Is Surge365 A Scam? Pyramid Scheme Travel MLM?

Welcome to my Surge365 Review!

Who doesn’t want to travel? I could definitely say that most people all over the world would love to travel. Right?

And so here comes a business opportunity that promises members a chance not only to travel but as well earn money from- the MLM company, Surge365. It offers you a chance to recruit people into using their travel portal and system and gain commissions. 

But with no actual products, is this still considered a legit MLM opportunity? And also taking into consideration the COVID crisis the world is facing right now, would this opportunity even continue to operate when even chances of traveling are limited or even banned? Will it help you make a good income?

Or is it time to look for a legitimate alternative to make money online?

Surge 365 is multi-level marketing (MLM) company that basically provides access to a platform called “Vortex” that enables people to get discounts on hotels, rentals, cruises, flights, and other travel services. 

Having said that, it’s one of those MLMs in the travel niche. However, they don’t really have actual products or services. Being an MLM itself, Surge365 is more of a recruitment program. Their MLM system is based on giving perks and commission for members who recruit others into joining the company as well. 

With regard to the company background, it was in 2015 when Surge365 was founded by Scott Tomer, Chris Cokley, and Lloyd Tomer.

Surge 365 is based in Illinois but is also doing business around the United States, Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

With regards to the founders’ background…

The father and son tandem of Scott and Coach Tomer faced a lawsuit when they used to run another travel MLM company YTB International which they launched in 2001. It was in 2008 when California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued YTB for $25 million for running a pyramid scheme and for utilizing illusive marketing ways. 

Also, several former YTB Travel Agents filed a class-action lawsuit imputing that YTB is really deceptive for their claim to sell travel services but what their main agenda really was...is recruiting others to join as travel agents. 

That’s the main modus of the business, recruitment. It was then in 2013 that YTB filed for bankruptcy gained by the company Jamraval, Inc. and was rebranded under the name YTB Global Travel.

Though we can’t prove that Surge 365 is a pyramid scheme like the former company of the founder- YTB, still we can’t be sure if such things would not happen again right? Let’s just take into consideration that they too have the red flags of becoming a pyramid scheme. 

Even the founders’ history can be already a big warning not to further push through this opportunity. 

And the fact that Surge365 is still in cooperation with YTB, referring to it as “The most successful host agency in the travel industry”, makes the entire situation even more dubious.

They don’t even have a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accreditation and they are even rated B- which goes to show that there is quite a handle of complaints and people are not satisfied with it. 

Surge365 Product Line

Actually, there’s no physical product or service that Surge365 offers. But what they do market is their program luring you that they can give several ways for you to make money in their MLM opportunity. 

Basically being a recruitment-hyped MLM, it will compel you to recruit people into using their travel portal and system.

Here are the products that they offer:

Travel Owner Package (Initial Fee: $499| Monthly Fee:$99.95)

To sum it up, this package’s inclusions are:

• S365 Reward Trip
  • 4-Person Executive Travel Membership
  • Vortex
  • Cash Rewards
  • Reward Credits
  • Vacation Vault
  • Mobile App
  • Travel Agency Access (the US and Canada only) 

This package includes the industry-first S365 Reward Trip. This Package also includes a personal online Vortex travel booking site (where you can earn Cash Rewards and Reward Credits for travel booked by your Vortex customers). And the Travel Agency program is available only to residents located in the US and Canada.

Travel Income Package (Initial Fee: $299| Monthly Fee:$99.95)

Inclusions:

• S365 Reward Trip
• Vortex
• Cash Rewards
• Travel Agency Access (the US and Canada only)

Same as the Travel Owner package, members will also have the S365 Reward Trip, vortex access, cash rewards, and a travel agency access.

1. S365 Reward Trip- after 12 months of consecutive payments| Reservation Fee:$99

The S365 Reward Trip is an industry-first reward! It’s their goal to have ZERO unused vacation days and that’s why they make annual vacations a way of life for all their members. After 12 consecutive months of active membership, the member will receive a Vacation Reward that includes up to 7 nights hotel accommodations at one of more than 3,000 worldwide resorts. To redeem, they simply have to pay a $99 reservation fee. 

But some resorts may require an additional fee upon check-in, which is noted in the details when members process their selection. They can as well upgrade their trip to all-inclusive resorts but of course with an additional fee.

How To Make Money With Surge365?

Surge 365 offers an MLM opportunity and they term their members as Travel Agents.

Basically, Surge 365 utilizes the following:

• Vortex Technology – Get paid when people buy a cruise, ticket or if they book a hotel on their platform.
• Your Personal Travel Agency – Like a duplicated site. This is your personal travel portal that you’ll be referring people to. 
• Share the Surge Business – A suite of business tools that allows you to mentor people you recruit into the program, along with access to other bonuses and commissions.

Being an MLM, you will earn in Surge 365 through recruitment commissions and bonuses from recruiting and building a team since there are no retail sales, you can’t have retail commissions. 

Recruitment Commissions

Since there are no retail commissions, every commission is based on your recruitment. You get $30 for every new affiliate you recruit and you get $50 per recruit by maintaining 3 affiliates within 30 days or by recruiting and maintaining 7 affiliates over time.

Residual Commissions- money earned is depending on the activity of your downlines that is based on a unilevel structure. Anytime a new member is recruited into your team, you’ll receive money.

See more of Surge 365’s compensation plan in this video:

We can’t totally conclude that Surge365 is a scam. However, there’s probably something suspicious about it. With too much hype in recruitment and with no retail sales, it’s not surprising that it’s labeled as a Pyramid Scheme. 

And are still being incorporated with YTB which also had issues on being a pyramid scheme before. We could probably predict that the FTC would close them shortly. But fortunately, it’s still on the run in the business and has been operating for 5 years. 

However, one downside also is that Surge365 is not BBB accredited and they even have B- ratings which are mostly about a couple of complaints with regards to their money-back guarantee.  

Being a travel agent in Surge 365’s MLM program, you’ll be eligible for commissions when you purchase the packages and recruit others to buy and join as well but first, you have to pay the associate fee.

Surge Business Associate - $19.95 Monthly Fee

Inclusions:

• Touch365 Mobile App
• Taxbot Mobile App
• Comprehensive Back Office
• Commission Tracking
• Reporting
• Marketing Sites
• Brain Tap (Success Coaching System)

Travel Owner Package (Initial Fee: $499| Monthly Fee:$99.95)

Inclusions:

• $99.95 Monthly Subscription Fee (plus tax where applicable)
• S365 Reward Trip
• Executive Travel Membership (4-Person)
• Vortex™ Customer Booking Platform
• Exclusive Weekly Specials
• Personal Concierge
• 150% Price Difference Guarantee
• Travel Agency Access (US & Canada only)
• Mobile App

Travel Income Package (Initial Fee: $299| Monthly Fee:$99.95) 

S365 Reward Trip- after 12 months of consecutive payments| Reservation Fee:$99

PROS

The idea of having a trip as a reward and a chance to earn commissions is pretty luring, right? But if you really see through it, it’s just a facade and a deceptive way to persuade people to buy in a program in which the real main agenda is more of a recruitment business So, really, there’s nothing to like about this MLM opportunity. 

CONS

Really Expensive

It will probably cost you more than one thousand dollars yearly and that’s already a big amount of money. And since you’re not earning commissions from your sales because there are no retail sales, you'll probably have to overwork yourself recruiting a lot of people to join in the program to keep up for your capital. With no guarantees and actual products, I could say it’s impractical to invest such money.

No Retail Sales

Since there are no retail sales in Surge 365, you can’t gain retail commissions. So, earning money in this opportunity is only dependent on recruitment because it’s the only way for you to make money. With this, it can really be indicative of being a pyramid scheme. 

Surge365 only lets you sell the income opportunity. There’s no other product than the membership packages itself. Because basically, what you truly market is their business.

Founders’ Bad Records

The founder and owner, Scott and Coach Tomer (father and son) had not only had bad records but even faced a lawsuit when they used to operate YTB International (another travel MLM company that is still connected with Surge365). 

They are sued because of operating on a Pyramid Scheme and the company was acquired by another company because of bankruptcy. With such records, how sure are you that it's not gonna repeat? 

Taking into consideration that it operates just like YTB, a travel MLM with no products but with too much focus on recruitment. It’s really alarming! So, if I were you better back off now.

As they claim, it’s an “anywhere-based” business that you can do from home, your office, the beach, or even from your smartphone with no experience required. But it’s probably intended for those who are good in MLMs and sales talking since the hype of recruitment is pretty much!

Being an affiliate you will be given access to the back office and substantial tools needed for the business. 

• Simple, powerful Back Office reporting
• Business that is open 24/7
• Self Development Workshops
• Mobile Coaching

Surge365 is a travel MLM that entails you with a typical MLM compensation plan. Nothing new. However, something is definitely odd with its MLM opportunity.

We can’t totally conclude that it is a scam but it somehow runs deceptively. With the red flags of becoming a Pyramid Scheme, there's already enough reason not to buy into this program.

So if I were you, do not waste your time and money on this. Better skip this platform!

Want to take advantage of the internet during a lockdown and make money online? If yes, then I recommend that you join my top-recommended platform online.

Sign up now and you’ll be surprised to see the following benefits you’ll get, for free! This includes:

• Training resources
• Webinars to help you start your business online
• One-on-one coaching
• Comprehensive guide
• And many more!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box. Also, you can join our mailing list to learn about the best ways to make money online.

Thank you for reading my review!