Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Wed February 11, 2026
For nearly four decades, Commtrak has been quietly helping travel agencies recover money they didn't even know they were missing.
TravelPulse sat down with Ben Peckham, the company's business development manager, to discuss the often-overlooked issue of commission leakage—and why thousands of dollars in earned income may be sitting uncollected in agency records.
Peckham explains how Commtrak's specialized recovery process works, what agencies can realistically expect to recoup and why this revenue stream requires virtually no effort from advisors themselves.
TP:What is Commission Recovery and why is it so important for travel advisors to recover lost commission?
BP: Commission recovery is the process of identifying and collecting hotel commissions that were earned but never paid. These unpaid commissions—often referred to in the industry as commission leakage—can result from reporting gaps, supplier delays, or data mismatches after travel has occurred.
For travel advisors, recovering these commissions is important because they represent real income tied to real work already completed. Over time, unpaid commissions can add up and quietly impact profitability. Recovering them improves cash flow and helps ensure advisors are fully compensated.
TP: How does Commtrak recover lost commissions?
BP: Commtrak specializes in aged commission records, typically those that are 180 days or older and no longer actively being pursued by the agency. Once authorized, Commtrak manages the recovery process on the agency’s behalf.
Commtrak receives unresolved hotel records from the agency and manages reconciliation and recovery by repeatedly contacting hotel suppliers using hard-copy and electronic invoices, phone calls, and ongoing follow-ups. The team tracks responses, pursues overdue payments, and handles documentation and negotiation until commissions are resolved or aged out.
Commtrak works downstream from booking and accounting systems and does not replace or interfere with an agency’s GDS or transaction workflows. The focus is strictly on unpaid records that would otherwise remain unresolved.
TP: What are the fees associated with commission recovery? Is it expensive?
BP: Commtrak operates on a 50% contingency fee, meaning it is paid only when commissions are successfully recovered. There are no upfront fees, no retainers, and no cost for commissions that are not recovered.
Because Commtrak focuses on commissions that agencies had already written off, even after the contingency fee, the result is risk-free, incremental revenue—making commission recovery a practical and cost-effective option for many agencies.
A toy airplane sitting atop a pile of US cash. (Photo Credit: Ivan Kmit / Adobe Stock)
TP: How much does the average agency benefit?
BP: The benefit varies by agency size and record volume, but many agencies recover meaningful incremental revenue through commission recovery. Larger agencies, in particular, may see recovered commissions add up to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
Because these commissions are typically written off or assumed lost, recovered funds represent unexpected cash flow. With no upfront cost or internal labor required, many agencies view the return as extremely strong—often described as nearly infinite ROI, since the alternative was recovering nothing at all.
TP: How long has Commtrak been recovering commissions? Is Commtrak dedicated to just travel advisors?
BP: Commtrak has been recovering unpaid hotel commissions for nearly 40 years, dating back to the mid-1980s. The company works exclusively with travel agencies and travel advisors and has remained focused on commission recovery throughout its history.
Commtrak is not a booking tool, TDS, or accounting platform. Its sole purpose is to help agencies recover aged, unresolved, or written-off hotel commissions that fall outside normal reconciliation processes.
Piggy bank, travel savings, money for travel (Photo Credit: Mili/Adobe Stock)
TP: How does Commtrak work with travel advisors? Is the process hard to set up?
BP: The process is designed to be straightforward. Agencies provide their aged, unpaid commission data and authorize Commtrak to pursue recovery on their behalf. From there, Commtrak handles the work.
There is minimal setup, no disruption to existing systems, and very little ongoing effort required from the advisor. Commtrak functions as an outsourced recovery partner, allowing advisors to stay focused on selling and servicing clients.
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