Contents
Close
Priority:
Managing in-person payments
Top challenges when accepting in-person payments:
%
Managing multiple local payments
suppliers at sites across the world
%
Keeping up with traveler demands
to pay with a variety of methods
%
Meeting local compliance
requirements for in-person payments
%
Delivering a smoother
in-person payments experience
%
Having to maintain and
upgrade local points of sale
%
The cost associated
with in-person payments
%
Reconciling in-person payments i.e.,
linking the payment to the travel record
While 23% of respondents work at organizations that don’t accept in-person payments, like Online Travel Agencies, those that do reported challenges in several areas.
In-person payments in travel happen at a variety of locations, like the airline’s sales office, physical travel agencies, various points across the airport, in-flight and at the hotel. It’s clear from this study that respondents view in-person payments as complex, costly and difficult to manage. Too often travel companies can’t accept a wide enough range of payment methods and travelers are often forced to walk across an airport terminal to make the payment at a different desk. It’s a major pain-point, and one that’s ripe for innovation.
An Outpayce research study focused specifically on the guest-payment experience in hospitality recently outlined some of the frustrations travelers face. The data reveals 40% of guests experienced difficulty when paying at the hotel, with a third unable to use their preferred payment method.
In fact, the majority of guests confirmed they find paying at the hotel ‘significantly’ more stressful than making payments in their everyday lives and are more than twice as likely to experience feelings of anxiety or uncertainty.
One innovation focused on easing this anxiety for travelers turns in-person payments into e-commerce payments. This can be achieved by sending the traveler a secure payments link via email, SMS or a QR Code, so they can pay securely, using a card or alternative method. This approach sidesteps the challenges of in-person payments, such as compliance, and is a quick and easy way to increase the security, convenience and choice of call center and in-person payments.
Improving in-person payments in travel is the nitty-gritty work that doesn’t get much attention. Yet these scenarios, like paying at the hotel property or at the airport, are absolutely fundamental to the traveler’s experience. That’s why we advocate an end-to-end approach with novel ideas for simplifying and improving in-person payments.”
Jean-Christophe Lacour
SVP, Global Head of Products and Delivery
Outpayce from Amadeus
Back to Investment Priorities