Getting approved for a merchant account for travel, travel services, lodging, vacation packages, travel tours, and travel related business types remains a big challenge for merchants in these industries. Banks and conventional lending institutions make it as difficult as possible for merchants in these industries to get approved to accept credit card payments from their customers.
Below are examples of the different types of travel services and travel companies that face challenges when it comes to obtaining a merchant account to process credit card payments.
- Independent Resellers for Foreign Travel Services and Companies
- Independent Resellers of Travel Services and Vacation Packages
- Vacation Rentals by Owners
- Online Vacation Rental Listing Services
- Online Travel Services and Travel Agencies
- MLM (Multi-level Marketing) Travel Services, Opportunities, and Agencies
- Cargo Travel Services and Agencies
- Niche Travel Services and Agencies
- Multi-destination Travel Services and Agencies
- Independent Travel Services and Agencies
- Consortium Travel Services and Agencies, etc.
- Airline Ticket Sales
Each traveling service, business, or agency provides a set of traveling and tourism solutions specific to its market. While some focus more on vacation packages with travel tours, others provide specialized commercial and business related traveling solutions. Examples of common vacation and travel services include:
- Tour Operations
- Hotel and Lodging
- Vacation Rentals by Owner
- Bed and Breakfast
- Membership and Travel Club Programs
- Vacation Packages
- Airline Ticket Sales
- Reservation Services
- Car Rentals
Despite being an industry with such diversified services, the travel industry is often met with challenges when it comes to obtaining a merchant account to process credit card payments.
Credit Card Processing Challenges for the Travel Industry
Accepting credit card payments remains a big obstacle for travel agencies and travel service companies because they have a hard time obtaining a merchant account. For someone looking to start a travel agency or any type of travel business, it is important to understand that this type of business is considered ‘high risk’.
Here are some reasons why businesses that cater to providing travel services are considered high risk and face problems getting approved for a merchant account to accept credit based transactions.
- Tours and trips are often booked well in advance, and usually months in advance. Such advanced bookings make these payment transactions highly prone to cancellations, chargebacks, refunds, and amendments, etc.
- Chargebacks are quite frequent with travel agencies because there is a high chance that the customer changes his mind and cancels the payments or there is a change in policy by the travel company.
- Since travel services can cost a customer hundreds of dollars and at times thousands of dollars, the payment average ticket size is considered high and the maximum ticket size is considered very high. Such large dollar ticket amounts with nearly every transaction are associated with a high risk should a chargeback, which is another reason it makes travel companies high-risk businesses.
Despite the obstacles mentioned above, travel merchants that don’t offer their customers the option to pay by credit card are at a huge disadvantage and face a substantial loss in revenue. Since travel industry customers have to pay a lot of money for travel services, they almost always prefer to pay with their credit cards. However, when a travel merchant applies for a credit card payment solution with a low risk or a standard risk processor that doesn’t accept high-risk merchants, the application will very likely get rejected for reasons mentioned above.
How To Apply and Get Approved for a Travel Services Merchant Account?
Just like other high-risk industries, businesses that cater to providing travel services have to show the lender a solid financial standing, a healthy credit history and a good processing history. Below are a few common example items that are typically requested by the processor when a travel business owner applies to get approved for a travel services merchant account to process credit card payments.
- 3 months consecutive processing statements with low to no chargebacks. If you don’t have processing history you can still get approved but you need to fully disclose and explain in a letter why you don’t have any processing history.
- If you’re a start up then provide a letter explaining if you have any prior experience in the travel industry segment you are looking to get approved in.
- 3 months consecutive bank statements showing neither overdrafts or negative balances.
- If requesting monthly processing volume exceeding $75,000 a month then be prepared to provide financial documents such as tax returns and/or profit and loss statements for 2 years.
- A detailed description of your travel service offering with terms and conditions.
Requirements can vary from processor to processor. Having an established processing history with a good online reputation really helps establish your travel business as a reliable merchant to partner with and provide processing services.
Moneck Payment Solutions – Perfect for Travel Service Merchants and the Travel Industry
Moneck Payment Solutions provides reliable high-risk merchant account solutions to the Travel Industry as a whole such as, travel agencies, travel services, vacation packages, and a multitude of other travel businesses and companies that are considered high-risk. Here are a few benefits of obtaining a high-risk merchant account with Moneck.
- We understand the pain points merchants experience in this industry and have ideal payment solutions to help travel merchants accept credit card payments.
- We streamline the application process to simplify and expedite getting approvals.
- We provide competitive rates and terms for our travel services merchants, including new travel businesses and start ups.
- Our solutions are available for all types of travel agency operations i.e. in person, over the phone and online.
- Our dispute monitoring and chargeback prevention services are one of the best in the industry.
- We can help merchants with a low credit score or a poor credit history too.
- We extend our payment solutions throughout the entire US and International.
- We provide both domestic and offshore credit card processing solutions.
Startup or Established Trave Merchants that are looking for credit card processing or that are not happy with their current processing partners are encouraged to contact Moneck Payment Solutions at 888-405-3093
