Affiliate Disclaimer & Disclosure

The short version: VelvetVoyager earns a commission when you click certain links and make a booking. This costs you nothing extra. We only recommend products and services we'd genuinely use ourselves. Our editorial content is never influenced by whether a commission is available.

1. What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a standard arrangement in which a website earns a commission by referring customers to a product or service. When you click a link on VelvetVoyager that leads to a booking site — for example, Booking.com or Viator — and you subsequently make a booking, VelvetVoyager may receive a percentage of the booking value as a commission from the partner company.

This is how most travel content websites are funded. The alternative — subscriptions or advertising — creates different conflicts of interest. We believe well-disclosed affiliate revenue, combined with honest editorial standards, is the most sustainable and reader-friendly funding model for independent travel content.

2. Does This Cost You Anything?

No — never. The price you pay when booking through an affiliate link is identical to the price you'd pay by going directly to the booking site. In many cases, our partner links include exclusive discounts or promotional rates that are not available if you navigate directly to the partner's homepage.

Affiliate commissions are paid by the partner company out of their own margin — they are not added to your booking cost. Using our links is, if anything, a way to support independent Australian travel content at zero cost to yourself.

3. Programs We Partner With

VelvetVoyager currently maintains affiliate relationships with the following companies and networks. This list is updated as relationships are added or ended:

We also participate in Travelpayouts, a travel affiliate network that connects publishers with various airlines, OTAs and travel services. Commission rates within Travelpayouts vary by partner.

Commission rates shown are approximate and subject to change. Actual earnings depend on partner terms, booking confirmation, cancellation rates and other factors beyond our control.

4. How Affiliate Relationships Affect Our Content

Our editorial decisions are never made on the basis of whether an affiliate relationship exists. Specifically:

• We do not accept payment for positive reviews. No company can pay to be featured on VelvetVoyager or to receive a positive editorial assessment.
• We do not accept free products or trips in exchange for coverage. If we receive a complimentary service for review purposes, we disclose this clearly in the relevant article.
• We recommend products we'd use ourselves. Every affiliate program featured on this site has been assessed on its genuine value to Australian travellers — commission rate does not determine whether or how prominently a product is featured.
• Negative information is included. If a booking site has poor customer service, high fees or known problems, we say so — even if we have an active affiliate relationship with that company.
• Non-affiliated products are recommended freely. If the best tool for a given purpose has no affiliate program, we still recommend it. Examples: Wise (currency card), Google Flights (flight search), and various government visa portals.

5. Affiliate Cookies and Tracking

When you click an affiliate link on VelvetVoyager, the partner company places a tracking cookie on your device. This cookie records that you were referred from VelvetVoyager and attributes any subsequent booking to our referral, typically for a period of 7 to 30 days (depending on the partner's cookie window).

What this means practically:

• If you click our Booking.com link today and book a hotel tomorrow, we receive the commission.
• If you click our Viator link, browse, then book a tour three weeks later, we may or may not receive a commission — depending on the cookie expiry.
• If you clear your cookies between clicking and booking, no commission is attributed to us.

You can opt out of affiliate tracking by blocking third-party cookies in your browser settings. This has no effect on your ability to book — you simply book directly without our referral being recorded.

6. How to Identify Affiliate Links

Affiliate links on VelvetVoyager are identified by the following indicators:

• The page carries an affiliate disclosure banner or inline notice near the relevant links.
• Links to partner booking sites typically include a tracking parameter in the URL (e.g. ?aid= for Booking.com, ?pid= for Viator).
• Links routed through velvetvoyager.com/go?id= are always affiliate links — this is our click-tracking redirect.

If you are ever unsure whether a link is an affiliate link, assume it may be — and know that clicking it costs you nothing extra.

7. Regulatory Compliance

This disclosure is maintained in compliance with:

• Australian Consumer Law (ACL) — which requires clear disclosure of commercial relationships that may influence recommendations.
• Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics — which requires that advertising and sponsored content be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
• US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Endorsement Guides — which apply to content accessible by US readers and require clear disclosure of material connections between endorsers and the companies they endorse.

If you believe any content on VelvetVoyager fails to properly disclose an affiliate relationship, please contact us at hello@velvetvoyager.com. We take compliance seriously and will address any concern promptly.

8. Questions

If you have any questions about our affiliate relationships, our editorial process, or this disclosure, please contact us:

📧 hello@velvetvoyager.com
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Related pages: Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · About VelvetVoyager