Travel Platform Amadeus Teams With Uplift to Offer BNPL to US, Canada

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Uplift is partnering with travel platform Amadeus for customers in the U.S. and Canada, a press release said Thursday (Sept. 15).

It comes as 68% of travelers surveyed by Amadeus have said they’d spend more on travel if BNPL was an option. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said they’d be more likely to buy airline ancillary services.

Travel is often a big purchase for customers, particularly for those planning bigger trips. There have been more options in recent years for BNPL, especially as customers have had to tighten their belts due to the economy.

Amadeus will bring BNPL services to its Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform (XPP), which is used by airlines and travel companies for everything from fraud prevention to payment acceptance.

Travelers will be able to choose to pay in installments over six, nine or 12 months.

“The growth of BNPL across all sectors has been remarkable and the message from travelers is clear – they want the choice to pay for the trip in installments,” said Beatrice Bouju, head of partnerships, payments at Amadeus. “Such payment options will help travel’s recovery by facilitating pent-up demand for higher value holidays as travel restrictions are lifted.”

Uplift Chief Commercial Officer Tom Botts said travelers seem to enjoy paying in installments because of its potential to alleviate stress.

“Now, travel providers that rely on the Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform can add Uplift’s flexible payments quickly and simply, immediately benefiting from stronger customer loyalty and increased bookings,” he said.

BNPL services surged 226% in the second quarter, and with summer vacations it could be said that the payment style was helping to boost travel. Uplift was among those partnering with various airlines and travel agencies.

Read more: Summer Vacation’s Back, and Buy Now, Pay Later Along for the Ride

“This new payment offering provides customers the benefit of reserving cruise experiences by spreading the cost over easy monthly payments,” Uplift said earlier in the year about a cruise-related partnership. “Additionally, through Uplift’s pay-over-time option, customers can easily upgrade to a larger cabin class, add on-board amenities or shore excursions for only a few extra dollars a month.”