Qjump / TheTrainLine

DeCal · 15-06-04

Hey Guys,

I'm promoting the train line (Previously Qjump)

Just wondering why they recall all sales that are under £25. I'm doing quite a few sales at the minute from organic traffic but wondering if i'm losing any sales due to the min sales amount. If this is the case, what other Train Ticket programs are out there?

Please note! Orders reported under £25 in value will be removed from the system as commission is only paid on sales with a value of £25 or more (excludes season tickets, insurance and hotels bookings).

Regards

Dean

John · 15-06-04

Just noticed that since the change to thetrainline, they've also reduced the recurring commissions cookie to 30 days, down from 6 months, making the program much less profitable for publishers who can target repeat purchasers.

DeCal · 15-06-04

I know and they are only paying 1%.

I cant seem to find any other providers, are Qjump/TheTrainLine the only providers now?

I've sent them about 8 sales in the last 2 days, each being over 100 per order.

John · 16-06-04

Have to say I'm not aware of any on the networks, there may be some indies out there, but without a doubt thetrainline have it pretty much cornered online now - Damn that Richard Branson!

I've pulled all our PPC ads, as it's just not profitable anymore. Shame as qJump was a nice program that seemed to work well.

drivetowin · 16-06-04

The trainline also run an independent programme which pays 1% on all tickets (no £25 cap) and also pays commission on season ticket sales - but it is bloody difficult to get accepted for - took me 12 months of plugging away to finally get them to accept me (oh and they will only accept you if you put their search box on the home page of your site) - and they pay quarterly in arrears.

DeCal · 16-06-04

Think i'll check them out and see what happens.

I've currently got them on TD so i'll see what they say to that.

Thanks Guys,

Dean

Update: Checked the site out and everything runs threw TradeDoubler. Do you have a link to sign up with them?

Thanks

Dean

Azam.net · 16-06-04

They almost have a monopoly and can therefore screw their partners.

1% commission is a joke. £25 minimum sale is an insult, particularly as our most popular ticket is £24. I have written to Qjump about this and they told me several months ago the minimum amount would soon no longer apply, but looks like they have no respect for their partners to implement it.

What we are doing very successfully is encouraging people to go by coach instead. Therefore, when they visit our travel site, we do have the QJump search box, but before they get to it we remind people, a couple of times, how much cheaper it is to travel by coach. Loads of people end up booking coach tickets instead of train tickets.

Therefore we are diverting traffic to National Express who pay 5% rather than QJump/thetrainline who pay either 0% or 1%.

We, too, would be interested in their independent affiliate program if it doesn't have minimum £25, but can't find info. about it anywhere.

DeCal · 16-06-04

Yeah i think i might try that one.

National Express with TD right?

Azam.net · 16-06-04

Yep, with TD.

Conversion ratios are suprrisingly good.

P.S. Checked and John is right. 6 month cookie has been reduced to 30 days.

Why were we not informed about this? I find it frustrating that TD merchants keep slashing commission/cookie periods and we are NEVER told about it in any newsletter or on the home page. Yet, everything a merchant increases commission they yell about it all over the place.

Along with their spyware stance, refusal to publish conversion figures and the fact that they don't pay if a merchant disappears without paying affiliates their hard-earned commission (while other networks do), such bad business practice is putting me off TD.

Azam.net · 16-06-04

Gets better and better. Just noticed that the QJump search box no longer works. (No alternative search box is provided.) Instead we are sent to this page where 50% of the space is devoted to stuff that doesn't even earn us the 1% commission.

How can TD allow a merchant to behave like this?

BTW, I managed to find the email from somebody who I won't name at thetrainline/QJump and here is their promise:

"The good news is that since we merged with thetrainline we are going to revise our offer to 1% on ALL sales. The £25 threshold will not apply.
I'm arranging this with Trade Doubler very soon. "

That was 19 February. Maybe "very soon" means something else in TradeDoubler land.

I have written lengthy emails to all my contacts at thetrainline/QJump, but I don't think they'll bother to improve terms for us guys.

Time for one of my favourite quotations again:

"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."

DeCal · 16-06-04

Suprisingly, i'm using the same page as that one you just showed on the index of my site and i'm getting a 35% convertion. Great convertion, crap % of comms and prob missing a load of sales below the 25 cap.

Time to bin them i think and try National Express. I'm getting more and more unhappy with TD, i dont s'pose anyone else does Nation Express do they?

DeCal · 18-06-04

And it gets better.

Booked