Frequently Asked Questions

Membership Costs/Requirements
Who can join Nexion?
What is the start-up cost to join Nexion?
Can I switch between plans, and is there a cost for doing so?
What if I still have a GDS contract in place?
What are my long-term contractual obligations?
Do you provide Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance?
What is the process for me to join Nexion and how long does it take?
Once I've joined, what support do you offer?

Nexion Services
How is ticketing and fulfillment handled?
What other fulfillment services do you provide to support your independent agents?

Commissions
When are my commissions paid?
How does Nexion know which bookings are mine when I book through a supplier directly?
Can I book a non-preferred supplier, and how do I get paid?

Marketing
Can I keep my agency name when I become a Nexion agent?
Do you provide a consumer website customized for my agency, and if so, does it have a booking engine?
Can I use the Nexion name in advertising and communications to consumers?

Benefits and Training
Do you have training?
What about training for new or beginning agents?
Will I receive IATAN and other travel benefits?
Will I receive information on FAM trips and supplier specials?

Technology/Computer Requirements
What types of computer requirements do you have?
Do I need to know one of the CRS/GDS languages (i.e. Sabre)?
I use ClientBase; does Nexion integrate with it and is it required?
What kind of Internet access should I have?
How fast does my Internet connection need to be?

Other
Nexion is a member of NACTA, OSSN and other groups. Does that mean I do not have to join independently?
Do you have information concerning Seller of Travel state requirements/legislation?

Membership Costs/Requirements

Who can join Nexion?
We have plans to fit the needs of experienced, U.S.-based, independent leisure travel agents, travel agencies looking to give up their ARC number and corporations with on-site travel agents. Our Nexion PowerUP! program targets new sellers of travel. If you book any air travel via a GDS with our Standard or Deluxe GDS options, you should be well versed and have ticketing experience with one or more of the major GDS languages (Sabre, Apollo, Worldspan or Amadeus).

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What is the start-up cost to join Nexion?
There is a one-time, non-refundable activation fee of $199 upon application approval. That's it. No other start-up fee and no annual renewal fees are required. Nexion PowerUP! has a one-time, non-refundable activation fee of $495, which can be split into three* monthly installments of $165. (*There will be a $10 per month fee when paying by monthly installment.)

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Can I switch between plans, and is there a cost for doing so?
Members on the Nexion 80 or 90 plan may switch between plans at no cost. Requests must be made through our Online Service Center. Changes are effective on the first of the month following a minimum 30 day's advance notice.

Members in the Nexion PowerUP! program may upgrade their Nexion plan from the 70/30 commission split once they have achieved $5,000 in paid commissions.

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What if I still have a GDS contract in place?
Check with your GDS account representative for options on how to proceed. Sabre, Apollo, Worldspan and Amadeus have programs in place to assist their customers in the best solution to address the pressures of the travel industry which, upon their review, may include an option to move to Nexion. Our sales experts will give you assistance in this area based on your specific situation.

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What are my long-term contractual obligations?
What's great is that there's no long-term contract to join Nexion. Membership is month-to-month and can be cancelled at anytime. Requests must be made through our Online Service Center and will be effective the first of the month following a minimum 30 day's advance notice.

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Do you provide Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance?
While Nexion holds insurance to cover E&O issues, you are an independent contractor and should have your own coverage to ensure you are protected on all of your travel bookings. Therefore we highly recommend our members to obtain Errors and Omissions insurance in their name for their personal protection. However, E&O insurance is not a requirement to join Nexion.

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What is the process for me to join Nexion and how long does it take?
Joining Nexion is easy! Either complete our Get Started form or call us at 800-747-6813 to get started. Once we receive your online application and faxed documentation, we will review them, and conduct a credit and background check (you must meet minimum credit score and have available credit on your credit card of record). If qualified, we'll then process your membership in about two business days.

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Once I've joined, what support do you offer?
Once you're a Nexion member, you'll receive a welcome email with information to help you get started as soon as possible. Within a few days, you'll also receive a welcome call from a Nexion representative who will walk you through some of our tools and applications and answer any questions you may have. This rep will also assist you in registering for Nexion Town, our online networking community, as well as our agent pre-recorded training sessions, weekly webinars and Nexion Boot Camp and our annual conference. It's in our mutual best interest to get you up and running quickly so that you can make the most of what Nexion has to offer. Of course, throughout your membership, our support team is there to help you with ongoing questions and is available by email, phone or via our Online Service Center.

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Nexion Services

How is ticketing and fulfillment handled?

• We provide access to any of the four GDS systems for a monthly fee per agent. All tickets are issued at Nexion's headquarters. You simply queue the record to a ticketing queue when ready, and our 24x7 mid-office system quality controls the record and issues the ticket with confirmation back to you, minimizing risks to you and to us.
• Manual transactions such as ticket exchanges, MCOs and prepaid tickets are handled by Nexion's experienced ticketing department, relieving you from these time-consuming tasks.
• We have a Group Air Desk that can help manage the process and management of airline groups.
• If you do not regularly book airline tickets, cars and hotels and do not need access to a GDS, our Nexion SNAP! tool and desk can help you manage the airline reservation process and issue the tickets for only $5 per reservation. Remember that you can and should charge service fees and make money selling air.

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What other fulfillment services do you provide to support your independent agents?

• For group cruises, our Group Cruise Desk is available to support you with both personal groups and Nexion cruise block space where you can book individual cabins and take advantage of favorable rates and amenities for your travelers. Our best agents look there first and become heroes to their clients.

• We offer additional payment methods for supplier payments, when a customer does not wish to pay by credit card.
• We offer a Merchant POS account for ease of processing your service fees.
• In addition, we offer standard hosting services such as twice monthly commission processing, reporting and fax and document distribution.

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Commissions

When are my commissions paid?
Individual commissions are posted to your account daily so that you may view your sales activity online through Nexion's integrated reporting system. Individual commissions received in the calendar month will be paid to you by direct deposit into your bank account on the 15th and 30th of the month.

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How does Nexion know which bookings are mine when I book through a supplier directly?
Nexion gives you a unique User ID that you will use for all of your bookings. For example if Joan Smith were given User ID 1234, she would tell the supplier "This is Joan 1234" when making the booking. It is imperative that you also post all sales other than airlines through our online Non-ARC posting tool.

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Can I book a non-preferred supplier, and how do I get paid?
You are able to book non-preferred suppliers; however, Nexion encourages support of our preferred suppliers. Our preferred suppliers support our business and typically provide our members with premium commission levels. If you do book a non-preferred supplier, you will be compensated in the same manner as you would if you book a preferred supplier, however at the non-preferred supplier's standard commission level.

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Marketing

Can I keep my agency name when I become a Nexion agent?
YES! You keep your own business identity when joining Nexion. Think of Nexion as your "behind the scenes" back office support. Your clients will only deal with you directly and see your agency information on all invoices and bookings. In fact, you can upload your business logo onto our system and automatically display your logo, name and address on all of your invoices, itineraries and marketing promotions. However, when booking with suppliers and utilizing Nexion's ARC/IATA#, you do need to identify yourself as a Nexion member. Agents selling travel in California must contact the California Seller of Travel Program and comply with applicable California Law.

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Do you provide a consumer Web site customized for my agency, and if so, does it have a booking engine?
Nexion provides its members with a free, basic consumer Web site that allows our agents to create a consumer-facing travel marketing presence that is branded with their agency information. Each Web site displays preferred supplier promotions to your customers and drives travel demand back to you. This Web site is built as a marketing tool for you and does not provide booking capability. It allows your customers to search for information and travel destinations. Nexion's philosophy is to use your Web site to market your capabilities so that your customers come to you. Through our association with Passport Online, we do offer Web site customization and other added functionalities that can be upgraded for a small fee.

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Can I use the Nexion name in advertising and communications to consumers?
Nexion members may not use the Nexion logo or name in any consumer-directed marketing. As an independent business, each Nexion member will use and promote their own business name. If an agent feels they need to share the benefit of belonging to Nexion, they must identify themselves as an independent affiliate of Nexion in all branding and marketing.

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Benefits and Training

Do you have training?
Training and education programs are one of our greatest strengths. Through Nexion you can select from several training programs to fit your needs. We offer virtual online training sessions with Nexion and our preferred travel suppliers. Nexion also offers an annual conference, three-day Boot Camps, Seminars@Sea, exclusive land FAM trips, webinars and other interactive training programs designed to increase your sales. Our Nexion University Learning Management System allows you to track and manage your training.

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What about training for new or beginning agents?
As part of accelerating your success, our Nexion PowerUP! program will give new agents a foundation for a successful travel career.

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Will I receive IATAN and other travel benefits?
You can earn an IATAN card, provided you meet IATAN eligibility requirements. Travel Services Intermediary (TSI) and CLIA ID cards are also available, subject to their requirements. Note that IATAN offers several different options to agencies with multiple agents in the office. Typically only the account owner qualifies for an IATAN card through Nexion but they do offer an ICB program where multiple agents can apply. Please contact our Member Services department for details.

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Will I receive information on local training, FAM trips and supplier specials?
Supplier specials and FAM trip offerings can be found on our member portal homepage, WebView.

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Technology/Computer Requirements

What types of computer requirements do you have?
Because of advanced engineering, the system demands are low. This means that almost any Windows computer will do the job. Nexion's tools, including it's intranet portal called WebView, can operate on any Pentium/Celeron-class computer with 32 MB of RAM, 40 MB available hard-drive space, 256-color monitor capable of 800x600 resolution and a CD-ROM drive. You can operate in a Mac environment running Virtual PC(tm) v4.0+. We do not support this environment and cannot ensure its stability.

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Do you offer a member-only portal site?
WebView is Nexion's internet portal and is specifically designed to provide our members with access to a variety of booking, training, reporting and administrative tools, as well as to supplier information, online services and an agent community. There is no software to download. There are no timeouts due to inactivity. And you can work anywhere, anytime as long as you have Internet access.

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Do I need to know one of the GDS languages (i.e. Sabre)?
GDS knowledge is required if you subscribe to one of the optional GDS packages. Nexion does not offer GDS training or format support.

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I use ClientBase; does Nexion integrate with it and is it required?
ClientBase Online is the perfect tool for organizing and managing your customer's information, crating custom invoices and more. As a Nexion member, when you log into ClientBase Online, our WebView agent portal is integrated into the home page so that you can manage your customers, bookings and administration from a single desktop tool. By using ClientBase Online, you can also fully benefit from the ClientBase Marketing Services email marketing programs.

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What kind of Internet access should I have?
Any basic ISP (Internet Service Provider) will work. There are several national, as well as local, Internet Service Providers to choose from. (We do not recommend AOL, MSN or any "free" Internet service provider. These providers include a proprietary browser that may conflict with Nexion WebView software.)

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How fast does my Internet connection need to be?
Although Nexion WebView performs adequately with a standard 56Kbps dial-up modem, we recommend a high-speed Internet connection. Nexion WebView works with dial-up service, DSL, cable modem, ISDN and satellite Internet access.

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Other

Nexion is a member of NACTA, OSSN and other groups. Do I still need to join these groups independently?
While Nexion holds memberships with these groups, you will still need to join them independently if you want to use their benefits and services. There are typically fees for our members to join the organizations noted above as well as other organizations. Please contact the organizations you wish to join for their pricing requirements, etc.

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Do you have information concerning Seller of Travel state requirements/legislation?
The following grid was obtained from ASTA's Web site. It is a list of states that ASTA says regulate travel sales and/or travel sellers and the government office responsible for enforcement of the regulation. The List is maintained by ASTA and may not be the up to date list provided on the ASTA website and no effort has been made by Nexion to verify its accuracy or to keep it updated.

Please consult ASTA or your state, county, city or other local governmental or regulatory agency(ies) for any updates or additional information related to regulations of travel sales or travel sellers. This list does not include other permits or licenses that may be required by your state, county, city or local authorities. Nexion is registered in various states under these laws and regulations. However, that does not necessarily eliminate the need for each independent contractor doing business in a particular state to register or file for permits. It is each Nexion member's responsibility to understand and comply with the laws of the governing state(s), county, city or local governing body that impacts its business.

This information is provided "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. Any reliance on this information shall be at the user's sole risk and expense. Material posted on ASTA's web site is believed to be accurate as of the date of its posting. ASTA assumes no responsibility for updating posted material. Material posted by ASTA does not constitute legal advice and is intended for informational purposes only. Persons interested in determining the applicability of state law to their individual activities are urged to contact the appropriate state agency or seek advice from an attorney licensed in their state.

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