If you have ever looked at the Sandals website and seen the phrase “Book Online and Get an Instant $100 Credit“, you probably thought that the only way to get the credit was for you to book your own trip. Well as it turns out, it’s NOT!

Some people think that it means that if their Travel Agent books it, they’ll lose out on the credit and end up paying $100 more than if they book it themself. Again, NOT true.

If you look closer, the actual wording is: Offer valid for new bookings made through the Sandals website, including travel advisor bookings made on the TA Portal. So no sweat. Just have your TA book it for you and you still get the $100 credit, and your TA can still make changes and payments to the booking for you.

Just make sure that your TA makes the booking through the Sandals TA Portal and not through a third party like Expedia or Kayak. If your TA is looking out for you, they should be booking through the portal. If they’re looking out for themself, they may book through a third party and make a higher commission, but then you won’t get that $100 booking credit. We ALWAYS book through the TA Portal because we’re here for YOUR benefit. And that way your booking is automatically registered with Sandals and you’re eligible for all the perks and credits available from Sandals.

It’s just another little catch that Sandals uses to try to get direct bookings. While they say they love Travel Agents, they still like bookings direct from a customer and keep the commission they’d pay to the TA for themself. Nobody can discount a Sandals booking and you’ll pay the same whether you book it yourself or through a TA. So why not get a great vacation, have the help and insight of a TA, and help a small business all at the same time?