This has put pressure on payments innovation. As global travel continues to rebound post-pandemic, industry leaders are reimagining what it means to pay seamlessly across borders.
“The rebound of travel has regional variances. If you look at Asia Pacific region, there’s much stronger growth [compared to other regions. Also,] Africa has seen a huge increase in arrivals,” Tribh Grewal, head of international product strategy and business development at Discover® Network, told PYMNTS. “In Europe and US, it’s a moderate growth, and I think we’ve way passed the … pre-pandemic numbers.”
However, it’s not just volume that has shifted — it’s the nature of the travel experience itself.
“What’s important about the consumer travel trends is it’s changing from being more typical tourism like sightseeing and hotels to more experiential travel. People are looking to seek more unique and enriching experiences, such as culinary tours, wellness retreats and cultural events,” Grewal said.
This mindset shift, he suggested, requires payment systems to be more agile, integrated and intuitive.
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“We are getting to a stage where people want to enjoy the journey as much as the destination,” he said.
“If you can offer that — whether through smart partnerships, better budgeting tools or digital-first security — you’re not just solving a pain point. You’re elevating the entire travel experience,” Grewal added.
Frictionless by Design
As travelers’ expectations rise, so do the demands placed on financial infrastructure to reduce friction in payments. Global travelers are looking for speed, flexibility, trust and confidence.
Discover Network is working to close the travel sector’s existing experience gaps by investing in digital wallet support, expanding global card acceptance and collaborating with domestic payment schemes to bring parity across regions.
“What are some of the fees I’ll be paying for foreign currency transactions? … Can I add euros if I’m going to Europe? Thai baht if I’m in Thailand? That way, I can manage my payments like a local,” Grewal said, noting that Discover Network helps address these common pain points.
“Fraud and security always feature very highly,” he added, noting that many travelers are concerned about fraud and hidden fees while abroad.
Another pain point: acceptance. Whether it’s credit, debit, or digital wallets, consumers expect their preferred payment method to work everywhere.
Grewal noted that Discover Network currently collaborates with over 30 domestic networks worldwide to provide local acceptance, including RuPay in India, Elo in Brazil, and Troy in Turkey to name a few. “Multi-network partnerships and capabilities are crucial.”
“These local collaborations have far-reaching impact. In the more developed countries, we are used to having two, three, four credit cards,” Grewal said, adding that if you go to emerging markets, not everybody has access, so these collaborations also help to enable inclusion by offering local cardholders global access and providing local access to a wider range of travelers.
As an example, a RuPay cardholder in India, can use the same card overseas through the global payment network without needing to apply for a new international credit or debit card, while Discover cardholders can access acceptance across India. The same applies to the other network partnerships.
Localization Is the New Global
One of the shifts across global travel payments is the role of localization in driving user-centric innovation, particularly in today’s age of agentic commerce and intelligent wallets.
“FinTechs and banks that can localize smartly, simplify currency challenges and give real-time control will win the loyalty of the customers,” Grewal said. “It’s not just about where I can pay, it’s how I’m informed. Can I get real-time notifications? Currency conversions? Translation services for merchant information?”
He remains optimistic but pragmatic about the technologies on the horizon, cautioning against letting shiny tools overshadow user needs.
“To me, the FinTechs, banks and platform providers that succeed will be the ones who don’t just think about luxury travel,” Grewal said. “They’ll think about inclusion, simplicity, real-time transparency, and, above all, trust.”
