Travel Payment Security: Guide To Secure Online Transactions

This blog series offers effective solutions for the travel industry’s most common issues. One of these is the need for secure online transactions when booking travel. 

It is no secret that the sheer number of transactions that occur online has increased tremendously. And with that comes an upsurge in data breaches. 

As a travel company, it is essential to stay ahead of the curve and ensure all elements of your cyber security are secure to provide a seamless (and more importantly, safe) booking experience. 

How do you offer safe travel payment security? How can you meet these requirements while protecting your clients and your business? 

This guide will answer these all-important questions and look at the most practical solutions to this crucial issue. 

What is payment security in the travel industry and why does it matter?

Travel payment security is the process of protecting travelers’ personal and payment data online. This helps to avoid data breaches that could lead to unauthorized transactions. It is essential for protecting your client’s financial interests, as well as your own. 

The need for secure travel payment processes goes far beyond that.

By ensuring safe and secure online transactions, you establish yourself as a reputable and trustworthy member of the travel industry community. This inevitably has a positive effect on your future success, with satisfied clients repeatedly booking through your site and referring you to their network.

How your tour company can give travelers peace of mind when booking online travel 

Let’s take a look at the best practices and key features to achieve travel payment security for your clients. 

1. Establish legitimacy by ensuring data privacy

When submitting sensitive data and/or making payments online, travelers first look for proof of legitimacy on a booking site. This can be done by checking the URL or investigating the SSL certificate. 

Highlight any credentials you have to assure your clients that you uphold all regulations required. 

This type of assurance puts travelers’ minds at rest. If they believe you are well qualified, they are more likely to proceed and book a tour with you. 

WeTravel is a prime example of the secure handling of personal data. We don’t store sensitive or financial data on our servers, and we never sell any personal customer data to outside companies. 

2. Ensure data is protected 

For added security, you can use data encryption. This preserves data confidentiality by converting it into a code known as a ciphertext. 

It can only be decoded by those authorized to access it, using a unique decryption key or a password. It is one of the most effective methods for protecting client data during online transfers and transactions. 

By conveying this to your clients, you are instilling more trust in your travel business. 

3. Use a reputable booking and payment provider

Quintessential to a smooth and enjoyable booking experience is hands-down a safe booking gateway. 

As mentioned, a reputable platform like WeTravel does not store users’ financial or sensitive data on our servers. Instead, we immediately transmit confidential information (like credit card details, passwords, or SSNs) to a trusted payment provider. 

With bank-grade SSL encryption, might we add. 

Using a reliable booking and certified payment provider is the key to success in the online travel industry. The most stringent level of certification available is PCI Service Provider Level 1. Be sure to look out for this when choosing your provider. 

WeTravel understands how imperative this is. That’s why we offer our clients peace of mind with our trusted booking and payment providers, Stripe and Mangopay. 

In the US and throughout Europe, Stripe takes care of our booking and payment needs. They are one of the world’s largest payment providers, audited by a PCI-certified auditor and certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. 

Mangopay, owned by one of Europe’s largest banks, processes our payments securely in Canada, Australia, and South Africa. 

4. Offer proof of trustworthiness through reviews

Reviews are a powerful way to illustrate your transparency and build a foundation of trust with your new online travel clients. This reputation of trustworthiness will go a long way in convincing clients that they can safely book a trip online with your company. 

Positive reviews give you the credibility you seek. They offer social proof that you are a reputable travel business that will provide an exceptional booking and tour experience, with the utmost travel payment security. 

Research into online travel client behavior supports this. According to online travel statistics, 40% of leisure and 54% of business travelers read reviews when planning trips. 

You don’t have to ‘wait and see’ if your clients will leave reviews. Be proactive, and invite travelers to leave reviews once their tour experience is complete. 

WeTravel makes this easy by automatically sending review requests 2 days after trips are completed. 

What you can do to protect your travel business

When online payments go awry, it is not only the person making the payment that suffers but also the travel business the payment was intended for. This can result in financial loss for both parties, as well as a breakdown in trust.

Secure online transactions will protect your travel clients, but you also need to consider and protect your business. This requires additional security features that strengthen the booking and payment process while allowing for the resolution of payment issues. 

Here are the best ways to achieve this, both before and after the travel booking and payment process. 

Implement terms and conditions

Set clear guidelines for the payment process and handling of cancellations and transaction disputes. Make this information available through a terms and conditions page that uses clear and easy-to-understand language.  

By integrating a transparent set of terms and conditions, you will protect your business against many unnecessary disputes down the line. This should preferably be available in other common languages so that language barriers are not likely to be used as an excuse for misunderstandings. 

Ask for e-signatures

Request a legally binding digital signature for documents filled in during the booking process. This is not only convenient for travelers, but also an efficient way for you to maintain legality and mitigate risk. 

A digital signature with added layers of security and privacy protection complies with legal regulations, and securely associates the signer with the document, assuring you that they will honor the obligations they have committed to with your travel company.

On WeTravel Pro, we partner with Eversign to offer an e-signature feature with the world’s most stringent security and authentication requirements. This is just another way that we provide top-notch security during the booking and payment process.  

Collect copies of passports with security in mind

Enable secured connections when uploading passport copies, and restrict access so that only those who have the necessary authority can share or view them. 

WeTravel ensures the safe collection of passport copies and other necessary documents. They are uploaded and transferred via an SSL-secured connection to a secure AWS S3 Bucket, separate from other user data. 

Only tour organizers and their teams have access, and can only share links to these documents once logged into their WeTravel account. 

Introduce a refund and a dispute resolution process

It is crucial to have a system in place for refunds when they are valid and not in contradiction with your terms and conditions. 

A clear and simple dispute resolution process will maintain your company’s reputation and is thus vital to the continued success of your travel business.  

WeTravel makes it easy to handle payment disputes, or when necessary, offer travelers refunds, both partial and in full. 

Introducing our local payment methods feature

Multi-currency payments at checkout will always put online users at ease. It allows them to pay in a currency they already use and are familiar with, thereby heightening their engagement. This is not only convenient and considerate, but it has a financial benefit too. 

By providing payments in the traveler’s local currency, you drastically reduce payment fees both for them and for your company. That’s why WeTravels’ latest multi-currency, local payment methods feature is so popular. 

Local payment methods for clients paying in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD or AUD enable more convenience and faster checkout processes. It also gives a sense of familiarity, and thus a greater perception of security, when making travel payments online.

Regardless of which of the three currencies you choose to set your trip prices, they can select any one of the three to complete their payment. With local payment methods, travelers enjoy a more personalized experience, which could lead to repeat bookings, referrals, and positive reviews/testimonials. 

Final Thoughts On Travel Payment Security 

Travel payment security is a multifaceted process designed to meet your traveler clients' needs and protect your business interests. For the most secure online transactions, take advantage of the innovative technologies available to the travel industry. 

WeTravel has done the groundwork for you by partnering with top institutions and leveraging powerful technologies that keep your client data safe. 

As a leading booking & payments platform for multi-day and group travel businesses, we offer travel payment security every step of the way. Request a demo today.