Booking.com Affiliate Program Terminated: What Happened and Where to Go Next

Booking.com shut down its affiliate program, leaving many small partners stranded. Here's what happened, why it matters, and a solid alternative you can join: DealMiner.

Introduction: A Sudden Goodbye from Booking.com

If you're in the travel affiliate space, you probably felt a jolt recently. Booking.com, one of the biggest travel platforms in the world, has shut down its affiliate program—at least for many small and medium partners: no warning, no clear roadmap, just a termination notice.

This wasn't just an inconvenience for many affiliate marketers, especially those building websites and content around travel bookings. It was a direct hit to their income.

In this article, we'll walk through:

• What exactly happened with Booking.com
• Why so many affiliates are frustrated
• The ripple effect it's having on the industry
• And most importantly, a reliable alternative: the DealMiner affiliate program

Let's get into it.

What Happened with Booking.com? 

The Timeline

Affiliate marketers started reporting, around late May 2025, that they were being removed from the Booking.com affiliate program. These reports began popping up on forums, social media, and Reddit threads like r/affiliate marketing and r/SEO. In the official email, the company offered an unclear explanation, pointing to a shift in its overall strategy. This action mainly affects more minor affiliates with direct access to Booking.com's program. Booking.com has started phasing out its direct affiliate partnerships, giving many partners just 30 days' notice, with most agreements ending by June 20, 2025. While the company hasn't completely pulled out of affiliate marketing, it's now moving its operations to third-party platforms like Awin and CJ, depending on the region. As a result, anyone who wants to keep promoting Booking.com will need to rejoin through one of these networks, accept the new terms, and update their existing affiliate links.

Here's a quick breakdown of how it went down:

·       May 23–25, 2025: Users began receiving bookings. Com's" g their accounts had been "n terminated.

·       May 26, 2025: An article by Paper Moon Media confirmed the widespread nature of the shutdown.

·       By May 27, 2025, Hundreds of minor affiliates were either kicked out or blocked from future payouts.

The Reaction

The affiliate's reaction hasn't been a mix of shock, frustration, and a sense of betrayal. Discussions across platforms like Reddit (e.g., r/Affiliate marketing, r/Booking.com, r/Affiliate) quickly filled with distressed marketers sharing their termination emails and seeking advice.

This abrupt change has been widely interpreted as a cost-cutting measure, and here's a link by Booking.com to streamline operations by offloading partner management to external networks. While large-scale changes are common in the industry, the lack of more transparent communication and the short transition window have left many feeling undervalued and unheard, especially given the years of content optimization and traffic generation these affiliates provided. This wasn't just a policy change. For many, it felt like a betrayal.

Why It Matters for Affiliate Marketers

Let's break it down.

1. Loss of Passive Income

Most travel Affiliate marketers rely heavily on consistent, long-term links. Removing these links not only stops future commissions, it means:

• Lost back links and SEO juice
• Dead landing pages
• Ruined user experience for readers

2. No Transparency

There was no formal statement from Booking.com explaining:

• Why did "hey remove certain accounts
• Whether it's a temporary move
• If they plan to replace the program with something else

This level of uncertainty is toxic for businesses that rely on predictable" le income.

3. Lack of Alternatives in Travel

There aren't many travel platforms that:

• Offer decent commission rates
• Payout reliably
• Have a wide enough range of hotels to satisfy your readers

Many affiliates were left scrambling to replace links.

4. Smaller Creators Got Hit the Hardest

Larger affiliates and corporations may have backup plans. But for niche site owners, content creators, and side hustlers, this wasn't a gut punch. The ones who needed those commissions the most were the ones who lost them overnight. Let's look at the bigger picture:

Is This the End of Travel Affiliate Marketing?

Not quite — but it's a sign of how fragile these partnerships can be.

Booking.com isn't the first major player to distance itself from small affiliates. Amazon famously slashed commission rates in 2020. More platforms are prioritizing direct partnerships, cutting out the middle layer of independent marketers. That is why finding alternatives with clear terms, fair payouts, and responsive support is very important.

A Better Option: DealMiner’s affiliate Program

So here's the good news — there's another option, and its welcoming affiliates right now.

Meet DealMiner: an aggregator that helps travelers find the best hotel and travel daren't-cross multiple booking engines.

What Makes DealMiner a Better Affiliate Option?

1.    Reliable and Flexible

Straightforward Dashboard

You can see your clicks, earnings, and conversions in real time—no complicated menus or confusing reports.

Flexible Payouts

DealMiner lets you choose from different payout methods with a low minimum threshold, so you won’t have to wait forever to cash out.

Quick Approvals

No long wait times—you can get approved and start promoting on the same day.

Reliable Tracking

Their tracking system includes a decent cookie window, giving you a fair chance at earning your referrals' commissions.

Works Everywhere

Whether you run a travel blog, post on YouTube, send newsletters or share deals on social media, DealMiner fits right in.

2.    Built on Trust and Long-Term Goals

Not Just a Quick Win

DealMiner is focused on building lasting relationships with its affiliates. They genuinely appreciate the work of bloggers, influencers, and creators and aim to grow together rather than squeeze short-term profits.  

Fair Commission Rates

They know that your time matters. While commission rates can vary depending on the deal, the structure is designed to give you a good return on your efforts.

Wide Range of Travel Deals

You’re not stuck with just one type of product. DealMiner offers everything from flights and hotels to packages—giving you more ways to promote and earn without relying on a single provider.

3.    Tools That Make Life Easier

Simple, Clean Platform

Everything is built to help you work efficiently. From generating links to checking reports, the platform is made for ease of use.

Helpful Support Team

If you need help, their team is responsive and easy to talk to. You won’t have to wait days for someone to respond.

4.    Suitable for Your Audience, Too

Deals People Actually Want

The focus is on real savings for real people. Promoting genuine deals that help your audience build trust increases their chances of converting.

5.    Clear Communication, No Guesswork

You’ll Always Know What’s Going On

In an industry where policies can change overnight, DealMiner keeps you in the loop. They prioritize clear and timely updates so you’re never caught off guard.

Ideal for:

• Travel bloggers
• Content creators with hotel comparison guides
• Niche travel deal sites
• Email list marketers
• Reddit users sharing travel hacks

If Booking.com burned you, DealMiner might be your best bet for getting back on your feet fast.

What Should You Do Now?

If Booking.com cuts you off, you're not alone. Thousands of creators are in the same boat.

Here's what you can do next:

• Remove Booking.com links from your site or replace them with DealMiner links
• Focus on rebuilding trust with your readers by updating broken links
• Diversify your income streams so you're not dependent on just one platform
• Join an affiliate program like DealMiner that supports small creators

Affiliate marketing is still alive, but the game is changing. Look for partners who treat you like a business, not a disposable ad unit.

Ready to make the switch? Sign up for DealMiner today.

Conclusion

Booking.com recently pulled the plug on its affiliate program, which caught a lot of people off guard—especially smaller creators and niche sites. For many, those emails felt like the rug was pulled out from under them. But moments like this, frustrating as they are, push us to rethink how we structure our income streams and where we place our trust.

If you've been relying heavily on a single affiliate program, it's the right time to branch out. A great place to start is the DealMiner affiliate program. It's built with transparency, support, and consistency—things that matter when your income depends on a partner keeping their word.

The travel blogging world has faced numerous curveballs, whether changes to search algorithms or major global disruptions. The ones who make it haven't usually stayed flexible and built systems that don't collapse when one partner walks away. Now's your chance to set up something more substantial; a big part is working with affiliates. There are grams that value your contribution.