Booking a hotel or flight online should be straightforward, but sometimes the biggest frustration comes at the final step. A payment gets declined, a preferred payment method is unavailable, or an unexpected verification process interrupts the checkout just as a traveller is ready to confirm their trip.
For travel platforms operating across different countries, making payments work smoothly is just as important as helping customers find the right accommodation or flight. It is an area where digital travel platform Agoda and financial technology company Adyen have been working together for more than a decade.
The two companies are marking over 10 years of partnership, having first joined forces in 2015 to improve payment processing as Agoda expanded its presence across Asia and subsequently into international markets.
What began during Agoda's transition towards a mobile-first business has developed into a wider collaboration focused on helping travellers pay using familiar methods, reducing unnecessary checkout complications and improving the reliability of online travel transactions.
While travellers may not necessarily recognise Adyen's name when making a booking, the company's payment technology helps support the transaction process behind the scenes across various markets where Agoda operates.
Why Payment Convenience Matters When Booking Travel
Travellers today can compare hotels, flights and other travel services across multiple destinations within minutes. However, the convenience of finding a suitable deal can quickly disappear if the payment process becomes complicated.
Different markets have different preferences when it comes to making payments. While some customers are comfortable using international credit cards, others prefer local payment options that they already use for everyday purchases.
For a global travel platform such as Agoda, accommodating these differences requires more than simply accepting payments. The company also needs to ensure transactions can be processed reliably across currencies, banking systems and regional payment networks.
Through its partnership with Adyen, Agoda has continued expanding its payment capabilities to support the needs of travellers in different markets.
Adyen currently serves as Agoda's payment acquirer across various regions, providing payment processing infrastructure and access to a range of preferred payment methods for customers booking travel services online.
The collaboration also involves continuous improvements to payment performance, with both companies working to identify opportunities to make transactions more efficient while managing processing costs.
Making Checkout Simpler with Local Payment Methods
One of the areas covered by the partnership is the availability of local payment methods, allowing travellers to complete bookings using payment options that are familiar and commonly accepted in their respective markets.
This becomes particularly important when a travel platform serves customers across Asia and beyond, where preferred payment methods can differ considerably from one country to another.
Alongside expanding payment choices, Agoda and Adyen are also working on improving how legitimate transactions are authenticated and processed.
The partnership focuses on three main areas:
At Agoda's international scale, even relatively small improvements in payment authorisation and transaction reliability can make a difference across the large number of bookings processed through its platform.
A Partnership That Has Grown Alongside Agoda's Global Expansion
When Agoda and Adyen first began working together in 2015, Agoda was accelerating its mobile-first strategy, particularly across Asian markets where smartphone usage was changing how consumers researched and booked travel.
Since then, Agoda has grown beyond accommodation bookings into a broader travel platform offering multiple travel-related products and services to customers around the world.
As the business expanded, its payment requirements also became more complex. Supporting different currencies, managing regional payment preferences and maintaining consistent transaction performance became increasingly important to the overall booking experience.
Rather than treating payment processing as a one-time technology integration, both companies have continued refining their systems as Agoda's business and customer needs evolved.
According to Oliver Webster, Chief Financial Officer at Agoda, the collaboration has developed alongside the travel platform's international expansion, with both companies sharing a focus on improving the customer experience.
"Agoda and Adyen have partnered closely for more than a decade, growing together as Agoda's business has expanded around the world," he said.
"In particular, there are strong synergies between our teams around making payments easier, increasing reliability, or improving overall experience. Ultimately, that aligns seamlessly with Agoda's goal to take the hassle out of travel, and help people see the world for less."
For travel platforms operating across different countries, making payments work smoothly is just as important as helping customers find the right accommodation or flight. It is an area where digital travel platform Agoda and financial technology company Adyen have been working together for more than a decade.
The two companies are marking over 10 years of partnership, having first joined forces in 2015 to improve payment processing as Agoda expanded its presence across Asia and subsequently into international markets.
What began during Agoda's transition towards a mobile-first business has developed into a wider collaboration focused on helping travellers pay using familiar methods, reducing unnecessary checkout complications and improving the reliability of online travel transactions.
While travellers may not necessarily recognise Adyen's name when making a booking, the company's payment technology helps support the transaction process behind the scenes across various markets where Agoda operates.
Why Payment Convenience Matters When Booking Travel
Travellers today can compare hotels, flights and other travel services across multiple destinations within minutes. However, the convenience of finding a suitable deal can quickly disappear if the payment process becomes complicated.
Different markets have different preferences when it comes to making payments. While some customers are comfortable using international credit cards, others prefer local payment options that they already use for everyday purchases.
For a global travel platform such as Agoda, accommodating these differences requires more than simply accepting payments. The company also needs to ensure transactions can be processed reliably across currencies, banking systems and regional payment networks.
Through its partnership with Adyen, Agoda has continued expanding its payment capabilities to support the needs of travellers in different markets.
Adyen currently serves as Agoda's payment acquirer across various regions, providing payment processing infrastructure and access to a range of preferred payment methods for customers booking travel services online.
The collaboration also involves continuous improvements to payment performance, with both companies working to identify opportunities to make transactions more efficient while managing processing costs.
Making Checkout Simpler with Local Payment Methods
One of the areas covered by the partnership is the availability of local payment methods, allowing travellers to complete bookings using payment options that are familiar and commonly accepted in their respective markets.
This becomes particularly important when a travel platform serves customers across Asia and beyond, where preferred payment methods can differ considerably from one country to another.
Alongside expanding payment choices, Agoda and Adyen are also working on improving how legitimate transactions are authenticated and processed.
The partnership focuses on three main areas:
- Local payment options: Supporting payment methods preferred by travellers in different countries, giving customers greater flexibility when completing bookings.
- Simpler authentication: Improving verification processes for genuine transactions to reduce unnecessary interruptions during checkout.
- Smarter payment routing: Directing transactions through suitable processing channels to improve authorisation rates and payment reliability.
At Agoda's international scale, even relatively small improvements in payment authorisation and transaction reliability can make a difference across the large number of bookings processed through its platform.
A Partnership That Has Grown Alongside Agoda's Global Expansion
When Agoda and Adyen first began working together in 2015, Agoda was accelerating its mobile-first strategy, particularly across Asian markets where smartphone usage was changing how consumers researched and booked travel.
Since then, Agoda has grown beyond accommodation bookings into a broader travel platform offering multiple travel-related products and services to customers around the world.
As the business expanded, its payment requirements also became more complex. Supporting different currencies, managing regional payment preferences and maintaining consistent transaction performance became increasingly important to the overall booking experience.
Rather than treating payment processing as a one-time technology integration, both companies have continued refining their systems as Agoda's business and customer needs evolved.
According to Oliver Webster, Chief Financial Officer at Agoda, the collaboration has developed alongside the travel platform's international expansion, with both companies sharing a focus on improving the customer experience.
"Agoda and Adyen have partnered closely for more than a decade, growing together as Agoda's business has expanded around the world," he said.
"In particular, there are strong synergies between our teams around making payments easier, increasing reliability, or improving overall experience. Ultimately, that aligns seamlessly with Agoda's goal to take the hassle out of travel, and help people see the world for less."
|
| Oliver Webster, Chief Financial Officer at Agoda. |
Adyen Focuses on Payment Reliability and Continuous Improvements
From Adyen's perspective, the partnership reflects how payment technology must continue evolving as businesses grow and enter new markets.
Rather than focusing solely on whether a transaction can be processed, both companies are examining how payments are routed, authorised and settled to improve efficiency and minimise complications for customers.
These technical improvements may not always be visible to travellers, but they play an important role in determining whether an online booking can be completed without disruption.
Soon Yean Lee, Country Manager for Malaysia at Adyen, said the long-standing relationship has been built around a shared commitment to continuous optimisation.
"Over ten years, our relationship with Agoda has grown alongside their business," he said.
"What makes this partnership special is our shared focus on continuous optimisation. At Agoda's scale, improvements in how payments are routed, authorised and settled can have a meaningful impact on the traveller experience. We're excited to continue building on that together."
|
| Soon Yean Lee, Country Manager for Malaysia at Adyen. |
What's Next for Agoda and Adyen?
As online travel services continue evolving, Agoda and Adyen are looking at opportunities to expand their collaboration beyond existing payment processing capabilities.
Among the areas being explored are issuing and payout solutions in supported markets, which could introduce additional ways to manage financial transactions within Agoda's wider travel business.
The companies are also examining how emerging technologies can support further improvements to the booking experience, particularly as Agoda continues expanding its services and reaching travellers across different markets.
Although these future initiatives remain exploratory, the existing partnership highlights an often-overlooked aspect of digital travel: the technology responsible for processing payments can be just as important to a smooth booking experience as the platform used to search for accommodation or flights.
For travellers, the practical benefit is straightforward. Finding a good travel deal is one thing, but being able to pay for it securely, conveniently and without unnecessary complications is equally important.
