How to create a frictionless travel payment experience

More than ever, your customers expect travel payment processes to be frictionless—in other words, quick and easy. We’re not suggesting the entire process should take less than five seconds. It just shouldn’t frustrate customers enough that they close the tab. 

Let’s explore what frictionless payments are and break down how you can create a frictionless payment experience for your customers.

What are frictionless payments?

Frictionless payments refer to checkout processes that reduce the barriers to purchase. A frictionless payment process makes buying products and services easy. Frustration is nowhere to be found.

How to create a frictionless payment experience

The goal is to create a frictionless payment experience because it helps you increase conversions. In the world of travel, the payment experience really matters. A study by Amadeus found that 74% of respondents said a poor payment experience reduces the enjoyment of their holiday. It’s not just another consideration to keep in mind—a frictionless payment experience actively influences purchasing decisions.

So, how do you create a frictionless payment experience?

Focus on intuitive user experience (UX) design

Your payment process should be intuitive. This means simple webpage layouts, clear instructions and as few steps as possible to complete the checkout process. Provide visual cues to guide customers through the process and avoid including unnecessary information that may distract them. Keep the focus firmly on getting the customer to complete the checkout process.

Offer multiple payment options

With hundreds of different ways to pay, catering to customer payment preferences is essential. Only offering card payments isn’t enough anymore. A growing number of global travellers prefer alternative payment methods like bank transfers, digital wallets and other payment methods. Give your customers the choice they want.

Provide fantastic customer service, every time

Your customers may run into issues during the payment process. Perhaps they encounter a payment gateway error, the website crashes or their card is declined. Issues of this nature are irritating, but they don’t necessarily have to lead to lost sales. 

Of course, some customers may encounter a problem during the checkout process and close the tab. Others will contact you for help. This is where a swift and helpful response can make all the difference. With 88% of customers saying the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services, great customer service can turn a payment headache into a positive experience that keeps people coming back for more.

Put robust security measures in place

Travel payments need to be convenient, but they can’t come at the expense of security. So, how do you balance a positive customer experience and payment security? You’ve got a few options.

3D Secure offers frictionless authentication. The system checks if the cardholder needs additional security to verify their identity. If the user needs extra authentication, they will be redirected to a page where they can provide a password or PIN to prove their identity.

3D Secure isn’t your only line of defence. Providing your customers with a secure payment gateway that uses robust security measures like data encryption, SSL and tokenisation will keep your customer’s sensitive data locked down tight.

Invest in fraud detection and prevention tools

Another vital aspect of a robust security strategy is fraud detection and prevention tools. The good news is that these tools don’t mean you have to sacrifice a frictionless payment experience for a secure one. 

For example, Trust My Travel’s fraud detection and prevention toolkit consists of the following:

• A PCI Level 1 gateway (the highest possible level of security)

• Real-time transaction flag and reject capabilities

• Blacklisting of suspicious cards as an extra layer of protection against known threats

These advanced security measures work behind the scenes to protect your business and your customers (without disrupting the checkout process). 

The bottom line

You should prioritise making your payment process as smooth as possible. A frictionless payment process boosts customer satisfaction, conversions and loyalty. Just to recap, you can make the booking process painless for your customers by doing the following:

• User-friendly checkout design

• A wide range of payment methods

• Excellent customer service

• Robust security measures

By making it easy for your customers to pay, you not only make their life easier but also increase conversion rates. When you remove unnecessary friction from the payment process, everybody wins.

Trusted by hundreds of travel providers globally, Trust My Travel’s pay-as-you-process travel solution gives your customers what they want: a smooth payment process. 

Our payment modal lets you process global 3D Secure transactions in multiple currencies, expanding your business’s reach and increasing conversion rates. Plus, our payment gateway is also PCI Level 1 compliant (the most stringent level of security) and all sensitive card data is tokenised by a PCI-approved third-party vendor.

Learn more about our travel payments solution and see how it can change your business for the better.