Ecommpay has published a benchmark report comparing how the UK's 10 best-known online travel agencies structure checkout and payment options, arguing that payment design is a major driver of the sector's high basket abandonment.
The report reviews the payment set-ups used in 2025 by Booking.com, Airbnb, TUI, easyJet Holidays, Expedia, Jet2holidays, On the Beach, Lastminute.com, Travel Republic and Loveholidays. It outlines common patterns among larger brands and highlights gaps it says still lead to lost bookings.
Online travel has one of the highest abandonment rates in eCommerce. Ecommpay cited an industry cart abandonment rate of 81.7% for travel, with 37% of drop-offs linked directly to payment issues such as lack of trust, limited payment choice and card declines. It estimated that payment optimisation across UK travel could represent £16.5 billion in recoverable revenue.
Mobile checkout
The benchmark puts mobile-first checkout design at the centre of performance differences between travel brands, highlighting digital wallets and frictionless mobile flows as priorities among leaders.
Mobile booking remains a critical battleground, with a persistent conversion gap between browsing and payment completion. The report identifies payment experience as a key drop-off point, particularly on smaller screens and in multi-step checkout journeys.
Affordability options
The report also finds that deferred payment products have moved into the mainstream. Buy Now Pay Later and instalment options now appear as standard features among the leading agencies it assessed.
Travel purchases often involve higher average transaction values than many other eCommerce categories. Ecommpay describes instalment tools as a way to convert customers who hesitate at checkout and to reduce abandonment at the final payment step.
Local payment methods
Localisation is another theme. Ecommpay notes that global travel brands often differentiate by including local payment methods to build trust and improve cross-border conversion.
Payment preferences vary by market. Cards remain widely used in the UK, but other regions rely more heavily on bank transfers, wallets and domestic schemes. The report argues that checkout design that reflects local norms can influence whether a customer completes a booking.
Open banking uptake
Open banking also features as an emerging option among early adopters. Ecommpay says these merchants cite lower costs, stronger authentication and fewer false declines.
False declines, where legitimate transactions fail, remain a persistent problem for online merchants. Travel transactions can draw extra scrutiny because of ticket values, international destinations, or mismatched billing and travel details. The benchmark suggests alternative rails and authentication routes can reduce friction in these cases.
Flexibility and trust
The report's broader conclusion is that payment flexibility influences customer confidence. It points to low deposits and interest-free plans as examples of structures used by leading travel agencies.
Travel brands have long managed complex customer expectations around cancellations, changes and refunds. The benchmark positions checkout choices as part of the trust equation alongside fare rules and booking conditions.
Roy Blokker, Head of Strategic Sales at Ecommpay, said the checkout is no longer a purely operational function for travel merchants.
"Travel businesses can no longer afford to treat payments as back-end plumbing," said Roy Blokker, Head of Strategic Sales, Ecommpay.
He said the research indicates that leading agencies treat checkout as a strategic part of the product experience.
"Our analysis shows that the leading OTAs are already turning checkout into a strategic product. The brands that follow suit will see substantial gains in conversion, trust and customer lifetime value. There are clear opportunities for travel brands to increase approval rates, reduce abandonment and ultimately boost revenue," he said.
Ecommpay provides payment services to online travel agents and other digital businesses. Its offering includes more than 100 alternative payment methods, mobile-first checkout flows, open banking and BNPL integrations, as well as carbon-offsetting checkout options and chargeback management services.
Blokker said travel merchants are reassessing how quickly they can adjust payment set-ups in response to changing consumer behaviour, particularly on mobile and across international markets.
"At Ecommpay we are enabling OTAs to modernise their payment stack without complexity. Whether it's improving mobile conversion, adding new payment methods or launching instalment plans, we help travel brands turn payment strategy into measurable growth," he said.