UATP, a global payment solution owned by the world’s airlines, has teamed up with Conferma Pay to facilitate virtual card payments for airlines. The tie-up will enable UATP customers to use virtual payments through a global corporate travel ecosystem.
Integration of the service, powered by Conferma Pay, will be offered at the point of sale in key distribution systems. These include more than 100 booking tools and 500 travel management firms.
Conferma director of strategic relationships Paul Raymond said: “Our partnership will deliver a world class integrated payment solution, utilising the global reach of UATP combined with the innovative technology of the Conferma Pay platform.”
With virtual payment technology, users can gain access to a one-time card number for a booking. The number is linked with enhanced data throughout the airline ticketing lifecycle.
This is said to phase out the requirement for manual reconciliation of booking and payment data. The service will make airline payments more secure and ease the process of internal tracking, while removing billing issues, UATP noted.
UATP chief commercial officer Dave Holmes said: “Virtual payments have become increasingly popular in the travel industry which makes it important to provide these types of solutions for our members.
“Airlines will benefit from the fact that UATP virtual cards are typically less expensive to accept as payment.”