For travel intermediaries, selecting the right B2B payments partner can be a game changer. So, we’ve put together a simple checklist to help you make the best choice.
1. Travel Payments Expertise
Do they have payments expertise, or travel payments expertise? Partnering with a provider who truly understands the unique challenges of your industry is essential.
The payments ecosystem that exists between agents, aggregators, tour operators, airlines, hotels, and every travel business in between, is unique to other sectors.
With over 20 years of experience in card issuing and long-lasting partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, UATP, and Discover, we’ve earned the trust of leading travel customers such as such as Loveholidays, Amadeus, eDreams, Secret Escapes, Air France KLM, Otelz, Scott Dunn, Air Europa, HyperGuest and many more.
2. Global Reach
Most payment providers can access the world’s major markets, but do they have the currencies, licenses, and markets you need to scale without complexity?
Understanding not only what coverage they offer, but what they can do with it and how, is vital to the growth of your travel business, now and in future.
We support a wide variety of over 20+ local virtual card funding and issuing currencies, with the ability to contract in multiple markets thanks to our network of owned licenses. Our agnostic approach to card schemes means you can confidently pay and get paid anywhere in the world, no matter where your business or customers are.
3. Beyond Virtual Cards
Not all virtual cards are created equal. What other features, value-add services, and real-time payment solutions do they offer?
Travel intermediaries have been using virtual cards to streamline global hotel and airline payments for decades. Now, they’re expanding their use to offer extra products and services directly within the payment process, boosting revenue and improving the booking experience. What’s more, from payroll to expenses, they’re exploring other real-time payment methods to enhance operations and reduce costs across the business.
At Nium, we don’t believe the journey ends once the virtual card has been created. From setting transaction limits to real-time payment tracking and automated accounting reports, it’s how you optimize that payment that really matters.
Beyond additional card features, we offer a full suite of real-time payment solutions and access to over 190+ countries on our global payments infrastructure. From Global Payouts to Nium Airline Payments, the travel industry’s first closed-loop B2B payment model for OTAs and their airline partners, our comprehensive offering means you have everything you need for seamless growth at scale.
4. Flexible Integration
As your business grows, your payment processes need to keep pace. How quickly can you take off whilst future-proofing your business?
A scalable platform that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems ensures that you can expand into new markets or add new services without additional complexity.
Whether through direct API access or using our portal, we provide multiple integration options that can be tailored to your business needs. Our network of travel industry partnerships means direct integrations aren't always necessary — unless you prefer them.
5. Innovation
Carving out a competitive advantage is essential for travel intermediaries. Does your B2B payments partner innovate so you can, too?
With fierce competition, travel intermediaries are constantly seeking ways to differentiate in a crowded marketplace. Whether that be through ancillary services and products for consumers, or better commercial agreements for airline and hotel suppliers, this is only possible with a forward-thinking payments partner.
As a fintech company, we’re agile and continuously investing in new markets, products, and the latest technology to help our travel customers stay ahead of the curve. Our commitment to innovation ensures we can continue to meet your needs as both the payments landscape and the travel industry evolve.
The Ultimate B2B Travel Payments Partner
The reality is that choosing a travel payments partner is about more than ticking off a checklist. It’s about finding a provider that aligns with your business needs and future growth plans.
If you want to discuss how Nium can support your travel business, get in touch here.
