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If you love the idea of discounted travel, then the question – is InteleTravel legit or a scam is a fair question. In fact, I’ve been a part of a travel MLM a few years back that folded. So I can definitely hear your concerns.
The thought of traveling or helping others travel while building a business was so amazing to me. So trust me I get where you’re coming from.
But is InteleTravel another MLM that could be here today and gone tomorrow? In this review, I’m going to go over this opportunity with a fine tooth comb. And in the end, hopefully I can help to get your questions answered.
Ok, let’s get to it.
What is InteleTravel?
InteleTravel is a multi-level marketing company that sells travel tickets and packages at discounted prices. This platform has been compared to rival companies in the multi-level marketing space like World Ventures.
The founders of the company believe that the InteleTravel business opportunity exists to make travel easier and more affordable, while also giving people a chance to earn a decent side income.
Having said that, one of the first things that stand out is their travel packages. The packages do appear to be cheaper than what you might usually come across on the market. And the company’s promotional material offers people an opportunity to make money by joining their MLM program.
But the figures that I have seen show members earning modest to barely any income at all. As with most mlm companies, their earnings disclosures can create doubt about how attainable success is with this opportunity.
When Was InteleTravel Founded?
The InteleTravel Business opportunity is the brainchild of James Ferrara. He created the company in 1992, branding it as a Travel Booking MLM company. Today, InteleTravel is a subsidiary of Traina Companies. Ferrara is also the president of Traina.
Ferara runs the organization alongside Joseph Traina. Ferrara balances his role with Traina with his duties as co-founder and CEO of InteleTravel. The companies are both headquartered in Florida.
How Does InteleTravel Work?
As a member with InteleTravel, you basically become a Travel Agent or what the company calls travel advisors. And instead of working with a particular company or travel agency, you would become a freelance travel advisor who earns commissions on the sales you make.
The company’s promotional material emphasizes the fact that they are always looking for people who enjoy travel. And of course they welcome anyone who wants to make money. But their message tends to appeal to avid travelers.
The people who sign up for this opportunity are supposed to sell discounted travel packages to other people. But they can just as easily book trips for themselves and earn commissions.
InteleTravel Support
One of the challenges with most mlm opportunities is that they expect you to grow your business all on your own without the necessary support. You might have a few that offer training materials and that might be the extent of it.
With InteleTravel you get an online academy, which is really nice. They don’t expect you to figure out the business of selling travel packages all by yourself without support.
The online tutorials they offer are designed to transform you into a self-made travel agent overnight. This tutorials cover:
- Detailing the process of booking a trip
- How to attract clients
- Making sales
The exact nature of your training will depend on which level of membership you choose:
- Travel Genius
- Dream maker
- Vacation Builder
Like the majority of network marketers, most InteleTravel members depend on the sales they make through friends and family members. But as I’ve said before, growing a business in this day and age takes an advanced marketing skillset. All of the old school methods are hard to make work.
The more successful InteleTravel agents spend a lot of time honing their marketing skills. These are people who leverage platforms such as social media or search engine marketing. They operate more like a business and less like a freelancer.
What Products and Services Does InteleTravel Offer?
As I mentioned, InteleTravel is a travel company that sells discounted travel packages. But the company doesn’t actually own these tickets and packages.
Instead the company partners with companies like Club Med, Avis, Hertz, and Funjet Vacations to name a few. Think of InteleTravel as more of a middleman.
The company offers tickets and travel packages associated with cruise lines, Airlines, Car rental services, Hotels, Resorts, and Travel Insurance.
InteleTravel brings these products to consumers using their travel advisors. Their partners pay them and in turn InteleTravel pays the travel agents that have chosen to participate in their MLM opportunity.
InteleTravel Perks
One of the perks to working with InteleTravel is that membership gives you access to exclusive travel offers, insider knowledge, professional booking sites, and customer support.
Here’s a tweet from InteleTravel about a travel promotion.
We are LIVING for this list right now.https://t.co/g4hVgEHHq0
— InteleTravel.com (@InteleTravel) October 11, 2019
How Much Does InteleTravel Cost to Join?
To join InteleTravel, you must pay the $179 one-time registration fee. This gives you access to the following InteleTravel resources:
- Personalized booking website
- Marketing program
- Company stationery
- Tool to support your activities as a travel agent
You can join as a travel advisor by visiting the InteleTravel website or getting back to the person who referred you to the opportunity.
In addition to registering you’ll also need to pay $39 per month administrative fee. This is on top of the $19.95 PlanNet Marketing Administrative fee, which is also paid monthly. That is a total of $59 per month.
NOTE: You only get access to the tools the company offers once they approve your application.
Money-Back Guarantee
If you’re unhappy with the company in your first 30 days and this mlm opportunity is not a good fit for you, InteleTravel does offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is There an App?
InteleTravel Agents can download a training app that gives them tips, training, and advice on the best ways to sell the company’s products.
What is the InteleTravel Compensation Plan?
With this company, you make money by selling travel packages and earning a commission on each sale. You also make money by recruiting other people and earning a commission from the sales they make.
PlanNet Marketing
InteleTravel has partnered with PlanNet Marketing to offer their compensation plan and the business arm with the company. The PlanNet Marketing platform offers reps an opportunity to take advantage of two business opportunities:
- Sell the InteleTravel home-based Independent Travel Agency (ITA) business and earn direct commissions.
- Build a PlanNet Rep organization in your downline and earn override commissions on Reps you sponsor and they can also grow a downline.
When you sell a ticket or travel package to a consumer, the supplier will give InteleTravel a commission ranging from 8 percent to 16 percent. Of that commission, InteleTravel will give the Travel Advisor 70% for their efforts in making the sales.
For example, if you sell a package worth $1,800, a 14% commission, InteleTravel will get $252. The company will then pay you $176. Also, if you recruit a travel agent and they make a sale, you will earn a 10% commission on that as well.
Judging by those numbers, if your goal is to make let’s say $1,000 per month, you’ll need to make a few sales per month. That brings me to the next point.
Below is a good overview of the PlanNet compensation plan with InteleTravel.
What is the InteleTravel Earning Potential?
InteleTravel expects you to spend $59 per month in membership fees. However, the available figures suggest that the InteleTravel opportunity pays its travel agents on average roughly $282 per year.
All the data I have come across suggests that 98% of this company’s members make very few sales and don’t even earn the minimum wage.
Pros and Cons of InteleTravel
Pros
- Inexpensive to get started compared to other companies.
- Travel is a huge industry with passionate avid travelers.
- The company has been around for decades and has a solid platform.
- Great support and training for new distributors.
- 30-day money back guarantee if you are unhappy with the opportunity.
- Huge perks with travel as distributors become travel agents, which makes this opportunity very attractive to travel enthusiasts.
Cons
- There is no transparency or income disclosure like other MLM rankings I’ve looked where they provide the company revenue numbers and how much they have paid out to distributors.
- No BBB rating or accreditation.
- Travel is a competitive market with huge online competition from giants such as Expedia and others.
- Challenging to get and keep customers, which is the lifeblood of any business.
Is InteleTravel Legit of a Scam?
InteleTravel is a solid company and definitely legit. At the time of this review it does not have a BBB rating. The company is recognized by the Airlines Reporting Corporation as well as by CLIA.
To the travel industry, InteleTravel is a legitimate travel company, which can be found in over 50 US states and 40 countries.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to get started with an mlm opportunity and love travel, InteleTravel has married the two. As with any mlm opportunity, there are risks and not all opportunities are created equal.
I joined the travel mlm company YTB many years ago and the company was out of business in a few months after I joined. I quickly realized that selling discounted travel was great when it came to personally taking advantage of the perks, but getting customers was a challenge.
If you love travel and you have an advanced marketing skillset, you might want to give it a try. As with any company, you get out what you put in to it.