Coming in September: ARC Fraud Awareness Month
Today, payment fraud globally costs the industry an estimated $858 million. Approximately $639 million is borne by the airlines, and $219 million hits the travel value chain, including agents. *
With online bookings, alternative forms of payment and card-not-present transactions becoming the norm, the agency channel continues to be a target for sophisticated fraudsters, and the risk to agencies is set to grow along with the cost of managing it.
Agencies need better tools to combat fraud — including fresh insights on fraud prevention technology and current best practices. This is why, throughout the month of September, we will be holding ARC Fraud Awareness Month, which will feature a series of dynamic webinars on fraud prevention, with presenters from law enforcement, the private sector and ARC.
With subjects ranging from the dark web to debit memos, ARC Fraud Awareness Month will be a rich resource for your agency. A mix of live and recorded webinars makes it easy for you and your teams to participate. Reserve your spot in one of the many upcoming webinars by selecting the button below.
*Data sourced from IATA
New to ARC? Check Out ARC’s Easy Service Fee Payment Solution
Whether your travel agency charges a flat fee for trip planning, an hourly rate, or works solely on commissions, ARC’s credit card payment processing service can help you manage all of your agency’s credit card transactions quickly and easily, through a single GDS-integrated platform.
With ARC’s Travel Agency Service Fee (TASF) payment solution, agents can submit credit card payments through your preferred GDS or ARC Agent’s Choice for processing. From $10 service fees to $10,000 tours, you can process it all with TASF.
Time is money. TASF eliminates the time required to repeatedly log in to third-party systems to process transactions, reduces the training required for every agent who processes payments, and eliminates the possibility of introducing errors into the process.
“With ARC’s TASF credit card processing system, the amount of time our staff has to spend charging a card is minimal. They are already working in the GDS, so with just a few keystrokes, they are done. This allows them to focus on what’s important ... selling travel and servicing their customers.”
– John Coffman, Direct Travel
TASF saves your agency money — not just in the time savings for each agent that uses TASF, but also because you can process all your travel-related payments with TASF and generate more revenue per transaction. Because TASF is already integrated into your GDS, your agency already has access to the service just by being ARC-accredited. There are no additional agreements to sign — you and your agents can start using it today.
Want to learn more about how to leverage TASF to boost your agency’s revenue? Contact your ARC representative, or send us a note.
ARC’s Best Practices for Travel Agency Payments
ARC has created a reference document to help travel agencies better navigate the industry’s latest payment card acceptance, risk mitigation and chargeback management procedures. Whether you are new to the air travel industry or a seasoned expert, this valuable resource will help you and your agency:
- Develop a best practice mindset on payment acceptance procedures, including the handling and collecting of credit card information
- Learn how to make informed decisions about payment acceptance and managing the associated risk of fraud
- Get tips on how to effectively respond to and manage chargebacks
To view the guide, click here.
ARC Brings Alipay Payment Option to the Travel Agency Channel
ARC is pleased to announce that it is now offering airlines the ability to accept Alipay as a form of payment for tickets sold through the travel agency channel. Alipay is a mobile and online payment platform based in China with more than 500 million users. ARC’s new offering to agencies is made possible by its partnership with Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP).
“Alipay is widely recognized as one of the largest payment platforms in the world, and as people from China travel to the U.S. they want to use their preferred payment method,” said Chuck Fischer, ARC’s managing director of airline services. “For airlines that choose to accept Alipay, ARC now provides the means to extend this payment platform to the agency channel. ARC continues to work with UATP to enable other payment options for airlines and agencies that can be easily integrated into their revenue accounting systems.”
As airlines and online travel agencies seek ways to enhance the customer experience, providing payment options that are familiar and seamless is key to gaining and retaining those customers. ARC anticipates that its airline and agency customers will desire to accept Alipay in the very near future. And when they are ready, ARC will be ready to support them.
“Customer demand for Alipay, and other payment options continues to grow and we want to fulfill that demand,” stated UATP’s VP of Business Development, Tom Cunningham. “Having the agency channel ready for Alipay acceptance is crucial; naturally, working with ARC is fundamental to meet this demand.”
Transform Your Business at TravelConnect 2018
With the rise of alternative business models to the surge of investments in cutting-edge technology, travel organizations of all sizes have tremendous opportunities to transform their business to align with the customer-focused trends of the future.
At TravelConnect, attendees will hear from travel, technology, brand and commerce experts, including a dynamic keynote from Ken Schmidt, former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. In his session, “Make Some Noise: How Brands Can Ignite Customer Demand,” Schmidt will reveal what it takes for any established business to position themselves to ignite customer demand, maximize sales growth, and dominate the marketplace.
To learn more about the engaging sessions on the TravelConnect schedule, including engaging GDS and technology panels, deep dives into travel agency business models and economic trends, and a variety of interactive breakout sessions, click here.
Space is limited: Reserve your spot today for just $299, which provides full conference access.