IWC AFFILIATE PROGRAM - TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Introduction, Scope & Contracting Parties
1.1 These Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to as "Terms") legally govern your registration, application, and active participation in the Affiliate Marketing Program (hereinafter referred to as the "Program") operated by Check for Trips GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "Company", "We", "Us", or "Our") via the dedicated platform located at affiliates.istanbulwelcomecard.com (hereinafter referred to as the "Affiliate Website").
1.2 By submitting an application or checking the acceptance box during registration, you (hereinafter referred to as the "Affiliate" or "You") acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be legally bound by these Terms, alongside our primary General Terms and Conditions (GTC) and Privacy Policy.
1.3 Commercial B2B Status: The Program is addressed exclusively to natural or legal persons acting in the exercise of their commercial, corporate, or independent professional activity (Traders/Merchants pursuant to § 14 BGB and applicable Turkish commercial laws). Consumers are strictly ineligible to participate as Affiliates.
2. Eligibility, Account Registration & Admin Approval
2.1 Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years of age and possess full legal and corporate capacity to enter into binding business contracts.
2.2 Admin Review Process: Completion of the online registration form does not create a contractual relationship. All newly created Affiliate accounts are placed in a "Pending" status. The Company’s administration team evaluates applications based on internal compliance, website traffic quality, and brand alignment.
2.3 Absolute Discretion: The Company reserves the absolute right to approve, reject, freeze, or suspend any Affiliate account at any time, for any reason or no reason, without prior notice and without incurring any liability.
3. Commission Structure & Exclusions
3.1 Default Commission Rate: The standard base commission is 5% calculated from the net total value (excluding VAT, local taxes, shipping, or standalone transactional processing fees) of a Completed Order. A Completed Order is defined as a transaction where the end-customer has fully paid, attended/utilized the tourism product, and the cancellation/refund period has fully elapsed.
3.2 Custom Commissions & Performance Tiering: The Company may, via direct written agreement or automated internal tiering systems, grant specific Affiliates increased, customized, or promotional commission rates. Any such modified rates will be displayed dynamically inside the Affiliate’s individual digital dashboard and shall override the default rate only for the specified period.
3.3 Absolute Exclusions from Commission: No commission shall be earned, and any provisionally credited commission shall be instantly revoked, for:
- Cancelled orders, "No-Shows," or orders refunded under our free cancellation policy.
- Orders where a partial or full refund was executed under the GTC Money-Back Guarantee.
- Transactions subjected to a bank chargeback, dispute, or credit card fraud investigation.
- Self-Referrals: Purchases made directly or indirectly by the Affiliate using their own unique tracking link for personal or family travel are strictly forbidden.
- Transactions generated via fraudulent, automated (bots), deceptive, or invalid tracking methods.
4. Payments, Verification & Payout Conditions
4.1 Payout Frequency: Approved commissions are processed on a monthly basis (net 30 days principle), allowing for the conclusion of the customer travel dates and the expiration of any potential refund windows established in the GTC.
4.2 Minimum Payout Threshold: Payouts will only be triggered when the Affiliate's accumulated approved balance meets or exceeds the variable threshold currency value explicitly indicated in the Affiliate Dashboard. If the threshold is not reached, the balance rolls over to the consecutive month.
4.3 Payment Method & Banking Accuracy: All payouts shall be executed exclusively via Bank Wire Transfer (SEPA / SWIFT). The Affiliate assumes sole and absolute responsibility for providing flawless, accurate, and valid banking coordinates (IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, Bank Name, Official Legal/Corporate Title). The Company is not responsible for funds lost due to incorrect banking details provided by the Affiliate.
4.4 Deductions & Mahsup Right: If a commission has already been paid out to the Affiliate for an order that is subsequently charged back by the customer’s bank or refunded due to material defects, the Company reserves the right to deduct the corresponding amount from the Affiliate's future earnings.
5. Affiliate Responsibilities & Strict Marketing Prohibitions
5.1 Honest Promotion: The Affiliate must promote the Istanbul Welcome Card products honestly, professionally, and accurately. You shall not misrepresent product components, pricing, or duration of validity.
5.2 Strict Brand Name Restrictions (PPC & Search Marketing):
Zero Tolerance Policy: The Affiliate is strictly prohibited from purchasing keyword advertisements (such as Google Ads, Bing Ads, Meta Ads) targeting the Company's protected brand names, trademarks, or any variations/misspellings thereof (e.g., "Istanbul Welcome Card", "IWC", "Istanbul Welcome Card Discount").
You may not bid on keywords that compete with the Company’s direct search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) strategies. Any violation of this clause results in immediate termination of the Affiliate account and total forfeiture of all pending balances.
5.3 Prohibited Traffic Generation: The Affiliate shall not utilize:
- Unsolicited commercial e-mails (SPAM) or comment spamming on social platforms.
- Deceptive pop-ups, pop-unders, or forced cookie-dropping subroutines.
- Domain names containing protected trademarks of the Company or its local partners.
- Illegal channels or platforms hosting adult content, gambling, or hate speech.
6. Tracking, Attribution & System Disclaimers
6.1 Tracking Mechanism: Referral tracking relies on specialized URLs, unique Affiliate IDs, and browser cookies. The default tracking cookie lifespan is configured within the system parameters, applying a "Last Click" attribution model unless specified otherwise.
6.2 System Tracking Disclaimers: The Affiliate acknowledges that tracking cannot be guaranteed with absolute certainty. If an end-user clears their browser cookies, uses ad-blocking software, employs incognito privacy protocols, or blocks cross-site tracking scripts, the system will fail to register the link. The Company assumes no liability for unrecorded commissions resulting from technological limitations on the customer's end-device.
7. Compliance, Taxes & Fiscal Duties
7.1 Independent Contractor Status: The relationship between the Company and the Affiliate is strictly that of independent commercial entities. Nothing in these Terms shall construct a partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, or employment relationship.
7.2 Tax Obligations: The Affiliate is solely and exclusively responsible for calculating, reporting, and remitting all local and international taxes, social security contributions, VAT, or corporate duties arising from the commissions received.
- EU Affiliates: Where applicable, the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes shall apply, and the Affiliate must provide a valid EU VAT identification number inside the dashboard.
8. Data Protection & Confidentiality
8.1 Data Privacy: Any personal data provided during the registration process will be safely handled under the Company’s Privacy Policy.
8.2 Customer Data Restriction: The Affiliate will only have access to aggregated transaction stats inside their dashboard. The Affiliate shall not receive or attempt to intercept personal identifiable data (names, emails, card numbers) of the end-customers due to strict GDPR and KVKK mandates.
8.3 Confidentiality: All non-public data disclosed by the Company, including custom commission structures, sales volumes, conversion metrics, or internal software features, must be treated as strictly confidential and may not be shared with third parties.
9. Breach, Termination & Suspension
9.1 Right to Terminate: Either party may terminate the Affiliate relationship at any time, with or without cause, by providing written notice via e-mail.
9.2 Immediate Termination for Cause: The Company reserves the right to terminate your account instantly, freeze your tracking links, and permanently confiscate any unpaid commissions if:
- You breach any clause of these Terms or the primary GTC.
- You engage in fraudulent traffic generation or self-purchasing schemes.
- Your platform violates international copyright, IP laws, or local tourism regulations.
10. Modifications & Contact Information
10.1 Updates to Terms: The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, or rewrite these Terms (including changing commission rates or payout thresholds) at its sole discretion at any time. Notice of changes will be published inside the Affiliate Dashboard or communicated via e-mail. Continued participation in the Program following such modifications constitutes binding acceptance of the new terms.
10.2 Contact Details:
- Affiliate Portal: affiliates.istanbulwelcomecard.com
- Support E-Mail: info@istanbulwelcomecard.com
