What Tour Operators Need to Know About Protecting Payments

Posted by Peter Hilliard on February 8th, 2017

What Tour Operators Need to Know About Protecting Payments

To appeal to the greatest number of travellers, your tour needs to be easy to pay for and book. This means accepting credit cards, payments from partners, and more – making sure all transactions will be secure.

Keep reading to learn the steps you can take to protect and secure payments:

Securing Credit Card Transactions

The majority of today’s travellers use credit and debit cards to pay for their purchases – whether they’re booking a flight, reserving a hotel, or buying a ticket for your tour. Tour operators need to be ready to accept credit card payments easily and safely.

There are two layers to credit card payment security tour operators need to know about:

1.  PCI DSS Compliance

To be Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant, tour operators are required to create secure environments for processing, transmitting, and storing customers’ personal data (including credit card information).

PCI Data Security Standards lay out rules surrounding:

  • Building secure networks.
  • Protecting sensitive cardholder information.
  • Maintaining vulnerability management programs.
  • Implementing stringent access control measures.
  • Monitoring and testing networks on an ongoing basis.
  • Upholding information security policies.

Merchants who don’t comply can face fines and audits. They can also be held responsible for covering the costs associated with replacing cards if they’re compromised during a security breach.

DataTrax is one of the few tour operator software providers registered with both Visa and MasterCard MasterCard as a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider. Click here for a list of currently registered Visa service providers.

2. SSL Compliance

SSL, or Secure Socket Layer, works by establishing encrypted connections between you – the tour operator – and your customer.

An SSL can be incorporated into a range of platforms including:

  • Web browsers.
  • Emails.
  • Servers.

An SSL safeguards sensitive information when it’s transmitted.

Keeping Customers Informed

Making sure your customers are kept in the loop isn’t something you’re required to do, but it will help nurture an invaluable sense of trust between your company and your customers:

  • Tell customers how you’ll process their payments, addressing any security concerns early so they feel safe booking with you.
  • Make your cancellation policy visible before customers pay. This way they’ll know what they’re agreeing to, which makes it easier for you to enforce the rules.
  • Send a confirmation email once the booking is finalized. In it, you can outline exactly how your customers can expect the charge to show on their statement (date, company name, etc.).

Providing this type of information up front can help minimize hassle down the road.

Using the Right Tools

Having the right tools in your corner can make a world of difference. They ensure you can easily process transactions and give customers the confidence that they can trust your company to look after their personal, private information.

DataTrax’s tour operator software is integrated with Trust My Travel, a regulated payment solutions provider that protects transactions and safeguards both tour operators and travellers:

  • No matter the location or size of your business, Trust My Travel’s services are available globally.
  • Its processes are monitored and vetted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to keep all transactions secure.

Incorporating Trust My Travel’s payment solutions with DataTrax’s tour operator software ensures ongoing compliance and uncompromised security at every step of the booking process.

At DataTrax, our automated booking solutions are designed by tour operators for tour operators. Contact us today to learn how our products and services will make it easier to run and grow your business! 

Do you want to discover risk-free how DataTrax’s solutions will benefit your business? Click here to start your free demo! 

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Peter Hilliard

About Peter Hilliard

Peter Hilliard is the Founder, President, and CEO of DataTrax. He began his career as a tour bus operator with a single bus, until he realized that a better solution was needed for automating and tracking ticket sales. Led by Peter’s expertise in the tour industry and ticketing automation technologies, DataTrax has grown over the past 20+ years into an international leader in ticketing solutions.