Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
CellPoint Digital announced early Tuesday Southwest Airlines Co. will begin using its cloud-native payment-orchestration platform.
The platform, which launched last month, is designed for airlines and travel companies and supports multiple payment methods, including credit cards, travel credits, alternative payment methods, and Southwest Rapid Rewards frequent-flier points. Consumers can also pay using a combination of those options.
Allowing combinations of payment methods improves the customer experience by providing consumers more flexibility, according to CellPoint.
“This expanded collaboration deepens our existing relationship with Southwest Airlines by enabling them to leverage CellPoint’s new cloud-native payment-orchestration platform,” a CellPoint spokesperson says by email. “This platform will help Southwest seamlessly integrate multiple payment methods, allowing them to offer a more flexible and personalized travel payment experience, particularly through Getaways by Southwest.”
In related news, Universal Air Travel Plan Inc., an airline-owned payments network, has added TreviPay Inc. as an issuer. The addition of TreviPay brings the total number of issuers on UATP’s networks to 40.
The deal builds on the two companies’ existing relationship. TreviPay, a provider of business-to-business payment and invoicing solutions, has provided support to UATP issuers for years, UATP chief executive and president, Ralph Kaiser says by email. “Having TreviPay as an issuer is the natural evolution of the partnership,” Kaiser adds.
TreviPay will provide airlines an all-in-one solution for managing and issuing digital and physical products. In addition, TreviPay offers payment, accounts-receivable management, and credit-risk outsourcing. The company says it also extends credit, guarantees corporate payment, and eliminates the need for manual billing and invoicing.
“We do these deals to benefit our membership, which also benefits UATP,” Kaiser says. “It brings new opportunity and growth for the entire network.”
UATP cards are accepted as a form of payment for corporate business travel by airlines and travel agencies worldwide and by the Amtrak rail line in the United States.
