Sabre plans virtual credit card payments for hotels

Sabre has announced plans to launch an automated payment system using virtual credit cards.

Sabre has announced plans to launch an automated payment system using virtual credit cards for hotel bookings.

Rather than booking clients using cards stored in the customer profile, a virtual credit card is created at the time of booking. This card is automatically faxed to the hotel to guarantee the reservation.

At check out the virtual card is charged by the hotelier and the payment is automatically made. Sabre said this new system will increase productivity, accelerate billings and collection, increase security and enhance data management. The system, which is powered by Conferma, will be implemented in selected cities over the course of this month.

Martin Cowley, senior vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Sabre Travel Network said: “Manually settling hotel invoices and payments is a time-intensive and costly process. Sabre’s Virtual Payments for Hotel Settlement is a fully-automated process in the Sabre Red Workspace, which makes it easier and faster for agencies to process.”