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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Card Mill Questions
ChrisCrossings · March 15, 2001

Q: What do you think of travel agency certifications that charge you $495 to become a homebound travel agent? I would like to be able to book a cruise for my family and save money. I called around and talked to another company and its fee is $2,900.

-- Anthony Keller

A: Don't do it.

At best, these certification agencies - or "card mills" as they're called in the trade - make promises they can't keep. At worst, they're scams that take your money and give you nothing of value in return.

Let's clear up one misconception first. These aren't real agency certifications to begin with. Becoming an honest-to-goodness travel agent takes months of training - and becoming a competent travel agent takes years of working with customers and familiarity with the industry. What you're being offered is access to volume discounts negotiated by your "agency." Think of the fee you pay as a club membership.

So before you do anything, let's dispense with this silly notion that you can become a travel agent overnight. Yeah, it might say you're an agent on paper. And sure, you might be able to collect a "commission" on your sales. But try showing up to the next American Society of Travel Agents convention with your freshly minted card, and I can practically guarantee that you'll be in for a rude awakening.

The question you have to ask yourself is: Can I do better by going to a real travel agent or by buying my travel online? I think in 99 percent of the cases, the answer is "yes." I just published a lengthy profile of people like you who saved a lot of money by booking their travel on the Web. I wish I could have devoted the same amount of space to the savings that a real agent can help you find. Needless to say, a travel professional is a tremendous resource - particularly when you're planning a complex itinerary.

It would be tempting to denounce card mills as rip-offs in a broad brush of my electronic pen. But that wouldn't be entirely accurate. There are people who swear by these instant certification agencies, and when pressed, the companies that print the cards roll these happy customers onto the stage for an interview. I won't bore you with the details, except to say that these successful overnight agents are the exception rather than the rule.

Personally, I think you can do much better by finding a good full-time agent or shopping around for the best deals online.

Christopher Elliott's column appears on Thursdays. All e-mailed questions to ChrisCrossings become property of Ticked.com and may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion. You may reach Elliott at chris@ticked.com. Or visit his home page at http://www.elliott.org.