Conferma VCN solution made available through Amadeus e-Travel Management

Virtual Card Number provider Conferma is making its payment technology available in the Amadeus e-Travel Management self-booking tool.

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Virtual Card Number provider Conferma is making its payment technology available in the Amadeus e-Travel Management self-booking tool.

Amadeus is piloting the payment solution in the UK with a number of leading travel management companies, it will then become available in other countries.

TMCs and their clients can now use VCNs as a payment method for Amadeus GDS hotel bookings created in the self-booking system.

The integration means there is no change to existing booking processes, while the payment process is streamlined by the system automatically faxing a VCN to the hotel on completion of the booking.

At check-out, the booking is charged back to the VCN by the hotel, triggering an automated process that matches and reconciles 100% of payment data to booking data. This eliminates expensive manual reconciliation processes.

All data captured by Conferma VCNs for every transaction are available to TMCs and travel managers through the company’s management information and reporting tool. This includes additional company-specific data, such as cost centres or project codes.

The secure controls applicable to VCNs claim to reduce the risk of misuse and fraud, by restricting the category of merchant able to bill the VCN to hotels.

Other controls such as credit limits and charge validity dates allow TMCs to enforce compliance with corporate policies.

The solution also reduces the risk profile for TMCs and corporate clients by removing the requirement for them to handle and protect sensitive physical payment card data.

Amadeus’s UK & Ireland business line manager, Simon Taylor, said: “Integrating the Conferma solution into Amadeus e-Travel Management enables us to deliver the kind of seamless process that both travellers and businesses love.

“Not only has it increased the adoption of the booking tool, improving travel policy compliance and efficiency, but it has also improved cost control and traveller satisfaction.

“This joint solution from Conferma and Amadeus means that we are now able to provide an automated, compliant payment process that simplifies the often complex and inefficient world of business travel.”

Simon Barker, chief executive of Conferma, added: “It’s great to see more and more businesses embracing innovative technology to replace the outdated and inefficient manual processes that are costing the industry $1.5 billion a year.”