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TravelUp just turned on crypto payments. The UK travel agency now lets customers pay for flights, hotels and packages using Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin and USDC through a partnership with CoinGate. The move puts TravelUp among a small group of mainstream travel agencies willing to take digital currency for bookings.
Customers can pick “Pay with Crypto” at checkout. The transaction goes straight through CoinGate, a Lithuania-based payment processor licensed under MiCA. No card networks involved. No cross-border fees eating into the purchase. TravelUp wants to cut out the friction that comes with traditional payment rails, especially for international bookings where card restrictions and currency conversion costs add up fast.
Why Crypto for Travel Bookings
Speed matters here. Layer-2 coverage on Ethereum and Solana networks keeps settlement times down and transaction costs low. That’s pretty much the pitch for anyone who’s tried to book a last-minute flight from London to Bangkok and watched their bank flag the charge for review. Crypto payments skip that whole dance. The money moves, the booking confirms, and you’re done.
TravelUp’s been around for over 20 years. The agency built its reputation on competitive pricing and broad destination coverage. But the travel industry moves fast, and customer expectations shift faster. Digital-first buyers want flexibility. They want options that don’t involve waiting three business days for a wire transfer to clear or dealing with foreign transaction fees that pile on without warning.
Craig Ashford, speaking for TravelUp, said the company wants to lead on tech advancements and make global travel more accessible. The crypto integration fits that goal. It’s not just about accepting Bitcoin because it’s trendy. It’s about removing barriers that slow down bookings and cost customers money.
CoinGate’s Role in the Deal
CoinGate launched in 2014. The company processes crypto transactions across multiple blockchain networks and offers tools for managing payments and cross-asset foreign exchange. The MiCA license gives it regulatory standing in Europe, which matters when you’re handling customer funds. By partnering with TravelUp, CoinGate expands its footprint in the travel sector. The company already works with other merchants, but travel bookings represent a big use case for crypto payments. People book trips across borders all the time. Crypto makes that simpler.
The integration went live immediately for all TravelUp customers. No waiting period. No phased rollout. If you want to pay with USDC for a package to Bali, you can do it now. The agency plans to expand the option to other international markets, though it didn’t specify which ones or when. Probably depends on demand and regulatory clarity in those regions.
Travel bookings involve a lot of moving parts. You’re coordinating flights, hotels, maybe car rentals. Payment hiccups can derail the whole process. Traditional methods work fine until they don’t. Cards get declined. Banks freeze accounts. Currency conversion rates change between the time you book and the time the charge posts. Crypto payments eliminate some of that uncertainty. The price you see is the price you pay, and the transaction settles fast.
What Comes Next
Consumer behavior’s shifting toward digital solutions for international transactions. That’s not speculation. People want faster payments. They want lower fees. They want to avoid the hassle of dealing with multiple currencies and exchange rates. TravelUp’s betting that crypto adoption will keep growing, especially among travelers who book frequently and value convenience over familiarity.
The agency didn’t say how many customers have used the crypto payment option so far. No data on transaction volume or average booking size. That information will probably come later, once TravelUp has enough data to share. For now, the focus seems to be on getting the word out and making sure the integration works smoothly.
CoinGate supports multiple digital currencies, so travelers can pick the one that makes sense for their situation. Maybe you hold Bitcoin and don’t want to convert it to fiat just to book a flight. Maybe you prefer stablecoins like USDC because the price doesn’t swing around. Either way, the option’s there. Layer-2 solutions on Ethereum and Solana help keep costs down, which matters when you’re trying to compete with traditional payment methods that charge a percentage of every transaction.
TravelUp’s move sets a benchmark in the UK travel industry. Other agencies might follow if the experiment works. If it doesn’t, well, TravelUp tried something new. But the company’s track record suggests it knows what it’s doing. Two decades in business means you’ve seen trends come and go. Crypto payments might stick around, or they might end up as a niche option for a small segment of customers. Either way, TravelUp’s positioning itself as the agency that got there first.
The integration addresses real pain points. Settlement delays cost time. Extra fees cost money. Cross-border transactions involve multiple intermediaries, each taking a cut. Crypto payments reduce the number of hands in the pot. You pay, the payment processes, the booking confirms. Done. No waiting for banks to talk to each other. No wondering if your card will work in a foreign payment system. Just a straightforward transaction that happens in minutes instead of days.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which cryptocurrencies can TravelUp customers use for bookings?
TravelUp accepts Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC), and USD Coin (USDC) through its CoinGate integration.
How does the crypto payment process work at checkout?
Customers select “Pay with Crypto” at checkout and complete the transaction directly through CoinGate’s payment processor, bypassing traditional card networks and cross-border fees.
