Chasing Unpaid Commissions: A Practical Playbook

Overview

Unpaid commissions are the single most common vent thread in every travel advisor community. A supplier says they will pay in 30 days. 60 days pass. You email. Crickets. You email again. Someone else replies saying the original agent left. The trip was six months ago and you are still chasing $380.

This is preventable with the right process. Here is the playbook.

Before You Book: Three Things That Prevent Most Problems

1. Know the supplier's standard payment timeline

Different supplier categories pay on different schedules:

If a supplier will not tell you their timeline, that is a red flag.

2. Record the booking agent and confirmation number

The single most common reason commission chases go nowhere is that the original booking agent has left the company and nobody can find the booking. Always record, in the commission record:

• Supplier name and booking agent's email
• Confirmation number (the supplier's, not yours)
• Expected payment date based on the supplier's timeline

3. Ask about commission protection on large bookings

For bookings over $10,000 — especially groups — ask before you book:

• "Is commission paid on the deposit or final payment?"
• "If the client cancels within the refund window, is commission protected?"
• "If you change the booking agent, does my commission follow the booking?"

Get the answer in writing (email is fine). This one step prevents the vast majority of commission disputes.

When a Commission Is Overdue: Escalation Ladder

Week 1: Polite nudge

Two weeks after expected payment date. Keep it short and factual:

Subject: Commission status — [confirmation number] — [client name]

Hi [supplier],

Just following up on the commission for confirmation [number], [client name], travel dates [dates]. My records show the expected commission of $[amount] has not yet been received. Could you confirm the payment status? Happy to provide any additional booking details if useful.

Thanks, [Your name]

Most commissions arrive after this one email. The supplier's system just missed it.

Week 2–3: Structured follow-up

If no response or a vague answer, send a specific ask:

I have not yet received the commission for [booking]. Could you confirm by [specific date] whether the payment has been issued, and if so, the check number or ACH reference?

Include every relevant reference number and your agency's W-9 / payment details in case the issue is on their remittance side.

Week 4: Escalate

Contact the supplier's commission department directly, not the booking agent. If you booked through a host agency, loop in your host's commission team — they have the volume leverage you do not.

For large amounts, contact the supplier's BDM (business development manager) for your region. A BDM wants to keep their advisor relationships healthy and can unstick payments internally in one phone call.

Week 8+: Formal

For commissions over ~$300 that remain unpaid past two escalations:

• Document the chase. Every email, every phone call, every name.
• File a complaint with ASTA or your host's supplier advocacy team.
• Consider a small-claims filing for amounts above your small-claims threshold (often $5k–$10k depending on state). A demand letter from a lawyer often resolves it without filing.

Tracking the Chase in Plan Harmony

Every commission in Plan Harmony has a notes field. Use it as the chase log:

2026-04-03 — Booked. Expected payment 2026-07-15 (30 days post-travel).
2026-07-20 — Emailed commissions@[supplier], no response.
2026-07-27 — Second email with specific ask.
2026-08-05 — Called [BDM name] at [phone]. Agreed to investigate.
2026-08-12 — Payment received, $380 ACH, ref #12345.

Filter the Commissions page by Overdue every Monday as part of your weekly routine. Overdue commissions are your most valuable unfinished work — chase them before they age out of the supplier's system.

When to Stop Booking a Supplier

Track total unpaid by supplier, not per booking. If one supplier has three overdue commissions totaling more than ~$500 and repeated chases have produced nothing, stop booking them. A commission you never earn because you moved the client to a better supplier is cheaper than a commission you chase for six months.

Share the intel in your advisor community — a reputation for slow payment is often the only thing that changes supplier behavior.

The Prevention Checklist

• Logged every commission the day of booking, with expected payment date
• Recorded the supplier confirmation number and booking agent email
• Asked about commission protection on bookings over $10k
• Running a weekly review of Overdue commissions
• Notes field used as a chase log for every follow-up
• Known slow-pay suppliers flagged or dropped

The advisors who never have commission problems are not lucky. They just have the process above, running in the background.