So is Evolution Travel a Scam? Welcome to my updated 2023 Evolution Travel review!
First of all, I'm not an Evolution Travel agent trying to get you in my downline!
This review is going to be 100% honest where I share with you the good and the bad about this business opportunity!
Are you ready? Let's jump into the review!
Quick Evolution Travel Summary Review
Name: Evolution Travel
Website: myevolutiontravel.com
Founder: David McCovy
Type: Home Based Travel Business MLM Company
Price: $30 - $70/month
Best for: Travel Agents that are good at networking & recruiting new members.
Summary: Evolution Travel is not a scam, it's an MLM scheme that is almost an illegal pyramid scheme though.
In this full review, I'll explain everything in details for you.
Rating: 3/5
Recommended? No!
What is Evolution Travel?
Evolution Travel seems to be a home-based travel businesss opportunity that claims it's going to offer you training & sales assistance to help you make a full-time income while traveling the world.
Evolution Travel is also known as a cloud-based travel agency and it's similar to another travel agency called Inteletravel.
But after having a closer look at the company and the business opportunity I realized it's just another Multi Level Marketing aka MLM scheme selling travel packages.
It's also worth mentioning that Evolution Travel relies a lot on recruiting new members which is a severe red flag (I'll talk about this point later on).
Quick facts & info about Evolution Travel:
Does Evolution Travel Have It's Own Products?
First of all, Evolution Travel does not have their own products. This company is partnered with Archer Travel Service as I said above. The latter gives Evolution Travel travel packages, discounts and coupons.
So what Evolution Travel is essentially doing is recruiting new members and offering them discounts, coupons and travel packages that belong to Archer Travel Service.
Evolution Travel seems to have embedded the Archer Travel Service booking search engine into their own platform. Now the Evolution Travel agents and their customers can access this booking search engine to get discounted travel.
Here are some perks that the Evolution Travel agents get.
So What Is This Company All About?
Evolution Travel is all about recruiting new members and redirecting them to the products that belong to Archer Travel Service.
Any program that is all about recruiting is VERY risky because it might be labeled as an Illegal Pyramid Scheme by the FTC.
In fact, recently a similar service to Evolution Travel called World Ventures has been banned from quite a few countries because it was a Pyramid Scheme (it was all about recruiting new members)
Here's my recommended system to start a simple newbie friendly business online...
The Evolution Travel Partners
Evolution Travel & Archer Travel Service have partnered up with some top players in the travel industry to offer more discounts, travel packages and deals.
Here are some of their current travel partners:
- Disney
- Southwest Vacations
- Universal Orlando
- Carnival Cruises
- Royal Caribbean Cruises
- United Vacations
- Beaches
- Sandals
How Can You Make Money with Evolution Travel?
Basically, Evolution Travel offers you the opportunity to become your own virtual travel agent.
You will get deals and discounted travels thanks to the Evolution Travel partners.
With Evolution Travel you have 2 ways to make money:
- You make money when you sell the travel packages to other people.
- When you recruit more people to be an Evolution Travel agent like you.
To become your own virtual travel agent and make money with Evolution travel you need to purchase a PTA package (Professional Travel Agent Package).
This PTA package will cost you $30 (one-time fee) + $69 every month. In my opinion this is seriously overpriced.
What do you get inside this PTA package as an Evolution Travel agent?
- 90% commissions
- Your own website (Just a basic free WordPress.org website - you will see examples of their websites later...)
- Free training (they call it "free" but it costs $69 a month!)
- Residual Income
- Tax benefits & discounts for your own travel
In a Few Words...
Well, it looks like Evolution Travel gives you deals, travel discounts and even trains you on how to hook up new members with travel discounts and eventually recruit them to become a travel agent for Evolution Travel as well...
But they charge you $30 + $69 a month just for that!
Let's not forget that when a business is all about recruiting becomes VERY risky because it will be considered a pyramid scheme.
Thanks to this free to Join Program I can earn over 10k a month without recruiting or losing friends!
The Evolution Travel Compensation Plan
If you want to increase your earnings with the Evolution Travel business, here's a quick run-down of their compensation plan. Just like any MLM company, in order to increase your earnings you need to move up in the rankings of the MLM scheme.
Let me clarify something for you. There are different levels within Evolution Travel. The more you advance in the levels, the more money you will make.
So here are the Evolution Travel levels & what you need to do to increase your earnings:
- Consultant: When you buy your first PTA package.
- Executive Consultant: When you sell 3 PTA packages
- Bronze Consultant: Sold 6 Packages
- Silver Consultant: Sold 9 Packages
- Gold Consultant: Sold 15 packages to silver consultants with 3 downlines.
- Platinum Consultant: Have a downline of at least 300 sold packages.
As I said, that was just a quick run-down of the Evolution Travel compensation plan. If you want to learn more about their compensation plan, the residual pool, and other details, please refer to the Evolution Travel Compensation Travel PDF.
If you hate reading PDF's like me then just watch this video below. 😉
Is Evolution Travel BBB Accredited?
If you're that type of person that only trusts businesses that are accredited by the BBB, you'll probably get a bit concerned when you hear that Evolution Travel is not BBB accredited.
But honestly, you shouldn't be at all, because the reason why they're not accredited is only because they're relatively new. When it comes to their BBB rating, they have an A+ which is not so bad.
But the question is: how can a new company get such a high rating when they are not even accredited?
UPDATE 2022!
Looking again at their BBB page their rating and customer ratings have dropped and they are still not accredited after 2 years. Their current BBB Rating is A- and a 3 out of 5 stars customer review.
Tired of MLM?
Evolution Travel - Ugly Truth & Concerns.
1- Is Evolution Travel an Illegal Pyramid Scheme?
The biggest concern about Evolution Travel is there's a BIG chance that it's an illegal pyramid scheme.
Why? Because when a company relies on recruiting new members, it's likely to be a pyramid scheme.
And according to the FTC, pyramid schemes are hard to detect immediately, but they share one common thing which is promising people lots of money to recruit people to join their program.
Read the full article here: https://www.ftc.gov/public-statements/1998/05/pyramid-schemes
If you read the definition of what is a pyramid scheme and then look again at Evolution Travel, you will agree with me that there are enormous chances that it's a pyramid scheme.
As I said earlier in this review, World Ventures was banned in multiple countries because it was a pyramid scheme.
Here's how World Ventures used to work:
- Promote World Venture as an opportunity to save on Travel.
- Once your client is satisfied, then it's time to recruit them to promote the business opportunity
Isn't that exactly how Evolution Travel works? By the way, here's a video from ABC news talking about another travel site similar to Evolution Travel which was also exposed as a pyramid scheme.
2- Do you Want to Join the NFL Club?
Nope, I don't mean joining a club in the National Football League. The NFL club I'm talking about is called the "No Friends Left" Club!
Since Evolution Travel relies on you selling their packages to everyone you know, the chances are pretty big that you're going to lose many or all your friends if you keep promoting Evolution Travel to them.
In fact, as soon as you join Evolution Travel, they will give you this list called "Warm Market Memory Jogger".
This warm market memory jogger list asks you to write down the name and the contact name of literally any person that comes to your mind.
They even ask you to write down people who goes to church with you or who repairs your home.
Obviously, the people who you write down in your list are people to whom you will need to introduce the Evolution Travel business opportunity.
This is probably the fastest way to make people sick & tired of being around you which will definitely get you into the NFL Club (No friends Left!)
With this free to Join Program, I can earn over $10k a month from home.
The good thing is this program helps me make money without recruiting, annoying my friends or getting my business shut down.
If you want to start a safe legit online business, I highly recommend it!
3- Expensive Business Opportunity
Paying a $30 one time fee is acceptable, but what's not acceptable (in my opinion) is charging $70 a month.
For $70 a month you get access to your Evolution Travel back office where you will get some basic training, support, and updates. Evolution Travel does not offer anything that is worth paying $70 for, it's really overpriced in my opinion.
You'll Need to Spend 70 Bucks a Month for...
Maybe in the beginning it's worth it- you might get some training and some support, but really, why would you need to pay $70 a month for that?
They have some regular webinars and some updates but nothing that is remotely worth $70. every single month.
I personally have no plans to pay $70 a month and lose all my friends in the process.
I have been working from home for over 2 years now, and I have never asked my friends or family to buy anything from me.
4- Negative Evolution Travel Reviews
I have read different complaints from members not happy about the Evolution Travel irresponsible travel agents.
Below you can read some negative reviews.
This does not necessarily mean that Evolution Travel is a scam, but there are certainly some irresponsible Evolution Travel agents that are giving the company a bad rep.
5- Are the Evolution Travel Agents Real "Travel Agents"?
Most Evolution Travel agents don't seem to care one bit about helping people save on their traveling expenses.
That's because the majority of the agents seem to only focus on recruiting new agents.
That's because on one hand, recruiting new travel agents is less stressful than being responsible for someone else's travel plans.
On the other hand, recruiting new travel agents gives more commissions.
That's why you see just about every Evolution Travel agent and their dog promoting this business opportunity.
And as I said earlier in this review, when the travel agents of a certain company focus on recruiting, the whole company risks getting shut down by the FTC.
Another Thing Worth Mentioning...
Another thing I noticed is the fact that the Evolution Travel agents all have the same cookie cutter website that is VERY similar to the official Evolution Travel website.
The official Evolution Travel website can be found at:
- myevolutiontravel.com
But the Evolution Travel agents seem to create similar cookie-cutter websites that are VERY similar to the official site.
The only difference I could find is the Evolution Travel website logo.
You can visit below some of the Evolution Travel agents websites.
- evolutiontravel.com
- Evolutiontravel.net
- Evolutiontravel.info
As you can see, even the domain name is similar to the official site.
Now have a look at the design and the logo of these websites.
Source: https://www.evolutiontravel.com/
Source: https://www.evolutiontravel.net/
Now compare these Evolution Travel websites and logo to the official website logo and design.
I Quit my university studies & my 9-5 job at the age of 24!
The Good Things About Evolution Travel.
1- The Founder of Evolution Travel is Successful
Usually, when the founder is successful, it's a very good sign that the company and their members are in great hands.
The founder of Evolution Travel, David McCovy, is successful when it comes to MLM companies.
Before building Evolution Travel, David McCovy was the top earner in other MLM companies that include:
- Paycation (now called Traverus Global)
- 5LINX
2- It's a Real Company
Well, since Evolution Travel was not hit by the FTC hammer (yet) and although there are big chances it's a pyramid scheme it's a legit company at the moment. Evolution Travel is partnered with a company called Archer Travel Group which has more than 60 years in the travel business.
3- There are Positive Reviews
I was able to find lots of positive reviews from the consumers happy about the savings that they got thanks to Evolution Travel.
Below you can read some positive reviews:
Evolution Travel Ratings and Reviews
You can find Evolution Travel ratings and reviews by clicking the links a review site listed below:
- Indeed - 3.9 out of 5 based on 40 reviews.
Is Evolution Travel a Scam?
No, Evolution Travel is not a scam, but they are in a VERY risky business, some of their competitors got shut down by the FTC because they focused a lot on recruiting new members.
I wouldn't be surprised if the FTC walls fall over Evolution Travel. But as for now, Evolution Travel is considered a "legit" company. You can make money by promoting their business, and they are going to pay you so it's not a scam.
But is it Worth it?
First of all, if you're joining Evolution Travel just to get discounts then it's NOT worth it at all in my opinion. Remember, you need to pay $70 a month forever to enjoy those discounts.
When it comes to a business opportunity, I think making a living by taking the responsibility of other people's plans and/or losing friends is not worth $70/month either...
This is my personal opinion though, I'm pretty sure there are lots of people that enjoy this or have a recruiting talent or something that allows them to succeed in this kind of business.
How I Make Money Online...
I have personally created a full-time income online thanks to affiliate marketing.
All I have to do is promote other people products, which earns affiliate commissions.
I don't have to:
- Travel under pressure
- Receive calls from angry customers
- Recruit my friends or family members
Thanks to affiliate marketing, my website can make me money even when I'm sleeping and I never have to do any face to face selling.
In fact, this business can make daily affiliate commissions like this:
My November affiliate commissions thanks to Wealthy Affiliate!
The best part is I can earn this kind of affiliate commissions without any special experience or college degree! (dropped out of college)
Want to know how I did it and how YOU CAN do the same?
i listened to their ‘seminar’ yesterday and before signing up, i decided to research the company and found you. now it costs $90 a month! i was suspicious when the seminar presenter looked like she just rolled out of bed and kept focusing on her performance and not how you can accomplish the same thing. she requested we ask questions via the chat, but since mine were a bit probing, she didn’t answer them.
so thank you for confirming my suspicions!
thanks for helping me save my precious time from this company! just finished the “meeting”/ Interview for them. I was almost going to sign the dotted line, when I double checked the credibility of the company.
You are welcome Baker
I recently graduated with my Travel advisor certificate from a different company and was really hopeful when I saw a job listing on LinkedIn. However, when doing the zoom meeting and listening about Evolution Travels it sounded too much like an MLM. But I decided to give it a shot. Only when reading the Terms and conditions did it make me stop in my tracks.
Section 7 Ethics & Behavior: B. No Contractor will be allowed ownership in a competing travel company. Um excuse me but if this is referring to having a 2nd host agency that is not correct under the IRS. If that is the case, you are not considered an independent contractor but an employee. If found out by the IRS, they can face serious fees that they are not paying into the IRS.
Also, in the live web meeting it says that if you would like to cancel you can without notifying anyone and you have 10 days to receive a full refund. Section 8 states: Written requests must be received via email to cancel account/membership. Requests to cancel must be sent prior to the posted payment date.
If someone does not read the terms and conditions and agrees to them anyway if they break the rules, they are subject to termination, judgment, reasonable attorney fees and expenses. Any award shall be final, binding, & non-appealable. This is stated in section 11.
I was hopeful of doing my research before the meeting but now I feel discouraged and lied to. I am glad I didn’t fully pull the plug.
Hi Prea, that’s pretty smart to do your research and fully read the terms before you pull the plug, because that’s where you will find the truth, thanks for sharing your comments with us and have a great day!
I knew something was up Evolution Travel and Archer Travel always seems to put their Job Postings on Indeed and LinkedIn disguised as legit Travel Agents under the name of a subcontractor. However there’s a mix of Ticket Scalping involved and MLM rantings from the people leading the interview here. If you go on a “Job Interview” as “Travel Agent Associate” it’s always a seminar with 200 people on Zoom and also how did these people beat Expedia, Booking and Lonely Planets algorithm for travel sales sound suspicious to me. Thank God I didn’t go there.
It sounds a bit sketchy Bob, isn’t? Thanks for sharing your comments and have a great day.
Anis
Evolution travel can only suit people who have passion in recruiting others. I don’t like like any program that appears like pyramid scheme in anyway coz I detest pyramid schemes so much. I prefer affiliate marketing to most of these online programs because most of them are all scams. You did well to have made a review on this.
Thanks for visiting precious, yes I agree, affiliate marketing is 100% safer than any MLM.
If you want to learn affiliate marketing from scratch, then you want to give Wealthy Affiliate a try 🙂
You mentioned World Ventures which I am familiar with,thankfully not first hand,but this Evolution Travel does read a lot like that comapny. I am wondering and perhaps since you have researched this can you tell me if the two are related just under a different name? After reading your review it sounds to me like evolution travel is sitting on the fence of being a scam in sheeps clothing. Though it sounds promising and I have been looking for something to start my travel niche in I will be investigating a bit further after reading your review.
Hi Cathy, World Ventures are not related to Evolution Travel but they are competitors, the first had a business model similar to Evolution Travel (give travel discounts in order to recruit new travel agents) which made the company get banned from lots of countries because it was an illegal pyramid scheme.
I’m happy to hear this review was useful to you Cathy!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love your write up on Evolution Travel . While much has been written on this topic, your article expresses both the positive and negative aspects of this important topic, without taking an emotional stance on either side of the issue. I can see enrolling in such program doesn’t worth it as it will be very stressful and tiring. Thank you for your thorough research
You’re welcome Labulo, thanks for the support 🙂