Kayak Affiliate Program
The Kayak affiliate program pays up to 3% per booking on a 30-day cookie window, on a metasearch platform covering flights, hotels and cars.
- Free to join
- No separate Kayak application
- Decision usually within 2 business days
Last reviewed by the LinkApprove partnerships team
01Overview
About the Kayak affiliate program
Kayak is metasearch rather than a booking site, which changes how it converts. The reader is sent to compare rather than to buy, and that lower-commitment action converts a much higher share of traffic than a direct booking link, people who are not ready to book will still happily compare prices.
Read more
The rate is modest because metasearch sits further from the transaction than a direct provider does. It works best at the top of the travel funnel, in destination and planning content where the reader has not yet chosen an airline or hotel and a comparison tool is genuinely the most useful next step.
The rate here sits below direct booking providers because metasearch is a step further from the transaction, but click-through runs higher because comparison asks less of the reader than booking does.
Program fit score
Weighted against 28 travel programs
3.5/ 5
| Factor | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per conversion | 40% | 1.08 |
| Cookie window | 25% | 0.81 |
| Average order value | 20% | 0.82 |
| Region breadth | 15% | 0.75 |
Cookie window
Same as the category median
30days
Most travel programs give around 30 days, so timing is neither an advantage nor a constraint here. Dots are the 28 programs in travel; the range is 7–31 days.
02Conversion
Why Kayak converts
- Comparison is a lower-commitment action than booking, so a higher share of readers click through
- Covers flights, hotels and cars, so one link serves several travel intents
- A 30-day window covers the extended research a trip attracts
- Broad international coverage suits creators with distributed audiences
03Audience fit
Which creators this suits
- Travel creators producing destination and itinerary planning content
- Publishers working the research phase rather than the booking phase
- Channels with international audiences across several markets
04Getting started
How to join the Kayak affiliate program
- 1Create a free account on LinkApprove and submit your content channels for review.
- 2Get approved, usually within two business days, then find Kayak in the program directory.
- 3Generate a deep link to any Kayak product page, adding sub-IDs for the platform or campaign.
- 4Publish and track clicks and validated commission in one balance alongside every other program you run.
LinkApprove already holds the upstream approval, so you don’t submit a separate application to Kayak.
Create a free account05Attribution
When you get paid on this program
- ClickDay 0
- PurchaseWithin 30 days · cookie
- ValidatedAdvertiser confirms · 30–60 day hold
- PaidNext payout run
- Minimum (wallets)
- $100
- Minimum (wire)
- $1,000
- Schedule
- Monthly → daily
EPC isn't published yet: our sample on this program is too small to mean anything. Full thresholds, rails and schedules are on the payouts page.
Travel
How Kayak compares in its category
Travel commissions are validated on completed stay rather than booking, which means longer hold periods, 60 to 90 days is normal. In exchange, the vertical has the longest cookie windows in the directory and very high order values.
- Expedia3%7 days$620
- GetYourGuideup to 8%31 days$95
- Hiltonup to 4%30 days$480
- Hostelworldup to 6%30 days$85
- Hotels.com4%7 days$420
- Kayakup to 3%30 days$460
- Kiwi.comup to €19.8430 daysNot published
- Klook5%30 days$85
- Lufthansaup to €35.3314 daysNot published
- Marriottup to 4%30 days$520
- Omioup to €5.0330 days€56
Showing 11 of 28 programs. Commission and cookie figures are indicative and set by the advertiser.
Compare all 28 programs06FAQ
Common questions
Something else? Contact the partnerships team.
How much does the Kayak affiliate program pay?
The Kayak affiliate program pays up to 3% per booking. Average order value on the program is $460, so commission per conversion is calculated against that basket rather than a single item price.
What is the cookie duration for the Kayak affiliate program?
The Kayak program has a 30-day cookie window. A purchase made after that window has closed is not attributed to you, which is why content timing matters on this program.
How do I join the Kayak affiliate program?
You can join the Kayak affiliate program through LinkApprove without applying to Kayak directly. LinkApprove already holds the upstream approval, so once your LinkApprove partner account is approved you can generate tracked links to any Kayak product page immediately.
Which countries does the Kayak affiliate program accept?
The Kayak program accepts traffic from US, UK, EU, CA, AU. Traffic from outside these regions may not be attributed even when the click is tracked, so check your audience geography before committing content to it.
Related programs
Programs partners often run alongside this one
For creators
Creators and publishers
Promote Kayak and every other program in the directory from one account, with a single payout. Free to join, from 1,000 followers.
- Free to join
- From 1,000 followers
- One payout
For brands
Advertisers
Recruit vetted creators across the UK, EU and US without managing hundreds of individual partner relationships.
Promote Kayak from today
Join LinkApprove free and generate your first tracked Kayak link once approved. No separate application, and no advertiser approval queue.