About Vrbo

Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner) is an established online marketplace for vacation rentals, connecting travelers with property owners who rent out their unique homes, cabins, beach houses, and condos.

It is part of the Expedia Group and has a large inventory of over two million properties in 190 countries. Vrbo is focused on facilitating memorable, personalized family vacations by offering spacious accommodations and a secure booking process.

Vrbo Affiliate Program Overview

The Vrbo Affiliate Program allows partners to earn a commission by promoting Vrbo rental listings and driving successful bookings on their site. It is an opportunity for those in the travel niche to leverage a globally recognized brand and its vast inventory.

Factor Detail
Industry Travel, Online Travel Agency (OTA)
Product Type Vacation Rentals/Accommodation Bookings
Affiliate Program Type Pay-Per-Sale (PPS) and/or Lead Generation (New Listing Referrals)

Vrbo Affiliate Program Offers

Vrbo provides affiliates with various tools and tracking mechanisms to help with promotion and to ensure accurate commission attribution.

Factor Detail
Promotional Materials Banners, Text Links, Search Widgets, and Deep Links to specific properties. API integration may also be available for travel bloggers.
Affiliate Cookie Duration Typically ranges from 7 to 30 days, depending on the affiliate network (e.g., 7 days on some networks, 30 days on the Expedia Group program).
Accepted Traffic Source Websites, Blogs, Social Media Platforms, Email Marketing. (Note: Aggressive retargeting, discounts, and coupons are often disallowed).
Accepted Countries Worldwide (Vrbo has over 2 million properties in 190 countries, making the program suitable for a global audience).
Explicit Content Not accepted (Standard industry restriction for major travel brands).
Religious or political content Generally, not accepted if the promotion is offensive or aggressively targeted, as per standard affiliate network terms. Content should be generally family-friendly and travel-focused.

Vrbo Affiliate Commissions & Payments

The commission structure for the Vrbo affiliate program can vary depending on the affiliate network you join (e.g., Expedia Group’s own program, CJ Affiliate, Flexoffers, Travelpayouts).

Factor Detail
MLM No (It is a standard affiliate marketing model).
Commission Rate 1.5% – 6% on completed bookings, depending on the network and the booking type. Some programs also offer a bounty/flat rate (e.g., $20) for referring new property listings.
Commission Structure Percentage of the booking value (Pay-Per-Sale) after the traveler has completed their stay.
Payout Frequency Monthly (Typical for affiliate networks). Commission is earned only after the traveler completes their stay, which can delay initial earnings.
Payout Methods Varies by the affiliate network but commonly includes Direct Deposit, Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer, or PayPal.
Minimum Payout Varies by the affiliate network used (e.g., a common threshold for CJ Affiliate is $50 for direct deposit or $100 for check).

Suitable Affiliates for Vrbo Affiliate

The Vrbo affiliate program is highly suitable for platforms and individuals focused on the travel and accommodation niche.

  • Bloggers: Especially Travel Bloggers who create destination guides, accommodation reviews, or family trip itineraries.
  • TikTokers/Influencers/YouTubers: Content creators who share unique travel experiences, vacation home tours, or budget/luxury travel comparisons. Their visual content is ideal for showcasing vacation rentals.
  • KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) / KOC (Key Opinion Consumers): Individuals with an established following in the travel, lifestyle, or family niche who can authentically recommend Vrbo as a preferred booking platform.
  • Video editors: Can work with influencers and creators to produce high-quality, engaging video content optimized for conversion.
  • Livestreamers: Can use live sessions to discuss travel planning and showcase Vrbo listings in real-time.

Vrbo Affiliate Software

Vrbo, as a brand under the Expedia Group, primarily uses established, major third-party affiliate marketing networks to manage its affiliate program, rather than proprietary in-house software for affiliate management.

The Vrbo affiliate program is often managed through networks like:

  • CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction)
  • Flexoffers
  • Travelpayouts
  • The Expedia Group’s own Affiliate Program (Expedia Group Creator)

Affiliates use the dashboard and tools provided by the chosen network for tracking links, reporting, and payment.

3 Alternatives for Vrbo Affiliate Program

Vrbo competes with several other major online travel agencies, and their affiliate programs offer viable alternatives, often with different strengths in commission rates or product focus.

Here are three common alternatives and a comparison:

  1. Booking.com: One of the largest accommodation booking platforms, known for high commission rates based on a tiered system.
  2. Expedia Group Affiliate Program (Expedia/Hotels.com): This includes all Expedia Group brands, offering a unified platform to promote hotels, flights, and car rentals in addition to Vrbo.
  3. Tripadvisor: Known primarily for reviews, it also functions as a booking platform, often offering a per-click (CPC) commission model for hotel referrals, which is different from Vrbo’s pay-per-sale model.
Comparison Factor Vrbo Affiliate Program Booking.com Affiliate Program Tripadvisor Affiliate Program
Average Bill High (Vacation rentals, often for families/groups, multi-night stays) High (Hotel bookings, multi-night stays) Varies (Primarily hotel bookings)
Entry Fees Free to join Free to join Free to join
Withdrawal Threshold Varies by network (e.g., $50 – $100) Varies by network (e.g., typically $100) Varies by network (e.g., typically $100)
Payment Frequency Monthly (after guest stay is complete) Monthly (after guest stay is complete) Monthly
Commission 1.5% – 6% on completed bookings 25% – 40% of Booking.com’s commission (tiered) 50% of revenue (often CPC/pay-per-click model)
Conversion Focus on long-term vacation rentals (niche focus) Broad hotel and accommodation bookings (wide appeal) Referrals based on highly-trusted user reviews (high trust)
Marketing Materials Banners, Text Links, Search Widgets, Deep Links Deals Finder, Search Box, Pre-made Banners, API Widgets, Banners, Text Links, API for content integration