How and when you get paid
The short version: travellers pay us. Once your trip is confirmed to run, 60% of your share is sent to your M-Pesa, Till or bank. The last 40% follows two hours after you tick off everyone who came.
From booking to your phone
- 1
A traveller books and pays
They pay by M-Pesa, card or bank. The money goes to TwendeTrips, not to you, and the spot is theirs straight away.
- 2
Your first 60% goes out before the trip
Once your trip is confirmed to run (its minimum group has booked), 60% of your share can be sent to you, so you can pay for transport, food and stays. Travellers are promised refunds if a trip does not run, and it is why they book with people they have never met.
- 3
Tick everyone in, then the last 40%
At the meeting point, tick each guest who arrived on your guest list, then press check-in complete. The last 40% becomes due 15 minutes after that, and never before the meeting time. The 15 minutes give a guest you ticked who was not there a moment to report it. The guests you ticked are told.
- 4
It lands in your M-Pesa, Till or bank
Wherever you saved in your payout details. You get an email when it is sent.
How much you receive
Say your trip is KES 6,000 a person. The traveller pays exactly KES 6,000. Our fee is KES 480 a person, so you receive KES 5,520. Price your trip so that what you keep still covers your costs. If we have marked you as a verified agency, the fee is shared: the traveller pays 50% of it on top of your price and the other 50% is taken from your payout.
If a traveller cancels
You choose a cancellation policy for each trip, and the one in force when someone books is locked in for that booking. The traveller gets back what the policy says, and you keep the rest of your share. A full refund includes the booking fee. A part refund does not. Every refund is paid back less the payment processing charge, so it never comes out of your share.
- Flexible. Full refund up to 48 hours before. Best for short-notice trips and events.
- Moderate. Full refund up to 3 days before, half back up to 24 hours before.
- Standard. Full refund up to 14 days before, half back from 7 to 14 days.
- Strict. Full refund up to 30 days before, half back from 14 to 30 days.
- No refunds. Bookings are not refundable if the traveller cancels.
Example: a KES 6,000 trip on the Standard policy
| The traveller | They get back | You receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cancels 20 days before | KES 6,000 | KES 0 |
| Cancels 10 days before | KES 3,000 | KES 3,000 |
| Cancels 3 days before | KES 0 | KES 6,000 |
When a booking is fully refunded, the spot goes back on sale for someone else.
What can hold a payout back
A traveller reported a problem
Only that booking is held until we have looked into it. The rest of your bookings are not affected.
You changed your payout details recently
Money is not sent to changed details for 24 hours (about 45 minutes the first time you add them). This protects you if someone ever took over your account. Ask us if you need it sooner and we can check with you by phone.
A traveller has not finished paying
On trips that take a deposit, you choose how many days before departure the balance is due (up to 90). Travellers can pay it in parts, which suits big or international trips, and we remind them. If it is not paid in full by then, their spot is released for someone else and you keep what they paid.
No payout details yet
Add them in your dashboard (Overview, Payout details) and we can pay you.
Questions leaders ask
Do you take anything off my payout?
Only our booking fee. Our fee (8% on the first KES 20,000 of the price per person, 5% on the next KES 80,000 and 3% above KES 100,000) is taken from your payout on each booking, so price your trip to include it. Travellers pay exactly the price you list. If we have marked you as a verified agency, the fee is shared: the traveller pays 50% of it on top of your price and the other 50% is taken from your payout. We do not take anything off for sending the money either. If you choose to cover the ticket fee on an event, it comes out of your share.
When do I get the last 40%?
15 minutes after you press check-in complete on your guest list, and never before the meeting time. Those 15 minutes give a guest you ticked who was not there a moment to report it. If you forget to press it, the last part is due 24 hours after the last day of the trip instead. Payouts are sent automatically within minutes of becoming due, or you can press Get paid now on your dashboard. A leader's first trip, and unusually large payouts, are checked by our team first, normally within one working day. You get an email when it goes.
Why is some of the money held at all?
Because travellers are paying someone they have never met. Keeping the last 40% until the group has actually met is what makes them comfortable booking, and it is what fills your trips. Check-in is also your proof that the trip happened.
What if my trip does not get enough people?
Every trip has a minimum group size. If it is not reached by the confirm-by date, travellers are refunded and nothing is paid out. You can also choose to run it with the people who have booked.
What if I have to cancel?
Every traveller is refunded, including the booking fee, and nothing is paid out for that trip. The payment processing charge comes off what each traveller gets back, so a refund costs you nothing. Please cancel as early as you can.
Can I get paid before the trip?
Yes. Once your trip is confirmed to run (its minimum group has booked, and a trip with a minimum of 1 is confirmed by its first booking), 60% of your share can be sent to you. It is the same for everyone, individuals and agencies alike, and the last 40% follows after check-in. Like the last 40%, it goes out automatically, or when you press Get paid now. If the trip does not run, travellers are refunded and we take the early money back from your later payouts, so please only spend it on a trip you are sure will go ahead.
I am paid directly. When does each payment reach my account?
Paystack sends each payment straight to your own bank account, Till or Paybill, and we take only our fee at that moment, so there is no early or final payout from us. It arrives on Paystack's settlement schedule, usually within 2 working days of the traveller paying (weekends and bank holidays do not count), with Paystack's payment charge taken off first. Payments made by M-Pesa on the payment page follow the same route. A traveller who pays with an M-Pesa prompt on their phone pays into our Paybill instead, so that booking is not split: we hold it and send your share to your saved payout details, the same way as for any other organiser. Check your bank, Till or Paybill statement, and write to us if a payment is more than 3 working days late.
What if I need more than 60% early, for a hotel deposit?
If you are an individual leader, open Payouts in your dashboard and use Need money sooner? Once your trip has reached its minimum, you can ask for up to 90% of what travellers have paid so far, say what it is for, and we answer each request. It never depends on how many days are left, only on the minimum being reached. If we approve it, you take the money with Get paid now. A trip has one early payout, so ask before you take the 60%. Companies are paid directly, so there is nothing to ask for.
What if someone I ticked in says they were not there?
They can report it. If your payout has not gone yet, the report holds it for that one booking while we look into it. If it has, we look into it and take back what was wrongly paid from your later payouts. Tick only people who really came. Guests you do not tick are treated as not having come. Once you press check-in complete the ticks cannot be changed.
What does it cost to list?
Listing a paid trip is free. Listing a free (KES 0) trip is a one-time KES 500. On events, we charge 4.6% of each paid ticket (at least KES 20), added on top for the buyer unless you choose to cover it. Your first paid event carries no fee at all: guests pay just your price and you receive it less the cost of the payment itself.