Free tool
Travel Agency Markup Calculator
Enter your cost for a booking and choose your markup, or the margin you want to keep. See the selling price, your profit and your margin at once.
Your customer pays
US$432.00
- Markup
- US$32.00
- Payment fee
- US$0.00
- Your profit
- US$32.00
- Markup on cost
- 8.0%
- Margin (profit ÷ selling price)
- 7.4%
Know your real cost before you quote
The free QuickOTA B2B Panel shows the fare and an itemised service fee before you book, so the cost you enter here is the cost you pay.
Get agency accessIllustrative only. Taxes on your own fees and currency conversion are not included.
How to use the calculator
Enter your full cost for one booking: the fare, taxes and every service fee you pay. Then either choose your markup, as a percentage or a fixed amount, or switch to "I want a margin" and enter the share of the selling price you want to keep. Add your card or payment fee if your customer pays by card.
The calculator shows the price to quote, your profit after the payment fee, your markup on cost and your margin on the selling price.
Markup vs margin: why the numbers differ
Markup is what you add, measured against your cost. Margin is what you keep, measured against the selling price. Because the selling price is bigger than the cost, your margin percentage is always smaller than your markup percentage.
| Markup on cost | Margin on price (no payment fee) |
|---|---|
| 5% | 4.8% |
| 8% | 7.4% |
| 10% | 9.1% |
| 15% | 13.0% |
| 20% | 16.7% |
If you plan your business on margins, use the "I want a margin" mode, so the calculator works backwards from the margin to the price.
Don't forget the payment fee
Card and payment fees are charged on the whole amount your customer pays, not on your markup. On a thin margin they can take a large share of your profit.
Illustrative example (hypothetical numbers): your cost is 400 and you add 8%, so the customer pays 432. A 2.5% card fee on 432 is 10.80. Your profit falls from 32 to 21.20, and your margin from 7.4% to 4.9%.
To keep a 7% margin after a 2.5% card fee, the price must be 400 ÷ (1 − 0.095) ≈ 442.
Fixed amount, percentage or both?
A fixed amount per ticket is simple to explain but can look high on cheap tickets and too low on expensive ones. A percentage grows with the price but earns little on short, cheap flights. Many agencies use a percentage with a minimum amount per ticket. The calculator's "Minimum markup" field does exactly that.
What should the markup cover?
Your markup is not all profit. It pays for the time spent quoting and booking, handling changes and refunds, payment fees, and currency differences when you buy in one currency and sell in another. Work out these costs per booking first, then set a markup that leaves real profit on top.
For more on pricing, read Markup, Net fare and How Much Does a B2B Travel Portal Cost?.
Know your real cost before you quote
A markup is only as good as the cost it is added to. In the free QuickOTA B2B Panel you see the fare and an itemised service fee before you book, and again in your booking details. You set your own markup when you sell. See Pricing.
FAQs
What is a good markup for flight tickets?
There is no single right number. It depends on your costs per booking, your customers and your competition. Start from what each booking costs you to handle, add the profit you need, and check the result against what your customers can find elsewhere.
Is markup the same as margin?
No. Markup is measured against your cost; margin is measured against the selling price. An 8% markup gives a margin of about 7.4% before payment fees.
Should I show my markup to the customer?
Most agencies quote one total price. If you charge a separate service fee instead, say so clearly on the quote and invoice, and follow your country's rules on price display.
Does the calculator save my numbers?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent.