Cleartrip.com embraces international credit card customers

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Flight Search Technology

A leading Asian online travel agent (OTA) has launched a major upgrade to its payment systems in a bid to bring secure booking options to a wider range of customers.

Indian market leader Cleartrip.com is now offering customers the possibility of booking airline tickets and hotel rooms using MasterCard and Visa International credit cards issued outside of India. Also approved for use are AmericanExpress, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa credit cards issued in India, with the OTA affirming that the relevant fraud management services have been put in place, thanks to links with prominent UK and US security service providers.

Cleartrip.com chief technology officer PKX Thomas, said: ''Online credit card fraud rate in India is about three per cent and Cleartrip.com has a fraud management system based on our own fraud matrix, where this system reduced the fraud rate to less than 0.3 per cent."

Opening up access to the OTA's flight booking services could help to serve a growing market for Indian travel, with travellers from Europe and elsewhere benefiting from increased flight routes to the subcontinent.

Indian carrier Jet Airways recently signed a codeshare agreement with Brussels Airlines that will allow the Asian firm to market European services between Brussels and Berlin Tempelhof and a Lyon to Barcelona route to its passengers – increasing the travel options in both directions.