Expedia TAAP Introduces New Payment Features
Expedia’s Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) has unveiled a variety of new functionalities aimed at empowering travel agents with greater control over their bookings and payment processes. These enhancements, which have been developed from direct feedback received from agents, include:
- Extended Deferred Payments: Travel advisors now have the option to provide deferred payment terms for their clients, increasing the time frame from 280 days to 365 days. This adjustment allows advisors to secure early-bird prices and arrange long-term bookings without requiring upfront payment, offering a significant edge in managing intricate travel plans and group bookings.
- New Booking Flexibility: A feature dubbed ‘Hard Change’ permits advisors to alter bookings—such as adjusting dates, room categories, or guest quantities—without needing to cancel and rebook, thus streamlining the administrative workload for both agents and travelers.
New Payment Options and Revenue Tools
Expedia TAAP is also broadening its scope of payment options, allowing bank transfers for hotel reservations in seven European nations: Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Finland, and the Netherlands. This feature is tailored to meet the needs of markets that prefer not to rely on cards, simplifying transactions for many European clients. Furthermore, the agency service fee functionality is now operational across more than 20 countries including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Mexico, and the UAE, facilitating up to a 30% service fee on lodging totals, thereby enabling advisors to monetize their services seamlessly through the TAAP platform.
“Nearly half of travelers now rely on travel advisors for most or all of their trips,” stated Robin Lawther, Vice President of Expedia TAAP. “These enhancements were built with advisors’ real needs in mind—and this is only the beginning.”
