Travel Merchant Accounts

Looking for a travel merchant account?  Travel merchants in the US & throughout the world successfully use our payment processing solutions to boost revenues, reduce costs, and maximize profits

• Low rates. Reducing your processing fees positively impacts your profitability.
• Fast approvals. Quick approvals speeds time to market resulting in more sales.
• All travel merchants accepted.   Effective payment processing solutions for all segments of the travel industry.
• US and international travel merchant accounts. Accept payments from US and global travelers, Increase card approval ratios for targeted markets world-wide.
• Mobile payment app. Easily accept payments from travelers who prefer to pay you with cell phones.
• Multiple travel merchant accounts. Add additional processing capacity.  Or get different accounts for each of your targeted markets.  Board all accounts on a single gateway for increased productivity & efficient management.
• Multicurrency payments. Make it simple for travelers to pay you with no worries about currency conversion.  Accept payments in 156 currencies.  Get settlements in 25 major world currencies.
• High volume travel merchant accounts. Get the processing power you need to manage & grow your business.
• Multiple payment options. Accept credit & debit cards.  Add echecks for more sales from US travelers.  Add “in country” alternative payment methods preferred by international travelers.
• Banking-level security. Secure payment gateways protect your business and your customers with military grade encryption for secure data transmission.

Travel Merchant Accounts for All Travel Businesses

All travel businesses are welcome to apply including:

Domestic & International Travel Merchant Accounts

The decision of whether to establish a US travel merchant account, international travel merchant account or a combination of both depends upon your targeted markets.  Card approval ratios are highest when the acquiring bank is in the same region as the traveler.

For instance, if most of your travelers are American, a US travel merchant account will give you the highest approval rates on US cards.  If you are targeting international travelers, it is wise to have an acquiring bank in the same regions as your targeted market so card approval rates in those regions will remain high. 

International merchant accounts help you save money on processing fees by taking advantage of lower intra-region interchange for cards processed within the region.  For example, it costs less to process a European card through a European bank than through a US bank.  And you decrease foreign exchange expenses.  

Travel businesses targeting both US and international travelers combine US and international travel merchants.  All accounts can be boarded on a single payment gateway to simplify recompilation, reporting, and management of all accounts. 

Adding alternative payment methods to cards is a smart way to increase sales with no additional work.  ACH / echecks are the most popular alternative payment method for Americans.  Adding the payment on your checkout page can give sales “lifts” of 10-30%, depending upon your market.  For international travelers, offering trusted “in-country” payment methods such as local bank transfers will get you more orders.

Tips on Applying for Travel Merchant Accounts

Below are some of the questions underwriters often ask travel merchants.  Providing this information in your application package helps speed account approval.

What is your action plan to prevent fraud and chargebacks? 

If your processing statements reflect low chargebacks, that’s great.  Provide details on how you keep fraud & chargebacks under control. If your chargebacks are edging up, simply explain the reasons.  Being pro-active in identifying issues and how you plan to correct them shows that you are knowledgeable & capable of managing your payment processing account.

What are your strategies to protect against fraud & chargebacks? 

For instance, some travel merchants take some smaller deposit months in advance of the travel date and then charge the remainder closer to the travel date. Other travel merchants send customers an email or text a short time before the charge is placed on the card so the payment will be fresh in their minds.  

Do you have a financial failure insurance plan?    

A financial failure insurance plan is not required for account approval.  However, if you do have one, it’s helpful to supply the details. 

What industry organizations are you affiliated with?

There is no need to belong to any organizations for account approval.  Still, if you do belong, it’s good supporting documentation. 

 How to Apply for a Travel Merchant Account

To qualify for a travel merchant account or travel agency merchant account, businesses must have payment processing history showing a minimum of $50K per month.  No startups are accepted. 

A dedicated travel merchant account specialist will help you through the application process.  You will be asked to submit the details about your company along with supporting documents.  Information requested includes processing & bank statements, company history, and identification for the signer on the account. 

Allow 3-10 business days for approval of a US travel merchant account.  International travel merchant accounts take 14-21 business days for approval from the time the completed application file is received.