The way travel agencies pay travel providers, like airlines, is changing as virtual payments replace traditional methods and legacy payment processes. This move to virtual cards helps to reduce fraud, mitigate risks associated with supplier default, increase efficiency, and can even help to improve travel agency margins. While there are many advantages to virtual card payments, significant systems integration work has been necessary, until now.

The introduction of RPA means key data relating to each payment and booking can be moved between the booking system and the airline Passenger Service System (PSS) or the hotel Property Management System (PMS) automatically by a software robot.

Software robots are a light-weight tool that can quickly be configured to complete basic business processes, such as entering a 16-digit virtual card number, or travel booking details, from a travel agency system into an airline or hotel system to complete a payment.

This automation avoids error-prone human processes or traditional systems integration work, which can take longer. The data transferred includes virtual card information that is written back to the booking system as well as transaction data provided to the travel supplier and the card-issuing bank.

When combined with Amadeus’ B2B Wallet solution, it offers the travel industry a leading combination of innovative technologies that enables travel agencies to pay suppliers using the right virtual card for that specific booking scenario whether pre-paid, credit or debit in the most efficient way.

The partnership sees Troovo benefit from Amadeus’ global reach in travel as well as helping to deliver on specific customer requirements in the Asia-Pacific region. The partnership also provides operational and finance teams at organisations using Amadeus’ B2B Wallet with a single point of processing and management of all virtual payments, delivering increased transparency and control.

“Even though our industry is in challenging and uncertain times, payment innovation has remained resilient given the typically low implementation burden and incremental contribution towards both cost reduction and revenue collection. As we navigate the pandemic and begin to reimagine how travel agencies pay providers, it’s important we strive for the most automated and efficient approach possible. We’re confident the integration of Troovo’s RPA engine will help our travel agency customers to benefit from virtual payments even faster.” Commented Damian Alonso, Head of Payer Services, Payments, Amadeus.

Troovo’s Co-Founder and CEO Kurt Knackstedt agrees: “Virtual payments with Amadeus’ B2B Wallet, processed via Troovo, eliminate inefficiencies while providing a whole new level of security, data richness and ease of use thanks to RPA. We look forward to working with the Amadeus team to boost their customers’ operational and commercial performance in payments across the globe.”

Troovo can be deployed easily within the travel provider’s payment processing workflow to provide a completely virtual solution for generating and processing payments. Amadeus B2B Wallet customers can now enjoy the significant commercial, risk management and data visibility benefits of B2B Wallet, alongside the operational cost savings and simple integration capabilities of Troovo Payments.