Amadeus integrates Barclaycard’s virtual card solution to optimize B2B payments in the travel sector

Imagine reconciling hundreds or thousands of payments made to different suppliers from a single credit card at the end of the month. It’s a labor-intensive task that’s prone to human error.

With that in mind, Barclaycard, which has been helping make businesses successful for more than 50 years, and Amadeus, leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry, are partnering to integrate Barclaycard’s virtual cards offering, Precisionpay, into Amadeus’ B2B Wallet payment solution.

Virtual cards are a fast, secure and convenient way to manage supplier payments. The technology allows businesses to generate single-use digital cards, providing greater control and oversight of spend. Because each card is linked to a specific purchase, transactions can be automatically reconciled, saving finance teams huge amounts of time and effort compared to traditional methods.

Another advantage of Precisionpay, similar to a standard corporate credit card, is the ability to pay suppliers up-front without affecting cashflow or tying up important capital. This can help customers build stronger relationships with their suppliers.

One Amadeus customer that has already benefited from the integration is Flight Centre, a travel agency with over 80 UK high street stores, specializing in flights, holidays and tailor-made journeys.

Adam Murray, Chief Financial Officer, Flight Centre Travel Group, EMEA, said:

“Using the Amadeus B2B wallet with Barclaycard allows our agents to pay for all spend types through a streamlined process. As the payments are integrated in our core system, the B2B Wallet means we can implement new teams quickly and scale up across Europe as we expand.”

Bart Tompkins, Managing Director, Payments, Amadeus, said:

“Payments is not a one-size-fits all business. That’s why we developed the B2B Wallet concept, which gives travel agencies access to a range of different payment options in a single link. The addition of Barclaycard brings greater choice and deepens our credit offer, enabling our travel agencies to better manage their cashflow.”

David Price, MD of Client Coverage at Barclaycard, said:

“Since launching the UK’s first corporate credit card over 50 years ago, Barclaycard has been pushing the boundaries to create payment solutions that help make businesses more successful.

“While cashflow remains one of the main challenges for any growing business, we know that travel agencies in particular have an ongoing need to make up-front purchases before they themselves get paid. This integration with Amadeus will be another way to help travel agencies take control of their cashflow and become even more competitive.”