Aviasales is a leading flight metasearch engine that enables users to compare flight options from over 728 airlines and ticketing agencies, helping them find and purchase the cheapest flight tickets.
Aviasales pays a strong-looking headline rate, but the “real” earning math is important:
For flight affiliates, the program can perform well on high volume and strong search intent, but ticket margins are thin.
Web cookie lifetime: 30 days.
Important upside: if a user installs the Aviasales app via your affiliate link, the app is permanently assigned to your affiliate marker, and you earn commission on all orders made by that user in the app.
Aviasales runs through Travelpayouts, so payout has two realities: confirmation timing + network payout.
The program provides clear headline terms (reward framing, cookie life, platforms, and payout timing), but there are opacity points:
The score is calculated using the following formula:
(Trustpilot Score × 2 × 0.7) + (Internal Review Score × 0.3)
This is mostly a reflection of public review sentiment/volume on Trustpilot, not necessarily conversion performance.
Flight search is evergreen and high-intent, and Aviasales is positioned around “cheap flights” + flexible search features:
The app “permanent assignment” can materially improve LTV for mobile-heavy audiences.
Promotion rules are fairly flexible with a few strict “no’s”:
(Higher score = less competition)
Flights are one of the most competitive affiliate verticals (OTAs, metasearch, SEO giants). Winning usually requires:
Because Aviasales runs on Travelpayouts, affiliates typically benefit from:
Aviasales’ affiliate payout is based on confirmed flight bookings. You earn a commission when your referred user completes a booking, and the booking is later confirmed (unconfirmed/canceled bookings do not pay). The key nuance is how the “50%” is defined: it’s 50% of Aviasales’ revenue from the flight ticket sale—so the effective commission is typically a low single-digit percentage of the booking price.
| Commission component | What you earn | Notes for affiliates (important nuances) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary commission (RevShare) | Up to 50% of the revenue Aviasales receives from flight ticket sales provided by agencies and airlines. | This is not 50% of ticket value. Flights are a thin-margin category; the effective payout depends on what the agency/airline pays Aviasales. |
| Effective commission (practical reality) | Program notes state the base is typically 1.1%–1.3% of the booking amount (presented as “~40% of Aviasales revenue”). | This is the number that matters for forecasting. Use EPC and conversion rate by route/geo/device instead of relying on the headline %. |
| Provider fixed-commission cases | Some providers (agencies/airlines) pay a fixed commission that does not depend on ticket cost. | The program notes the list of such agencies is not disclosed, which can make earnings less predictable on certain bookings. |
| App attribution boost (LTV effect) | If a user installs the app via your affiliate link, the app is permanently assigned to your affiliate marker, and commission is paid on all orders made by that user in the app. | This can materially increase lifetime value for mobile-heavy audiences. It’s not a higher %—it’s more repeatable credited orders. |
| Example (simple math) | If a booking is $500 and the effective rate lands at 1.1%–1.3%, your commission is roughly $5.50–$6.50 per confirmed order. | Flights are a volume game. Route pages + high-intent SEO usually outperform “broad travel inspiration” content for this offer. |
Attribution for Aviasales has two layers: web cookie tracking (standard 30 days) and an app assignment that can be far stronger if you can drive app installs. In practice, this means your best LTV typically comes from mobile-first funnels that push users to install the app through your tracked link—because web cookies are vulnerable to cookie deletion, privacy restrictions, and device switching.
| Attribution scenario | What gets credited (per program terms) | Where affiliates lose credit (real-world pitfalls) |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Web click → booking within 30 days | The booking is credited if it happens within the 30-day cookie lifetime and is later confirmed. | Cookie deletion, private browsing, aggressive browser tracking prevention, ad blockers, or the user booking after the 30-day window. |
| 2) Web click → later booking after 30 days | Typically not credited on web if the cookie window has expired. | Flights often have longer consideration cycles for complex routes. “Research now, buy later” behavior can fall outside 30 days. |
| 3) Mobile click → app install via affiliate link | If the user installs the app via your affiliate link, the app is permanently assigned to your affiliate marker and you earn on all orders made by that user in the app. | If the user doesn’t install (stays on web), you fall back to the 30-day cookie. If the user installs without your tracked path, you may not get permanent assignment. |
| 4) User already has the app installed | Program terms highlight permanent assignment when the app is installed via the affiliate link (best case: new install captured through your link). | If the app is already installed, a click may open the app without triggering a new install attribution event. In many ecosystems this can reduce your ability to “attach” the user to your marker—treat this as a possible limitation and test with your traffic. |
| 5) Cross-device journey (mobile research → desktop purchase) | Web attribution is generally browser/device dependent. App assignment helps only if the final purchase is made in-app (or the same tracked environment). | Cross-device is a top leakage source in flights. Push for “complete booking on the same device” or drive app installs to reduce loss. |
| 6) Multiple affiliate touchpoints | The program listing shows cookie life and app assignment, but doesn’t clearly publish a first-click vs last-click rule in the snippet provided. | If a user clicks another affiliate later, the “winning” model matters. Assume competitive overwrites can happen and focus on high-intent CTAs + fast conversion. |
Aviasales is ideal for affiliates who can reach travelers at the moment they’re searching for tickets. The best-converting audiences are price-sensitive (deal-seekers), route-intent (A → B flight searches), and mobile-first travelers who prefer to browse and book on phone. Since the offer is flights-only, conversion improves when your content has clear “next step” CTAs like check prices, compare dates, and find the cheapest month.
| Segment (who converts) | Pain points | Best affiliate angles |
|---|---|---|
| Deal seekers (budget travelers, students, backpackers) | Need the lowest fare, flexible dates, fare spikes, confusion about when to buy. | “Cheapest time to fly”, price calendars, “best month to visit”, deal roundups by route. |
| Route-intent searchers (“Flights from A to B”) | Want fast comparison, multiple airlines/agencies, clear final price. | Route pages (A→B), airport guides, “direct vs layover”, flight-time + baggage tips + CTA. |
| City-break & short-trip planners | Need quick booking decisions, weekend timing, short notice availability. | “Weekend trips from [city]”, last-minute flight options, “3-day itinerary + flights” hub pages. |
| Seasonal / peak-travel audiences (holidays, summer, events) | High prices, limited inventory, uncertainty on best booking window. | “Book early” messaging, peak-season guides, event travel pages, alerts/notifications positioning. |
| Mobile-first travelers (app users) | Want speed, saved searches, ongoing price monitoring, simple booking flow. | “Search flights on your phone”, app-first CTAs, explain that app users can track prices/alerts. |
| Cashback / travel service audiences | Want a reliable flight search to pair with cashback or travel services. | Cashback positioning (where applicable), “flight search tool” pages, travel-business integrations. |
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With Aviasales you’re not paid “directly by Aviasales”—you’re paid through Travelpayouts. That matters because there are two timelines: (1) booking confirmation (only confirmed bookings become payable earnings), and (2) the Travelpayouts payout window (when funds are actually sent out to affiliates).
| Payout area | How it works (Travelpayouts rules) | What affiliates should watch closely |
|---|---|---|
| Payout schedule | Payouts are sent automatically once per month, typically from the 11th to the 20th of the following month. Earnings are “fixed” on the 10th and go through verification. | Don’t expect weekly payouts. If you run paid traffic (where allowed), plan cash flow around a monthly cycle. |
| Payout setup deadline | To be included in the current payout run, your payout details must be filled in before the 9th of the month. | If you set details late (or change them during payout processing), your payout can be pushed to the next cycle. |
| Minimum payout thresholds |
Threshold depends on method:
|
If you’re small-volume, avoid bank transfer (high threshold). Choose a lower-threshold method to get paid sooner. |
| Payment methods | Travelpayouts supports Bank transfer (USD/EUR), PayPal, and WebMoney (WMZ). | Your chosen method defines the currency used for earnings calculation and payout. Pick the method that matches your operational needs. |
| Processing & delivery time | Payouts are sent in sequence: WebMoney (often within one day), then PayPal (several days), then Bank transfer (several days; banks can add extra time). “Sent” payouts usually arrive within ~3 business days; bank transfers may take an additional 5–7 days between banks. | Weekends/holidays can slow PayPal/banks. If your payout is still not “Sent” by the 20th (bank transfers can be slower), contact support. |
| Rollovers, reversals, & “In review” | If you don’t reach the minimum in a month, balance rolls over. Some payouts can show In review while bookings are verified. Cancellations can reduce balance (sometimes even negative), which can pause payouts. | Travel is cancellation-prone. Track “pending vs confirmed” ratios and avoid overestimating revenue until bookings are fully confirmed. |
| Fees (practical) | Travelpayouts states it compensates transfer fees for sending funds (PayPal/WebMoney; and transfer-out fees for bank transfer). Any receiving bank fees or downstream withdrawal fees are typically on the partner. | Your bank may deduct incoming fees even if the sender covers their side. Factor this in if you’re using wire transfers. |
For Aviasales specifically, the “approval” process is usually less about waiting for a manual brand decision and more about meeting Travelpayouts platform requirements and staying within Aviasales traffic rules. Travelpayouts indicates that some programs require brand approval (often taking days to weeks), but its network terms describe Aviasales/JetRadar as a default program membership once you’re authorized on the platform.
| Requirement | What’s expected | Most common reasons for delay / rejection / removal |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Travelpayouts account authorization | Create a Travelpayouts account and complete your basic profile so the platform can attribute traffic and pay you. | Incomplete profile details or suspicious/incorrect account information. |
| 2) Add a “Project” (your traffic source) | Add the website/app/social channel you will use to promote Aviasales tools (widgets, links, white-label, etc.). Your project should be live and match the audience you describe. | Empty/thin projects, non-functional URLs, copied/auto-generated content, or projects unrelated to travel intent. |
| 3) Content quality & user value | Program terms emphasize that you should provide content that is valuable/beneficial to the end user (not “bridge pages”). | Doorway pages built only to redirect clicks, deceptive layouts, or aggressive misleading UX that harms user experience. |
| 4) Forbidden traffic compliance (strict) | Do not engage in prohibited traffic types. Aviasales’ terms explicitly prohibit ad hijacking and direct linking/PPC-as-redirect behaviors. | Ad hijacking, “PPC redirect” flows, cloaking, misleading ads, forced redirects, or other forbidden traffic. Terms note violations can lead to blacklisting and reversal of fees. |
| 5) Program-specific promotion limits | Follow Aviasales/Travelpayouts program restrictions (e.g., bans around certain promotional mechanics like coupons/promo codes and certain paid acquisition methods where disallowed). | Using prohibited promo mechanics (coupon-style promotion when disallowed), unapproved paid methods, or violating the program’s traffic rules. |
| 6) If brand approval is required (general case) | Travelpayouts notes that for programs that do require brand approval, the brand reviews whether your project fits their terms, audience, and content policy, and approval can take days to weeks. | Mismatch between your audience and the offer, prohibited content types, or non-compliant traffic methods. |
