Sabre Introduces Virtual Payments To Business Travel Portal

Corporate travel firm Sabre is introducing virtual payments to its platform.

Reports in Buying Business Travel said Sabre’s Singapore unit has integrated virtual payment capabilities between travelers and suppliers across the Asia Pacific region, a feature developed in conjunction with Corporate Travel Management (CTM) Singapore as a new client.

Virtual card firm Conferma participated in the initiative to launch Sabre Virtual Payments, reports said. The solution is now integrated into Sabre’s GetThere corporate travel booking platform, as well as the Sabre Red Workspace platform. Travel agents and travel management companies can issue single-use virtual cards to corporate travelers so they can pay airlines, hotels and agency fees.

Sabre Virtual Payments is working with more than 30 banking partners and is now available for corporate travelers across the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and Singapore. Sabre plans to expand the offering across APAC in the coming months, reports said.

“In addition to supporting compliance, Sabre Virtual Payments is a tremendous asset for corporate travel management companies looking to optimize their reporting capabilities,” said CTM Singapore General Manager Eugene Tan in a statement. “The platform enables rich data capturing, helps to better manage revenue and facilitates compliance for all parties involved in the transaction.”

“Sabre Virtual Payments directly supports the public discussions that we are witnessing today around data protection,” added Jason Toothman, VP of global accounts at Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific. “With this solution, Sabre delivers an innovative tool that addresses the need for simple, safe and reliable transactions to take place between agents, travelers and suppliers.”

Last year, Sabre revealed it suffered a cybersecurity incident that affected Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ SynXis Central Reservations system. In a statement at the time, the company said the data breach was limited to only a few hotel reservations, though it did compromise the payment card information for those bookings.