US Bank Launches Travel Planning Partnership With Booking.com | PYMNTS.com

U.S. Bank has launched a travel booking platform for its credit card holders.

The U.S. Bank Travel Center with Booking.com, announced Monday (Nov. 18), lets cardholders reserve flights, rental cars and hotels via Rocket Travel by Agoda’s booking technology and travel planning expertise.

“Whether paying for travel with points or cash, our cardholders will enjoy the convenience of planning their travel through a robust, easy-to-navigate online booking experience,” Steve Mattics, head of U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions, said in a news release.

“Our cardholders’ travel planning and booking experience will be significantly enhanced with improved site navigation, cutting-edge technology, and the security and travel options that travelers demand today,” Mattics added.

According to the release, the platform offers cardholders special travel discount offers, 24-hours-a-day/seven-days-a-week servicing, and same-day booking capability, along with a series of new cardholder benefits and rewards.

Cardholders also get more travel options, as Rocket Travel – another Booking Holdings operation – has access to more than 2.4 million properties around the world.

In other travel-related news, PYMNTS spoke earlier this month with CellPoint Digital CEO Kristian Gjerding about the inadequate legacy payments systems found at many airlines, and how payment orchestration can help streamline their operations.

He told PYMNTS that airlines and their payment systems, in particular, are at a crossroads, struggling with the twin pressures of increasing passenger volumes and complex operations.

“Historically, airlines have sought profitability by increasing conversion rates and reducing costs,” he said.

But as consumer expectations change and payments become more varied, airlines are starting to view payments as a revenue engine. This has caused some early adopters in the industry to weigh switching from external service providers to internal, platform-based payment orchestration systems.

Another CellPoint executive, Head of Product Tom Randklev, contributed his thoughts on travel PYMNTS to the PYMNTS eBook, “The New Value Equation: 11 Financial Services Leaders Share Their Vision for 2025.”

“A focus on optimization, embedding alternative payment methods, simplifying experiences, personalizing offers and ensuring flexibility and speed to market is crucial for our travel industry partners as they seek to improve the customer journey and drive revenue growth in 2025 and beyond,” he wrote.