Once a Quote is sent, it will build a booking under the QUOTE tab. When you go into the Quotes, you can go into the Build/Edit Itinerary and click on the Edit box to the left of the Booking that you need to make changes to. You can then Re-Email the Quote to the client. Once a client requests more information on a quote, any correspondence from the quotes area will always go into the Quotes Report on the left menu. You can then go into the Quote Booking and Edit and Complete the booking.

How do I add a manual payment for my clients' bookings?

Go into your profile and open the booking. Then go down to the Payment option and you can post the payment there. Make sure you complete the top and bottom of the payment form. Please also be sure you have received a signed copy of the credit card authorization form from the cardholder and a copy of their government-issued ID to confirm the cardholder's identity before accepting or making payment on the booking. Keep this form in your personal files or upload it to the CRM for your records in case of any chargebacks or credit card disputes.

How can I send a payment link to all clients traveling on the same reservation?

You need to be sure that you have an email address in each client’s profile. Then, when you go into the PASSENGERS area of the booking, be sure to use the SEARCH box to pull up the client and then click on it in the list box to assign it to the booking (you do not want to type the name in). This will then show up as an option to send the payment link to each passenger.

How do I set up payments to show up on the Calendar and go out from the Auto-Reminders?

When you are in the Supplier Booking, there are Deposit and Final Payment fields to enter the details. You can also click on the + beside the Deposits and add as many payments as you want for the client's payment plan.

What is the Suppliers tab?

This is a place for you to catalog all your usernames and passwords for each supplier's site you have access to! Now you don't need to write on post-it notes or rely on the saved passwords on your computer. You will now only need to remember to add your login information to your CRM, and it will keep track of all your usernames and passwords for each vendor you have access to in one place.

To add to your Supplier Logins, first click on the Suppliers tab, then select Supplier Logins. Next, click the "New Web Supplier" and input the site URL, your username, password, and any additional sign-in information needed, and click Save.

Please note, you will still need to check your Vendor List on your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub for instructions on how to work with each vendor. If you need to request access to a vendor, you will still do so by submitting a support ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub. The Suppliers Login tab in the Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is just an additional tool to help you keep track of which vendors you have access to and a secure place for you to keep track of all your login information. You will need to add and edit your vendor login information to ensure it's up to date. Classy Way Travel Agency cannot do this for you.

Support Additional training is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets" tab.

Support Additional training is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets" tab.

Classy Way Travel University CRM Reporting

Classy Way Travel Agency CRM Reporting

How to view commissions due in your CRM To view what bookings do not have commission posted to them yet you can run a report on commissions due straight from your CRM.

Option 1: Click the "Outstanding Commissions," button above your Active Reservations List on your Dashboard.

Option 2: From the left-hand menu select Reports ->Commission Reporting -> Outstanding Commissions Due Report

From here you will see a full list of active reservations that you have not received commission on yet. If a booking is not showing on this report, you were likely paid or commission has been scheduled and you will be paid. Run your commission received report and choose an end date for the following Friday to see if it will be on your next payroll.

Please remember that "Expected Commission," is the amount of commission you estimated would be received when you entered your booking into your CRM. If you did not enter in an amount -or- your data was uploaded for you from your Booking Desk, this amount will show as .01. This does not mean only .01 will be posted, it's just an estimation. We will post whatever is sent to us by the vendor as soon as the commission is received.

If you have not received commission for your booking and it has been 60 days past the travel date, please submit a Travel Commission Research Form from your Classy Way Agent Hub. The form is required for all commission inquiries.

For a video on commission reporting, please see the link on Commission Reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Training Menu.

How to view a breakdown of your commission received by pay date (This can also be used to view what you will be paid in the future or this week's payroll.)

To view how much your commission was for a specific week and what bookings it was associated to you can run a commission received report from your Classy Way CRM.

Option 1: Click on the "Paid Commissions," button above your Active Reservations List on your Dashboard. To view your upcoming commissions, filter the dates with an ending date that ends on the following Friday. This way you'll see what you will be paid this week.

Option 2: From the left-hand side menu select Reports ->Commission Reporting -> Commission Paid and Received Report. Next, select a pay week and click Submit. To view your upcoming commissions, filter the dates with an ending date that ends on the following Friday. This way you'll see what you will be paid in the coming week. Please allow 1-3 business days after the listed date for the funds to hit your account.

This can be used to understand what commissions have been received and how much, and you can run this report for tax purposes should you need a breakdown for the IRS or your tax handler.

To understand why you received this amount, please contact the vendor directly for a full commission explanation.

You can also view if an individual reservation has been paid by opening the reservation and clicking on the +Commission tab underneath the booking. You will see the payment date and commission amount posted.

For a video on commission reporting, please see the link on Commission Reports from your Classy Way CRM under the Training Menu

Fees

Your commission reporting has a section for fees and miscellaneous commission adjustments. You may receive an amount listed under the Fees section of your reporting that is not a "fee," in the general sense. The notation next to the amount will tell you what the amount is. It may be a positive amount (additional commission due to you) or it may be a negative amount that will be garnished from a future payroll payment. Please look at the notation to determine what they amount is and what it's for.

Common notations:

Recall: This means the vendor charged Classy Way due to a recall on your commission. This could be because of a cancellation, booking transfer, rebooking, etc. In this case Classy Way will place a commission garnish on your account to recoup those funds and pay back the vendor. If you have questions about why your commission was recalled, please reach out to the vendor directly.

Carry-over: These can either be a negative amount that is due but could not be taken from your commission because the amount earned did not cover the full amount, or it can be a positive amount that could not be paid because it did not reach the Payoneer minimum payment amount of $25. In either case the amount will be carried over to your next payroll. Remember, a recall will have a negative amount listed, and additional pay will have a positive amount listed. Please see the notation next to the booking for clarification.

Garnish: These can be due to recalls from the vendor or can be a system payment correction.

If you have any questions, please reach out! Submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

Tracking Business Expenses

For every business expense you have, you can now input and track it from your CRM for evaluating the success of your business or for tax purposes. These can include monthly fees or other miscellaneous expenses.

1.Log into your Classy Way CRM

2.From the left-hand side menu select Reports-> Financial Reports -> Business Expenses.

3.Enter in your expense by clicking on the Create New Expense Category tab.

You can find a full list of your monthly fees from your Classy Way Agent Hub by clicking on 1099 from under the Tools tab and then selecting Order History. From here you can enter all your fees into your business expenses report.

Quotes and Itineraries in Classy Way Travel University CRM

Quotes and Itineraries in Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

How to send a quote to your client With Classy Way Travel Agency's CRM, you can create a quote and email it to your clients right from your CRM!

1.Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM.

2.Select a current client under your Client Listing and then click the Quick Quote button to the right of a client's profile. You can select up to 5 quotes to send.

3.Input all the information about the quoted trip. The more information you include, the more details the clients will have, and the more information that will populate in the booking area once they confirm a quote. You can even copy and paste the itinerary from the vendor's site.

4.Once you've completed the quote click Save.

5.To email the quote to the client, click on Email Quotes from the client profile and then click Send. The client will receive an email to view the quote. They can select the quote they're interested in or cancel the quotes they don't like. You will receive an email to let you know which quote the client chose or if they canceled them.

6.The quote the client chose will now show as an active booking in your CRM. You can now create the reservation with the supplier. Once you do please add the confirmation number to the reservation (to ensure your paid commission for the booking), and send the client the Credit Card Authorization Form directly from the booking on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM. You can also now send your client their itinerary.

Where do I edit a quote that was sent?

Once a Quote is sent, it will build a booking under the QUOTE tab. When you go into the Quotes, you can go into the Build/Edit Itinerary and click on the Edit box to the left of the Booking that you need to make changes to. You can then Re-Email the Quote to the client.

Where do I see the cc info for a quick quote that was accepted by the client?

All Quote correspondence will be in your QUOTES REPORT on your left menu. From there, you will click on the REVIEW QUOTE button, this will take you into the Quote Booking and include the information that you need to complete the reservations with the suppliers and also include the client’s credit card information for payment to the supplier.

If I or the client adds a payment to a booking, will it automatically be charged?

No, the payment link only collects the CC info and authorizes the charge. You must contact the supplier to make the payment.

How do I create an itinerary?

1.Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

2.Create a new booking or locate an existing booking from your Active Reservation list on your Dashboard.

3.From the Booking click on the + to open up the booking.

4.Next click + Build/Edit Itinerary and then click Add Segment or Add Reservation. Add Segment is used for transfers included in the main booking price (For example, a flight included as part of a Funjet vacation package). Add Reservation is used when you would like to add an additional paid service to your booking like additional hotel stays, paid transfers, tours, excursions, etc., that have a different confirmation number and have an additional price associated with them.

5.Input all the booking information. Please be sure to select Yes under "Print Reservation on Itin?" You can then upload an image or search for one available. Please be sure you are using either approved marketing photos from the vendor -or- search for a photo in the image search field. This is for copyright reasons. Good news is most vendors have a large catalogue of photos you can use for marketing purposes on their vendor site.

6.Next, add information about this segment/reservation. This information can usually be taken directly from the vendor's site to describe what this additional service is or entails.

7.Add any additional information you have about this reservation/segment and then click Save.

How do I send an itinerary for my client?

1.Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

2.From the Booking, click on the + to open up the booking. Under reservations/segments, make sure you've already added each reservation/segment that's a part of your client's booking. These can be transfers, car rentals, tours, activities, accommodations, insurance, etc.

3.Select the purple "Itineraries" button.

4.Upload your own photo to the reservation or search for something that matches your client's destination like "beach," and click "Add Itinerary Header Photo," to insert that image into the itinerary. Please be sure you are using either approved marketing photos from the vendor -or- search for a photo in the image search field. This is for copyright reasons. Good news is most vendors have a large catalogue of photos you can use for marketing purposes on their vendor site.

5.Next, click "Preview Itinerary PDF," to make sure it looks okay. You can either print it or email the itinerary by selecting "Email Itinerary". Before you email it, be sure to put something in the message of the email and give it a subject line.

Remember to preview the itinerary before it's sent!

Why is the Trip Information on the Client’s Login Portal not showing the Itinerary?

Go into the client’s booking in your database and click on the ITINERARY button and then click on the GENERATE PDF. You will want to do this whenever you make any changes to the booking so that the itinerary is always updated within their client portal.

How do I update the heading and footer for Itineraries?

From your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM click on your email address in the top left-hand corner of your screen and click Profile. Click on Itinerary/Header and Footer. Input the information you like and click submit.

Support

Additional training is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets," tab.

Marketing in Classy Way Travel University CRM

Marketing in Classy Way Travel University CRM

Classy Way Travel Agency Marketing

How to set up an email list

1.Login to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM and click on the Marketing Toolkit tab and then click on "Marketing Lists."

2.Next, click "Create New List."

3.From the next page, you have the ability to create lists based on multiple criteria. For example, suppose you want to create a list based on clients who traveled on a past group trip. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the group name from the "Company/Group Association" drop-down. This may be especially helpful if you would like to book that same group for another group trip to gain repeat business! Another idea is to select clients who you've assigned travel interests or marital status (for a singles trip or couples cruise package, etc). You can also search by client name and add them manually or select all clients.

4.Name your list and then click "Create New List" at the bottom.

Please know, clients can unsubscribe from your email list through their email, and it's handled automatically by your CRM.

How to set up an email campaign

1.Login to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM and click on the Marketing Toolkit tab and then click, "Create/send Email."

2.Name the campaign, select a subject line (select other to give your own subject line), and search for an image.

3.Create the message body of your email. You can use the tags listed to help automatically input information that will be specific for each client. For example, the tag {ClientFirstName} is going to pull the first names of the clients in your email list and input it in that field so you don't have to create a new promotion for each client separately.

You can then input the promotional information into the body of the email. (For those using Windows, you can use the "Web Select" feature by right-clicking and copying and pasting web promotions right into the body of your email!)

4.Next, select the list you want this email campaign to go out to or select a single contact.

5.Run a test email! Just click "Run Test Email." This makes sure you see what this promotion will look like before it goes out. Think of this as checking your rough draft for accuracy and grammar before the final draft is sent.

6.When you're ready, click "Send Email Campaign."

Support Additional training is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets" tab.

Marketing your Business

Marketing What is Marketing?

Marketing refers to looking for strategies to find clients, understand their needs, influence their buying habits, and identify how your company can benefit from it. The point of marketing is to make selling easier. Simply, it involves a strategic plan to determine who is most likely to do business with you, generate awareness of your company to that audience, sell your product (travel), build a loyal client base, and evaluate your marketing efforts so you do better in the future.

Goals:

Generate leads to grow your clientele base. This means adding people to your email list and CRM.
Acquire new clients. Not only are these people interested, they are booking with you.
Increase buyer frequency/Getting past clients to come back.

How do I make a marketing and business plan?

There are many free resources available to small businesses. Please take advantage of the Small Business Administration resources for writing a business plan and market research. Remember, there are also free marketing tools available to you on vendor and travel supplier's sites. Before you pay for a marketing product or service, see if something free is already available.

How do I decide on what to market to my clients?

Knowledge is key. You want to start tracking and using information related to engagement with your website, social media accounts, emails, and all other marketing resources you are using (or plan to use). It's important to not only know your clients but understand how they behave so you can anticipate their desires and needs which influence their buying decisions. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

What are clients engaging with on your website and social media accounts? What ads do you get the most responses from? What do you get the most questions about?

Example: If your clients go to your website and engage with more information about cruising than all-inclusive resorts, start marketing more cruise experiences and track how this influences the number of clients you get, as well as what they're booking.

Another example: If you see a trend in clients asking you about health policies, cancellation policies, future credits, etc., you can choose ads or other marketing materials that address these questions in the ad.

Are clients sharing and interacting with your social media content? Encourage your clients to engage on your content, and be sure that you are sharing stories on how you've helped clients with their vacations to showcase your talents and skills.
Do you have a follow-up process with every client? Make sure you are speaking to your clients after their vacation. Get their feedback on what they liked, didn't like, any difficulties they had, and what could be better about their next vacation. It allows you to address any concerns immediately to make a lasting positive impression, but you'll also be able to anticipate any issues they brought up for future clients and travel. This will help you decide on the suppliers, destinations, and properties you choose to market and sell in the future.

Where can I find marketing tools?

Many vendors have already made these for you! No need to reinvent the wheel. Simply log into your favorite vendor's agent site and look for "sales tools," or "Marketing tools." We've even posted links to some supplier's marketing tools for you! Just check your Vendor List located on your Classy Way Agent Hub. Click on the supplier's logo from the list and see what resources are posted. If you don't see what you're looking for, check the supplier's site.

We have marketing tools available on our classy way agent hub under the resources tab

Can I use Classy Way Travel Agency's name in advertising and communications to clients?

Agents of Classy Way Travel Agency may not use our logo or name in any consumer-directed marketing. As an independent contractor, each Classy Way travel advisor will use and promote their own business name. We do not own your business, you do! If an agent feels they need to share the benefit of belonging to Classy Way, they must identify themselves as an independent affiliate of Classy Way Travel Agency in branding and marketing.

Training

Additional Travel Training

Classy Way Travel University FAQs

Classy Way Travel University FAQs

How do I login?

From your Classy Way Agent Hub! Click on the Training tab, and then click ClassyWaTravel University. If you experience any issues, please submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

What is the value of my Dashboard? The Dashboard is a customizable space that often offers you quick access to courses you’re enrolled in, showcases the progress you’ve made for courses you’re enrolled in, holds a calendar, shows you items due in the near future, and more.

I have completed my course, but it doesn't show as 100%. Here are a few ideas to try:

If you just finished, wait 1 minute then reload the page (refresh your browser).

Check your email

Double-check to show that all of the content within the course shows 100% completed.

Submit a support ticket to Classy Way from your Classy Way Agent Hub and ask us to confirm what the course completion expectations are.

Was my course complete? Login to Classy Way Travel University and open your course. On the right-hand side in the course, you will see the criteria of what is necessary to complete the course. Anything in grey has not been completed. If you still have questions or issues, please submit a support ticket to Classy Way from your Classy Way Agent Hub and ask us to confirm what the course completion expectations are.

I reached the maximum quiz attempts and couldn't pass. Now what? Contact us! Submit a ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub. We will reset the module for you so you can take it again, and you will have another set of quiz attempts.

I did not receive a certificate First check to make sure you've completed the whole course. If yes, click on your profile in the upper-right side of the screen. Under Miscellaneous, click My Certificates. You can then download your certificate. If you still have questions or issues, please submit a support ticket to Classy Way from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

What should I do if there are other courses I’m interested in taking, but I don’t currently have access? As long as you're an active agent with Classy Way and have completed the Classy Way Travel University Training, you will have access to all of our Specialization trainings. If you experience any issues, please submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

If you experience any issues, please submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Agent Hub.

Client Payments, Profiles, and Portals in Classy Way Travel University CRM

Client Portals

Your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is not only a tool that allows you to keep track of your clients and receive commission, clients also have the ability to create a personalized portal through your website to access their trip information, trip documents, provide personal information that syncs to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM, and make payments for their reservation, all online!

First time users requesting a quote:

The client should navigate to your agent website and click on "Client Tools," then click "Client Registration." The client should fill in their information and can fill out the Request Form to receive a quote. Then Submit. This information will automatically sync to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM and email you the quote request.

Giving portal access to an existing client:

Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub and click on “CRM,” from the Tools tab. You'll be redirected to your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM.

Click on the "Client Listing," under Reports -> Client Reporting. Locate the client and open their profile by clicking on the blue edit button.

Locate the field "Username for Client Login." Assign a username and password* and click save. Notify your client of their login information and provide them a link to your website so they can login.

*Please know you are responsible for assisting your client with any username or password issues.

Client Portal Payments Classy Way Travel Agency CRM allows your clients to make payments for their vacation online! Once their authorization is received, you will then need to process the payment with the supplier.

1. Client will log into their client portal and will find an itemization of each segment of their vacation and what payment is due. They can then click on "Add Payment," Next to the segment they would like to add payment to.

2. Next, they should select payment type (final, regular, or deposit), put in a payment amount, select payment type, input CC number, billing address, CVV, expiration date, and allow you to apply a signature or select one of file.

3.You will receive an email to let you know you have a new payment that has been approved by your clients so you may process the payment with the supplier.

4.You will log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM and click on the red "Client Online Payment Pending Processing," button at the top of your CRM. This alert lets you know anytime you have an approved pending payment.

5.Select the payment to process from your list of pending payments by clicking the "action," button. This will allow you to view the credit card information and payment amount authorized to make a payment with the vendor.

6.Once you have made the payment with the supplier click on the "Action," button and then select, "Processed w/spplr." If the payment did not go through, instead click "Void." This will void the payment out and you can contact the client to let them know the payment could not be processed.

How do I know if a client submitted a payment?

When a client submits a pending payment there will be a Payment Pending Banner that flashes red on the CRM Dashboard. you can also click on the Client Payment Tab on the left of the Dashboard.

Credit Card Authorization Form and electronic payments

To send a Credit Card Authorization Form you may provide a physical document to your client to physically sign (the form is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency Agent Hub under Forms & Documents) -OR- you may send the CCAUTH Form to your client through your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM to receive the form and payment information electronically.

No matter how you decide to send the form, please know it is mandatory to receive a Credit Card Authorization Form from a client for every booking. This is for legal and liability reasons. You do not have legal permission to process a credit card payment from a client unless you get it in writing. Learn more here.

How to send a Credit Card Authorization Form and payment link to your clients:

1. Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM. If you have not already created a booking in your CRM, please do so now. Click on the + to open the booking.

2.Click "Payment Authorization Link." If your booking has multiple clients, you can choose which client to send the form to -or- click to send the form to both clients so they can pay separately.

3.Input information about the payment and what the payment is for and then click Send. The client will receive a payment link via their email you have on file, and you will receive a confirmation the email has been sent.

4.Once the client has inputted their credit card information they will need to sign the Credit Card Authorization to click Submit.

Your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is PCI compliant and follows all regulations

How to send a Payment Authorization Link/Insurance Accept/Decline to a secondary client You can send a Payment Link or Insurance Accept/Decline form to a secondary client from the booking as long as you have added the second client to the booking under the +Passengers tab. They must be a client in your CRM client list with an email address (so the form has a place to go). Then once you click the email payment link or insurance accept/decline link it will give you the option to send the form to the lead client or any other client on the booking (you check the box next to the client you want to send the form to). More information is on your CRM on the Training Menu under the "Build Itineraries with Passengers and Email Payment Link" and "Insurance Accept/Decline Email" videos.

How to process a payment

1. After your client has submitted an electronic Credit Card Authorization Form to authorize their payment, you will receive an email to notify you the authorization was received so you may apply the payment to the reservation with the supplier.

2. When you log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM you will see a flashing red notification that a payment authorization has been received.

3.When you're ready to apply payment to the reservation click on Client Payment from your main left side menu. Locate the reservation from the list and click the Active button.

4.The credit card information will display. Please make the payment with the supplier. If the payment does not go through with the supplier, please click VOID. This will notify the client something went wrong and you will need to follow up with the client. If the payment is successful with the supplier, please click "Processed w/splr." Once you click Void or Processed, the payment information will be gone. Do not click either button until you are finished with that information or you will need to send a new CCauth Form to your client.

Your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM is PCI compliant and follows all regulations

Payment Reminders

You can setup payment reminders to send to your clients before their payment is due directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM.

1. Login into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

2.Click on "Auto-Reminder Setup," from the left side menu.

3.Click on the Payment Due or Final Payment tabs then select "Edit Message/Activate Event."

4.This reminder will be for ALL clients, so do not put any specific information about a client or their booking here. You want it to be a general template and can use the tags provided to indicate which information you want to be included that will be specific to each client. The default message is the following:

Hello, This email is to inform you that your next payment of {DepositAmt} is due on {DepositDate}. This is for your reservation with {SupplierName} set for departure on {BeginTravelDate}. Please disregard this notice if your payment has already been made.

5.Then choose the number of days you want the email reminder to go out before the travel date.

6.Next click the box next to Activate to activate this reminder, and then click save.

How do I cancel a Payment that was made by mistake?

Go into the PAYMENTS area of the booking and VOID the payment out that is incorrect and then click on the ADD PAYMENT button and add the correct payment information.

How to update client information from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM

1.From your dashboard search for your client's name near the bottom of the page under the "Search Clients by Name, Last Name, Email, Phone number." -or- you can click the View All Clients button and search on your client listing page.

2.Once you bring up the client profile, click on the blue edit tab next to their name/avatar. Edit or add the information you like and then click Save.

3.From the client profile you can also edit and add Family members, add occasions (like a birthday, anniversaries, etc.), notes on the client, and add notes and tasks.

eSignatures

At Classy Way Travel Agency we have supplied eSignature documents that you must send to your client to approve and sign for every booking. These forms are required for every booking you make for legal and liability reasons. These documents include your Credit Card Authorization Form (Included with the Payment Authorization Link) and Terms and Conditions. We've also provided a Service Fee Agreement if you choose to charge services fees and do not live in a state with SOT laws that prohibit it.

1.Log into your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM. If you have not already created a booking in your CRM, please do so now. Click on the + to open up the booking.

2.Click on eSignatures. Then click Add. You can then add the documents you need for this reservation to the booking.

3.To send your client their eSignature document, you can ask them to log into their client portal and click on the eSignature tab to review all pending documents, or you may send the Credit Card Authorization reminder from your CRM by clicking on the "Credit Card Authorization Form," button from the booking.

How to Merge Client Profiles If you've accidentally created two client profiles for the same client in your CRM you can merge them into one profile.

1.From your Dashboard click the "Merge Client," button.

2.Type in the client's name of the account you would like to merge in the second box and then click Save.

How to charge a service fee

1.From the booking click on the blue Edit button.

2.At the bottom of the form under "Total Service Fees," add in your service fee amount.

3.Next to the amount enter in "Service Fee," in the Fee Description field and click Save.

This will add the fee onto the itinerary and will allow you to send a payment link to collect the credit card information for your service fee. You will then need to charge the fee through your own merchant account like stripe, quickbooks, Paypal, Square, Vemo, etc.*

*We are currently looking into how to allow you to charge the fee directly from your CRM. We will keep you posted!

Support Additional training is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the Training Menu. You'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to record your bookings and manage your clients.

If you need additional support, please submit a support ticket directly from your Classy Way Travel Agency CRM under the "CRM Support Tickets," tab. Please also request access to the Classy Way Travel Agency CRM Facebook group for further assistance.

Tips to Protect Your Business

Tips to Protect Your Business - Classy Way Travel Agency

Starting a travel business requires careful planning and organization to protect both yourself and your assets. As a travel professional with Classy Way Travel Agency, it's crucial to recognize that you are essentially launching your own enterprise. Here are some tips to help you establish and safeguard your business:

Utilize Small Business Administration Resources: The Small Business Administration offers invaluable free programs to assist you in various aspects of starting your travel agency. Take advantage of these resources to select your business name, determine your business structure, register your business, create a comprehensive business plan, and consider business insurance. They also provide free training resources, including specialized support for women-owned and minority-owned businesses, and offer business counseling programs.
Open a Business Bank Account: To establish your business as a separate entity from your personal finances, it's essential to open a dedicated business bank account. This separation is crucial for tax purposes and legal protection.
Create a Workflow: Develop a systematic workflow for managing the entire booking process for your clients. This includes welcoming and qualifying your clients, handling travel arrangements, and following up with them after their vacations. Consistency is key in ensuring you never miss any vital steps in the booking process.
Take Detailed Notes and Keep Receipts: Maintain thorough records of all communications, including emails, texts, social media conversations, and written correspondences related to your clients' travel plans. Additionally, document all phone calls with clients and suppliers, recording dates, times, participants, and conversation details. Organize these records in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system or use apps like Evernote or OneNote. These records not only enhance your workflow but also serve as valuable proof of correspondence when needed.
Use Booking Forms: Your travel agency will require various types of booking forms, such as terms and conditions, cancellation policies, insurance policies, invoices, Credit Card Authorization Forms, and service fee agreement forms. Some of these forms may be provided by travel suppliers, while others may need to be created by you. Ensure that clients physically sign these forms, and request a copy of their government-issued ID for identity verification. You can facilitate remote document signing using apps like CamScanner. Alternatively, consider using external document services like Cognito, JotForm, or platforms like TravelJoy for streamlined processes.
Seek Professional Help: Don't hesitate to seek professional assistance whenever necessary. Whether you need help setting up your website, managing your CRM, or dealing with legal or financial matters, consulting with experts can be a wise choice to ensure the success and protection of your Classy Way Travel Agency.

By following these steps and taking advantage of available resources, you can establish a strong foundation for your travel business and safeguard your interests as you embark on this exciting entrepreneurial journey with Classy Way Travel Agency.

Travel Requirements & Client Resources

Travel Requirements & Client Resources In case of an emergency while traveling, contact a U.S. Embassy

U.S. or Canada 1-888-407-4747 International 1-202-501-4444

Other Emergency Information:

Lost or stolen passports

U.S. citizen victims of crime while abroad

Arrest or detention abroad

U.S. citizens missing abroad

How to Prepare for a Crisis Abroad

Think Ahead

Whether traveling or living outside of the United States, there are ways you can prepare yourself for a potential crisis.

Be Informed

Learn about the country, including visa requirements, local laws, customs, and medical care in the countries where you will be. Check for any Travel Advisories for your destination.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important safety and security messages and make it easier for us to locate and assist you in an emergency.

Keep the contact details for the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate with you. We are available for emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, overseas and in Washington, D.C. (888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444).

See the Traveler’s Checklist for more information.

Travel Advisories Check for any Travel Advisories for your destination before you travel.

Travel Requirements

Be sure to check the travel requirements (including covid testing and vaccination requirements) to the country your client is traveling to as well as any returning requirements to their home country. Check both countries' .gov embassy site for important updates. Another handy tool you can use is one provided by SHERPA

How to get a U.S. Visa

How to get a U.S. Passport

Important requirements to be aware of:

Jamaica Immigration/Customs C5 Card

European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS)

Please check Classy Way Travel Agency, and the vendor you booked with for any special entry requirements.

Airline Customer Service Dashboard

See the The U.S. Department of Transportation's new Airline Customer Service Dashboard to ensure your client has access to information about services that U.S. airlines provide to mitigate passenger inconveniences when the cause of a cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.

(STEP) Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at Travel.State.Gov.

What is STEP? : The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Benefits of Enrolling in STEP:

Receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans. Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.

Currency Converter XE is the most up to date, reputable currency information and offers you secure, reliable, easy to use products and services dedicated to making your life easier.

Classy Way Support & Contact Information

What are Seller of Travel Laws?

Accessible Travel

Accessible Travel for Travelers with Disabilities

Although the travel industry has a long way to go to improve their services to travelers with disabilities, helping your clients research and plan can make their vacation as stress-free as possible. Here is some useful information about accessibility options when helping your clients plan their vacation.

Cruising All cruise ships that sail in U.S. waters must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meaning they must offer equal access for people who travel on cruise ships. Even cruise ships that are foreign-flagged, meaning they don’t originate from the U.S., must be ADA-compliant if they sail through U.S. waters. Many cruise lines have accessible staterooms on their ships, meaning the dimensions and amenities in the rooms are specially designed to accommodate passengers with limited or no mobility, who are deaf or hard of hearing, or blind or have a vision impairment. Additionally, most cruise lines have braille signage and elevator buttons and offer familiarization tours of the vessels if requested.

It's important to note that while many cruise lines welcome service dogs onboard, most will not allow companion animals, emotional support animals, or therapy animals. Your clients will need to bring documentation of their service dog's vaccination records.

Air Travel When booking airfare for your client, it's important to understand their needs before booking. You can call the airline to see if they are able to accommodate your client, and be sure to give the client plenty of time between flights and layovers to have enough time to comfortably make it to their next gate.

Be aware of, and provide, the TSA’s rules for travelers with disabilities and medical conditions to your clients as well. You can request assistance from TSA through the TSA Cares program online, or call (855) 787-2227 if your client's flight is within 72 hours. This program provides assistance to travelers with disabilities at airports. See also the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disability Resource Center. For clients with sensory issues, you can look into the airport to see if they have "sensory rooms." These are places for people to take refuge from sensory overload and decompress from the stressful atmosphere at the airport.

Ground Transportation When adding airport transfers, look for options that say “limited mobility,” or “wheelchair accessible,” depending on the option your client needs. You will want to review the dimensions of the client’s wheelchair or mobility aid and weight to determine if the transfer will work for them or not. Be sure to communicate with your client to determine their needs.

Accommodations Contact the resort ahead of time to ask about availability of accessible room options. Some resorts have a limited amount of wheelchair accessible rooms, so book in advance to ensure your client receives the room option they require. If the hotel/resort is in the US, ask if the rooms meet the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. If yes, ask what specific modifications have been made to the room.

How to plan your client's trip

Ask the right questions Don't be afraid to ask your clients what they need. This can be as simple as asking, "Is there anything I can help you with that will make this trip more comfortable or accessible?" Or, "Are there any requirements or needs you have that are non-negotiable?" It's important you do not make assumptions about your client’s preferences or what they may be comfortable doing based on your understanding of their disability or limitations. Everyone's needs and preferences are different.

Choose the right vendors Classy Way Travel Agency partners with dozens of vendors that offer accessible options for travelers with disabilities. Here are some options:

Sandals: provides all-inclusive luxury Caribbean vacations for everyone, including people with disabilities. They offer accessible room options, wheelchair accessible ramps and wider clearance on doorways, bathroom rails, lowered light switches and faucets, bathroom benches and more. They also have an experienced staff member on hand to ensure your clients' needs will be met.

Beaches offers a special certification course in becoming a certified autism travel professional. This course will increase your clientele by gaining knowledge and access to a brand-new customer base with comprehensive training in autism-related travel. More information about their CATP course is here. They also have Autism-friendly kid camps to offer families with children with autism and other special needs specialized service, engaging activities, and custom dining options so that all families may enjoy a memorable, award-winning Beaches Luxury Included experience. Learn more here.

Scootaround: The nation's leading personal transportation solutions company, offering rental, sales, and repair services for scooters, wheelchairs, powerchairs, and rollators at over 2,500 locations worldwide. Check them out on your Vendor List for instructions on how to book. They also offer travel mobility guides with great information on how to help your client's trip be more accessible.

Disney Parks and Disney World Resorts: have an unwavering commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment and accessible experiences for their Guests. This includes options for people with cognitive, hearing, light sensitivity and mobility disabilities. They offer many options to these guests including mobility aids and conveyance vehicle rentals, restroom and companion restrooms, a welcoming policy for service animals, services and devices for guests with visual disabilities, guides, health care services provided by AdventHealth, and much more.

As part of this commitment, Disability Access Service (DAS) is a program offered at Walt Disney World theme parks to assist Guests who have difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability. They also have a department dedicated to assisting guests with disabilities and can be contacted at Disability Services at (407) 560-2547 or email [email protected].

Vax: Please read this article by Andrea Sedlacek, editor of The Compass in Vax, about making family travel accessible for everyone. The article has invaluable insights on how to book air, transportation, obtain room amenities, and more when booking clients with accessibility needs. There are also hotel and resorts recommendations you can book through Vax to offer your clients. See Jenna Buege's, associate editor of The Compass in Vax, article on 7 top-notch wheelchair accessible resorts and hotels here.

Royal Caribbean: Royal Caribbean offers multiple options from accessible staterooms, accessible shore excursions, additional onboard and offboard assistance, options for guests with autism and developmental disabilities, visual and hearing disabilities, and welcomes service animals. They do require advance notice to accommodate some requests, so please submit a Guest Special Needs Form here. Please submit the Guest Special Needs Form at the time of booking but no later than 30 days prior to sailing, except for sign language interpreting requests which must be submitted 60 days prior to sailing. This will allow them to make the necessary arrangements for your requested accommodations. To learn more, please click here. You can also call their Access Department at (866) 592-7225, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Their fax number is (954) 628-9622.

Autism on the Seas “Staffed Cruises” are offered on select cruises. For a list of Autism on the Seas group cruises, click here. Please click the link for the RCCL Autism_Social_Story_Booklet.pdf. Carnival: Carnival has made substantial modifications to their ships, to help make them easier to navigate. The ships feature accessible elevators at each elevator bank, equipped with both tactile controls within reach of guests who use wheelchairs and audible signals for guests who are blind or have limited vision. Accessible routes are available throughout most areas of the ship and signs are posted to assist you in locating these pathways. Accessible tables are available in the dining venues of each ship. In addition to the main dining rooms, each ship offers a variety of accessible dining options within Lido Deck casual dining areas and other restaurant venues. 24-hour room service is also available for all guests. Pool lifts are only available on Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Vista, and Mardi Gras, all of which have a 300 pound weight limit. For each ship, diagrams of accessible routes, accessible staterooms, and accessible public restrooms are available here.

Norwegian: Norwegian Cruise Line is committed to providing inclusivity and access to world-class vacation experiences by continuously improving and applying the most updated accessibility standards to exceed guests’ expectations. Assistance is available for guests with mobility needs for on ship rentals, deaf or low hearing room options including visual-tactile alert systems and personal pagers, Braille / tactile signage as well as a vessel orientation tour for blind and low vision guests, and more. Service animals are allowed onboard and must be arranged through the Access Desk prior to the cruise. They also provide Accessibility Coordinators before travel and require a Guest Special Needs Request at least 90 days for interpreters and 45 days for all other requirements. Onboard, the Norwegian Cruise Line Access Officer will be the primary person managing all of your client's needs.

Amtrak: Amtrak Vacations is happy to provide accessible transportation to all of our customers. Accessible seating and accessible restrooms are available in at least one Coach car on all trains. Most Lounge cars and Café cars also have accessible seating. One accessible bedroom is available in each Sleeping car. In order to obtain accessible seating and facilities during your vacation, be sure to notify us prior to booking and make your reservations early since these rooms and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

You are not limited to these vendors! Check with any vendor you plan to work with about their accessibility options.

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Car Rentals

How can I rent a car as a travel advisor to earn a commission?

Ideally, when booking transfers and car rentals as a travel advisor, consider using one of the suppliers listed on your Vendor List, which can be found on your Classy Way Agent Hub. Suppliers on your vendor list often offer more generous commission percentages and quicker commission payments. To find suitable suppliers, navigate to the Ground Transportation tab on the Vendor List, where you can also find instructions on how to collaborate with each supplier by clicking on their logo.

If you're booking a vacation package and require car rental or transfer services for your client's trip, it's advisable to work with the supplier through whom you are booking the package. These suppliers often provide package rates for ground transfers and car rentals that can save your clients money on their vacation package and offer higher commission percentages for you as their travel advisor.

Tip: If you need information on adding transfers and additional features to an existing booking in Vax, please click [here](insert link).

Is it possible to book directly with car rental companies?

Yes, you can book directly with car rental companies. Simply contact the car rental company and identify yourself as a travel advisor, providing them with Classy Way Travel Agency's IATA to make the booking. Alternatively, you can book through most car rental company's travel advisor websites online using Classy Way Travel Agency's IATA.

Here are some specific details for certain car rental companies:

Hertz: Contact information can be found [here](insert link) or email [email protected]. You can read more about their commission policy on their website. Please note that commission inquiries to Hertz must be submitted within 6 months after the rental is completed.
Budget: For reservations, call 800-268-8900, available 24/7. Learn more about their commission policy on their website. Commissions are processed promptly after the completion of each qualifying rental, with payments disbursed monthly. If you haven't received your commission within 60 days after completing a rental, you can send an email to [email protected] for assistance.
Enterprise (includes Alamo & National): For assistance, please email [email protected]. You can find more information about their commission policy on their website. Enterprise commissions are disbursed twice monthly after the rental is completed. Payment details can be obtained from a third-party processor, TACS (Travel Agent Commission Settlement).
Avis: The reservation center can be reached at 800-331-2212, and TA assistance is available via email at [email protected]. You can find their commission policy on their website. Similar to Budget, if you haven't received your commission within 60 days after a rental, you can contact [email protected] for assistance.

Please be aware that booking directly with car rental companies may result in lower commission percentages and longer commission payment schedules. However, you are welcome to work with them. Keep in mind that commissions from car rental companies are generally received by Classy Way Travel Agency quarterly, but this may vary among vendors. If you have any questions about your commission or the vendor's commission policy for your booking, please reach out to the vendor directly.

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CLIA & IATAN

What is a CLIA Card?

Will I receive a CLIA card?

A CLIA Card, which stands for Cruise Line International Association Card, is an identification card issued to Travel Agency members affiliated with cruise travel. To be eligible for a CLIA card, you must be an active agent in good standing with Classy Way Travel Agency and have successfully completed your Classy Way University Training and your new Agent Checklist.

To obtain a CLIA card, you need to become a member of CLIA and request an ID card. The standard retail price for a CLIA membership for agents is $115, but as an agent with Classy Way Travel Agency, you are entitled to a reduced yearly membership fee of $65.

Here are the steps to acquire your CLIA card:

Visit www.cruising.org and create a new CLIA account.
Fill out the registration form.
Upload a picture of yourself for your Embarc Card.
Under Company Affiliation, enter Classy Way Travel Agency's name or CLIA number and click on "add affiliation" as your Primary Affiliation. This creates your CLIA agent profile, but you are not a member yet.
Click on "Join/Renew."
Choose "Individual Agent Member."
Pay the reduced fee due to your Premier Agency status with Classy Way Travel Agency.
Your CLIA card will be mailed directly to your provided mailing address.

What are the benefits of having a CLIA card?

Being a CLIA Individual Agent Member offers several advantages:

Establishes you as a credible seller of cruise travel.
Provides instant recognition with the CLIA EMBARC ID.
Offers comprehensive training, certification, and professional development opportunities.
Rewards you with exclusive personal travel benefits and discounts.
Provides access to cruise line and Executive Partner Member income opportunities and training.

Please note that only one account holder per Classy Way Travel Agency account is authorized for the CLIA card. If you have a family member or spouse who wishes to apply for their CLIA card, they must first enroll as an agent at www.classywaytravelagency.com and then follow the CLIA application process and pay the registration fee as outlined above.

IATAN

What is an IATA card? Will I receive an IATA card?

The International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) is a non-profit organization that assists travel agents in meeting and maintaining specific standards beneficial to airlines, the travel agency industry, and consumers. Travel agencies are assigned an IATA number, which serves as their unique identification number.

Once you earn your IATA card, it will display Classy Way Travel's IATA information, as you are still an Independent Contractor (IC) with Classy Way Travel Agency. This photo ID includes your name, unique identification number, your agency's name, and a numeric code embossed on the surface. You can obtain an IATA card if you meet the IATAN eligibility requirements. The fee for a new ID card is $40.00, and the renewal fee is $35.00.

For more information about IATAN requirements, please refer to the IATAN Accreditation website.

Real ID

Referring Travel

Travel Insurance

Which clients should I offer travel insurance to?

We recommend that you offer travel insurance to every client, on every single reservation. Every client should have the choice to purchase insurance – this also protects you as the agent.

Questions to Ask Your Clients: When counseling your clients about investing in travel insurance, consider asking them some or all of the following questions. A “no” answer should indicate that your client would be wise to invest in travel insurance.

Can you afford to miss your trip and lose your vacation investment if something goes wrong due to illness, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances?
Can you afford to cover the cost of returning home if you are forced to end your trip abruptly?
Does your medical insurance cover you whenever and wherever you travel?
Would you know what to do in an emergency situation overseas?
Even if your medical insurance provides coverage while you are on your trip, can you afford to pay high deductibles or copayments imposed when you are outside the standard service area?
If your bags are lost or if you must spend an extra night because of weather-related problems, can you afford to buy replacement necessities and pay for extra lodging?

When you ask your clients pointed questions about their liability to risk, you help them understand the need for protection. By doing this, you also are providing added value and building stronger advisor-client relationships. (Guida Botelho, The Travel Institute)

Why is travel insurance important?

Travel Insurance is important for your clients to have because you never know what may happen during or even before their vacation, and you want to make sure they’re covered!

Does Classy Way Travel Agency have travel insurance partners?

Yes! We recommend you use Travel Insured or Allianz for your client’s insurance needs. For information about these suppliers, please review your Vendor List on your Classy Way Agent Hub.

What does travel insurance cover?

Each policy is different, offers different levels of coverage, applies to different situations, and has different restrictions. In some cases, destinations or countries may require a certain level of insurance coverage for your client to travel to that destination. Check the country's entry requirements to determine if any specific policy is required.

For example, in 2020 Costa Rica updated their entry requirements due to COVID-19 and required travelers to purchase a supplemental health insurance policy that covers COVID to enter the country. Policy suggestions are even offered on their entry requirements website to inform travel advisors and travelers. If your client's destination requires a certain policy or level of protection to travel, ask the vendor what company or policy they suggest. Many suppliers already have insurance partners they can refer you to.

Please also keep in mind that these requirements can and may change without notice. It's important to check back frequently before and during your client's trip to ensure you will be able to assist them in case of a change in travel requirements. You don’t need to be an insurance expert! The vendor or insurance provider will provide the policy coverage details, and you just need to give that information to your clients. If you or your clients have questions, reach out to the supplier for clarification.

What if my client doesn't want travel insurance or trip protection?

One of the main reasons for chargebacks are due to clients claiming the agent did not provide the cancellation policy to the client or provide the client the opportunity to purchase travel insurance. If your client rejects travel insurance or trip protection, it is very important that you get this in writing signed by your client that they have been offered the opportunity to purchase travel insurance but have declined.

We've provided you a Credit Card Authorization Form on your Classy Way Agent Hub that has the required wording for your client to indicate that they have been offered travel insurance/trip protection and either accept or decline to purchase the policy. The CCauth form is located from the Forms & Documents tab on your Classy Way Agent Hub under the Resource Center.

What are current travel requirements?

These are ever-changing! Some countries may require vaccination, visas, or supplemental insurance to enter.

Vendor Access FAQ

What is the Vendor List?

The Vendor List is a web page located on your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub that lists all the travel suppliers we work directly with. This means we have already established a working relationship with them and have provided you some information on the vendor's site including how to register or request login information for their site, contact information, training and rewards programs, marketing materials, and more! Some vendors are even considered preferred. This means that they offer higher commission percentages or agent benefits, pay commission quicker, or we overall have a better working relationship with them. All our preferred vendors show first on the Vendor List and have a gold ribbon next to them. You should always try to work with a preferred supplier first, but you are welcome to use any supplier on the list.

Where is the Vendor List?

The Vendor List is located on your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub under the Tools tab. Just click on a vendor's logo to see the information for that supplier.

How do I work with the vendors/suppliers on the Vendor List?

Please read the instructions on the Vendor List for the supplier you want to work with. Some vendors require you to register with them directly, others require Classy Way Travel Agency to register you on your behalf and issue you login information. Information on how to work with each supplier is on your Vendor List.

If a supplier requires Classy Way Travel Agency to register you, you will be required to submit a help desk/support ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub. Please select the ticket category Travel Vendor Access. We will respond to your request within 1-2 business days.

Can I work with travel suppliers not on the Vendor List?

Usually, but it depends on that supplier. If you want to work with a supplier not on the Vendor List, contact them directly and let them know you work for the host agency Classy Way Travel Agency and give them Classy Way Travel Agency's IATA, and request information on how to book with them as an independent travel advisor. The supplier will let you know if verification is required or if they need additional information to set up an agency account for Classy Way Travel Agency. If you need assistance, please submit a help desk/support ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub.

Please know that it's always best to work with the suppliers on your Vendor List when you can. We do not suggest booking directly with a hotel resort outside the continental US. They rarely pay commission promptly and can be difficult to work with. However, if you use one of the suppliers on the Vendor List to book the hotel, we already have a working relationship with them, and it helps with the booking and payment process.

Which vendors can I use for a specific country or destination?

We've provided you a Vendors By Destination document, which you can find and download next to your Vendor List. This document will list each continent and some countries and the vendors that offer services/vacation packages in those countries. Vendors do change their services often, so you can always reach out to your favorite vendor directly to inquire if they offer packages in your client's destination.

Now that I have a C number, do I need to re-register/re-request access to vendors I already have access to?

No. You do not need to re-register/re-request access to vendors you already have access to. Your A and C numbers are linked in our system. This will not affect your commission or access.

The only exception is Delta Vacations. We are currently in the process of updating agent's usernames with their current C number. If you have any issues logging into Delta Vacations, please submit a Support/Help Desk ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub under the ticket category Travel Vendor Access, and we will assist you.

If I'm a new agent with login credentials from a different agency, do I need new login information?

Yes! Some accounts can be merged or switched to a new agency, but the majority you will need to be issued new login information to ensure you are paid commission. Please submit a Vendor Access request and notify us you have an account with a different agency. Depending on the vendor we may issue you a new login, request you create a new account, or we may contact our BDM to see what can be done to switch your account over to your new agency.

Can I just have a new account with my new username?

Some systems do not allow duplicate names or email addresses in their systems. Meaning, we might not be able to create another account for you. Even when we can create a duplicate account for you, you could lose all reward points, agent incentives, and education accreditation you've accumulated on your original username. These do not transfer to a new account under a different username.

Now that I'm with Classy Way only and received an account number, do I need to re-register/re-request access to vendors I already have access to?

No. You do not need to re-register/re-request access to vendors you already have access to. Vax and Delta Vacations are the only vendors you need to re-request access to now that you're a Classy Way only agent with a new account number.

The only exception is if the agent has a current Waves account in Vax and has accumulated reward points. We then must issue a Vax username that is associated with the Waves account (this could be the old A username). This is so the agent does not lose those Waves points. The Waves points are non-transferable and cannot be merged with a new X account.

I've forgotten my password to login to a vendor's site, can you reset it for me?

In most cases, it's easier and quicker to reset your password by going to the vendor's login page and clicking the "forgot password" link. If there is no forgot password feature, or you do not receive the password reset email, please submit a help desk ticket under the ticket category Travel Vendor Access, and we will try to help. The agent may be required to reach out to the vendor directly for additional assistance.

Expedia Taap says I need an invitation link to sign up for them. Where do I get the invitation link?

Please submit a support ticket from your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub, and we will send you the Expedia Taap invitation link so you may register. Please only request the invitation link if you are a new user to Expedia Taap. Existing users who have forgotten their account information can use the password reset option on the Expedia Taap login page -or- they may contact [email protected] for additional assistance.

My registration was declined for RCCL/GOCCL/Disney/Sandals. What should I do?

Please submit a help desk ticket under the ticket category Travel Vendor Access, and we will assist you.

The registration was most likely a duplicate -or- the agent used a name that's not in our system. For example, if you use the nickname Evie when registering instead of your legal name Evangeline, we wouldn't be able to locate an agent in our system with the nickname, and so we would decline the registration. The agent may not have completed their Agent Checklist items. We do not approve or register agents who have not completed the signup process, which includes completing the Agent Checklist. The agent will need to log into their Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub and complete their Agent Checklist.

VRBO

Does Classy Way Travel Agency partner with VRBO or vendors offering vacation rental options? Yes! Please click on the Vacation Rentals vendor on your Vendor List located on your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub. We currently have a few vendors that offer vacation rentals. Additional information about these vendors is located on your Vendor List.

Please know also partner with vendors that offer villas like Villas of Distinction, Rental Escapes, and Onefinestay. Please click on the Villas/Condos you like on your Classy Way Travel Agency's Agent Hub. Whether your client wants a more luxury experience, you need to book a larger property for a larger group, or the client or group has special requests or needs like a private chef, a rental villa may be your best option! Please learn more how to work with these vendors on your Vendor List.

Vax Published Air

We are no longer using Published Air for air only reservations due to commission payment issues and the high amount of fraud activity. Please use Fare Buzz or another listed air supplier on your Vendor List for air tickets. As always, we at Classy Way Travel Agency do not recommend selling air only due to the high fraud risk and liability to agents. To learn more, please see our article on minimizing the risk of Fraudulent Bookings.

HELP SUPPORT DESK

FAQ

Welcome to the Classy Way Travel Knowledge Base!

ACCOUNT