Affiliate Disclosure
Trainvave is a free resource. Here is exactly how we fund the platform without passing costs to you.
Which links are affiliate links?
To keep our guides free, some links earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. This includes:
- Omio (train tickets), Links to Omio go through our Impact Radius affiliate link. Omio pays us a small commission when you book.
- Stay22 (accommodation), Hotel and vacation-rental links, including our map widgets, go through Stay22.
- Google AdSense, Display ads are provided by Google, and we are paid based on impressions and clicks.
- AirHelp (flight compensation claims), On our free EU261 flight compensation calculator, we display a link to AirHelp only when a visitor has a potentially valid claim. AirHelp pays us a 15% commission on successful claims via Post Affiliate Pro (the click is tracked via their standard
a_aid/a_bidparameters). The calculator itself is always free — there is no signup, no paywall, and we do not sell or share any of your input data with AirHelp without your explicit click on the claim link.
Calculator pages and data handling
Our standalone tools — including the EU261 flight compensation calculator — run entirely in your browser. We do not sell your data, we do not share your inputs with AirHelp or any other partner until you click the claim link yourself, and we do not retarget you based on what you typed. The only thing that leaves your browser is the affiliate click, and only if you choose to make one.
Price Guarantee
Affiliate commissions are paid to us by the retailer out of their own margin. The price you pay is identical to booking directly on their site.
Editorial Independence
We recommend routes, cards, apps, and services based on what we would recommend to a friend visiting Germany for the first time. If a service is bad, expensive, or has a gotcha, we say so, regardless of commission structure.
Where we explicitly compare competing services (e.g., BahnCard 25 vs 50), we do not receive commission from either party, comparisons are neutral.
On the EU261 calculator specifically, we do not modify the calculator inputs or
thresholds based on whether you would qualify for an AirHelp commission — the formula in
lib/ec261.ts is the legal regulation (EU Regulation 261/2004, Article 7), period.
If your inputs would otherwise produce a claim amount, the calculator shows it; the AirHelp
link is a follow-on convenience, not a result-tampering lever.
Regulatory compliance
- EU: Commercial purpose is disclosed per UWG § 5a Abs. 4.
- United States: material connections are clear per FTC 16 CFR Part 255.
- United Kingdom: Sponsored content is clearly labelled per CMA/ASA codes.