Payments between airlines and travel intermediaries have been defined by tradeoffs. When OTAs pay through methods like wire transfer, airlines face slower reconciliation and more operational complexity and risk. When airlines use commercial card networks, they pay a much higher cost of acceptance and have greater fraud exposure.
UATP® gives airlines a smarter, more secure way for payment, with a Network purpose-built for airline economics and data requirements. UATP, the world’s most secure closed-loop payment network, is backed by a growing ecosystem of issuers and OTAs that are modernizing these flows for today’s complex travel environment.
In the intermediary space, Issuers and OTAs now sit at the center of airline distribution. They are critical to filling seats, reaching new markets, and meeting travelers where they are shopping. That volume represents a powerful lever for improving payment between airlines and their partners.
When airlines and intermediaries align on a common payment network, they can reduce friction, simplify economics, and create more room for growth on both sides. That is where UATP, powered by Issuer programs and OTA adoption, becomes a strategic asset.
In the intermediary ecosystem, not all payment options are created equal. UATP allows airlines to accept payments from a wide range of Issuers and OTA partners through a single, dedicated network. It consistently delivers lower, more predictable, transparent economics than traditional card brands, with a low fraud profile and globally aligned rates that are easier to support at scale. With UATP, you know what to expect.
This is not just another card network. UATP is structurally different from Visa® and Mastercard®, with a purpose-built model for B2B payments and a long successful history in the travel vertical. UATP acts as the bridge between Issuer and OTA driven payments and airline acceptance, connecting partners that already do business together instead of trying to sell directly in their place.
UATP’s virtual card goes beyond payments, combining security, data, and cost efficiency in a model purpose-built for the travel ecosystem.
- Security by design: Single-use card numbers tied to a specific amount, date, and vendor, supported by ATCAN® controls such as credit limits, AVS, and velocity checks, help deliver one of the industry’s lowest fraud rates.
- Ticketing data + enhanced data that eliminates busy work: Payments link automatically to end-to-end ticketing data, streamlining reconciliation and unlocking segment-level insights on traveler, route, airline, and cost, with flexible billing options.
- Built for flexibility: Airlines and agents can negotiate terms, currencies, and incentives directly, enabling OTAs to tailor agreements by route and volume.
- Cost efficiency without compromise: A simplified, lower-cost model that delivers security, data, and performance without the complexity of traditional virtual card programs.
Intermediaries now influence a significant share of airline revenue, and that share is growing. OTAs and other partners are essential to airline growth strategies, yet the underlying payment flows have not always kept pace with the importance of these relationships.
Issuer led UATP programs give the industry a way to modernize those flows. For airlines, UATP backed Issuer programs create a path to lower and more manageable costs on intermediary-driven volume, along with better visibility into who is paying, for which bookings, and on which routes. For intermediaries, working with Issuers that support UATP allows them to present themselves aligned with airline economics, not just short-term incentives.
The Intermediary and Issuer Advantage
For airlines, payments made with UATP enable:
- Lower or better managed cost of acceptance on OTA and Issuer driven volume
- Improved reconciliation and transaction visibility across partners and markets
- Reduced fraud exposure with controlled, purpose-built virtual cards
- Easier path to scale relationships with a broad set of distribution partners
For intermediaries and Issuers, UATP creates a way to stand out as airline-friendly partners:
- OTAs can support airlines with cost effective and more transparent economics
- Issuers can help both sides move away from complex, kickback-driven virtual card structures toward a simpler, industry-centric model
- All parties gain a more stable foundation for long-term commercial agreements and shared growth
The next chapter for airline and intermediary payments is not about adding another network. It is about using the right network, at scale, across the ecosystem:
- Airlines are ready to take UATP from all Issuers
- OTAs can rely on a consistent, airline-friendly form of payment across partners and markets
- Issuers can confidently bring UATP cards to market, knowing airlines see the value and are prepared to accept them
When airlines, OTAs, and Issuers align around UATP as the preferred way to move value in the intermediary space, they do more than optimize payment costs. They create a shared platform for growth, better data, and stronger partnerships across the travel value chain.
