Our travel business, operating in the United Kingdom since 2020, has encountered an issue with our current payment processing system. For the past six months, the provider has maintained a reserve holding between £80k and £100k, which is proving to be a challenge for cash flow management. We are actively seeking other payment gateway options that cater specifically to travel agencies and offer more flexible fund release policies. Any recommendations for reliable payment gateways or insights on alternative providers would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Jade72, this is a really frustrating issue – I totally get how a large reserve can create headaches for cash flow. I’ve been hearing bits and pieces about some emerging payment gateway services in the UK that aim to be more travel agency friendly. I wonder if you’ve looked into any newer fintech platforms that might be testing more flexible fund release setups? I recently came across a discussion where a few agencies were talking about providers that offer lower reserve requirements by instead evaluating transactions more closely with built-in risk management. Have you considered reaching out to some smaller, agile providers rather than sticking with the big names? It would be interesting to hear if someone here has had direct experience moving to a different system or if anyone has come across any innovative approaches from banks or even non-traditional financial services in this space. What has your research shown so far in terms of alternatives, and are there any regional specifics that your agency demands other than just ease of cash flow?