Silversea to Curb Rebating with New Credit Card Policy

Silversea Cruises is taking steps to “discourage” agency rebating by disallowing agents to charge a client´s credit card less than the full amount of the cruise purchase, the line said.

“Silversea believes rebating continues to hurt the distribution systems and the company is fully committed to providing a level playing field to agents,” the company said in a statement.

Although other cruise lines in the luxury segment have said they discourage or don´t allow rebating, Silversea is the first luxury line to publicly take a stance against the practice.

The credit card policy is effective for all bookings beginning Oct. 6, but Silversea said it would be “flexible” with the policy through Nov. 1.

“We´re not saying agents cannot ever rebate commission back to clients, but we want them to reevaluate their value and importance in today´s marketplace,” said Albert Peter, Silversea´s CEO.