Affiliate disclosure
Last updated July 27, 2026
What an affiliate link is
An affiliate link is an ordinary link with a tracking parameter attached. If you click one and then buy something from that company, they pay Gate36 a small percentage of the sale. You pay exactly what you would have paid otherwise. In some cases you pay less, because a partner has given us a discount code to share.
That is the entire mechanism. There is no hidden markup and no separate “affiliate price.”
How we decide what to recommend
The order of operations matters, so here it is plainly:
- We write the article first. The recommendation exists because we think it is right, and then we check whether a partnership is available — never the other way around.
- We test before we link. If we have not used a product, we do not put an affiliate link on it. When a company gives us something free to test, we say so on that page.
- Comparisons stay comparisons. Where an article lists several options, the ones we have no relationship with stay in the list, described the same way they were before any partnership existed.
- We name the trade-offs. If a product we earn from is worse on price, or coverage, or support, the article says so.
What we will not do
- We do not sell the top spot in any article, ranking, or comparison.
- We do not let a partner review, approve, or edit our copy before it publishes.
- We do not sign exclusivity deals that would stop us recommending a better option.
- We do not put affiliate links in the planner itself in a way that gets between you and your trip. Anything commercial in the product links back to the article that explains the reasoning.
- We do not post affiliate links in community spaces — Reddit, forums, Travel Log comments. If you see one there claiming to be us, it is not.
How you will know
Every affiliate link on Gate36 carries a visible note next to it, in the same place you read the recommendation. You do not have to come to this page to find out. Technically, the links are also tagged rel="sponsored", which is the standard markup that tells search engines the link is commercial.
Who we currently earn from
As of July 2026: no affiliate partnerships are live on Gate36. When that changes, the partner will be named here, with the date the relationship started and the articles it appears in. This section is the list — if a company is not on it, we are not being paid by them.
If you would rather not
Nothing on Gate36 requires you to use these links. You can search for any product we mention and buy it directly, and the article will be exactly as useful. Blocking third-party cookies in your browser also prevents the tracking from working. We would rather you trust the writing than click the link.
Why we do this at all
Gate36 is free, has no ads, and does not sell your data. Affiliate commissions are the least intrusive way we have found to cover hosting and keep it that way. If the day comes when the commissions start shaping what we write, the right move is to stop taking them — and we would rather tell you that in advance than have you find out.
Questions
If something on the site looks like an undisclosed ad, or a recommendation reads like it was bought, tell us: [email protected]. We will fix it or explain it.
See also our privacy policy for what affiliate cookies mean for your data.