Card Payments for Travel Agencies: What They Cost, What They Bring
In short
A card payment costs the agency a percentage of the amount plus a fixed fee. The rate depends on the card: a European consumer card is the cheapest, while a business card, an American Express or a card issued outside Europe cost more. With Ezus Pay, the rate ranges from 1.19% to 4.19% excluding VAT, plus €0.30. In return, the card confirms the payment in seconds, allows automatic instalment charges and often triggers the travel insurance of the client's card.
An agency collects a €3,000 deposit. Paid with a European debit card, it costs €36 in fees. Paid with an American Express, €105. Paid by SEPA direct debit, €9.30.
With gaps like these, it is tempting to push every client towards SEPA. That would ignore what the card brings, to the traveller and to the agency. This article covers both sides of the calculation.
How much does a card payment cost a travel agency?
A card payment costs a percentage of the amount, plus a fixed fee per transaction. The percentage depends on the card the traveller uses. The agency only knows the exact cost once the payment has gone through.
Here is what a €3,000 payment costs on the Ezus Pay rate card, by card type.
| Traveller's card | Rate excl. VAT | Fee on €3,000 |
|---|---|---|
| European debit card (Visa, Mastercard) | 1.19% + €0.30 | €36.00 |
| European credit card | 1.39% + €0.30 | €42.00 |
| UK debit card | 2.49% + €0.30 | €75.00 |
| European business card | 2.79% + €0.30 | €84.00 |
| Debit card issued outside Europe | 3.29% + €0.30 | €99.00 |
| European American Express | 3.49% + €0.30 | €105.00 |
| SEPA direct debit, for comparison | 0.3% + €0.30 | €9.30 |
Two costs can be added. If the traveller pays in a currency other than the agency's account currency, Ezus Pay adds 2% for conversion. And VAT is charged on these fees based on the agency's country, 20% in France.
For your own amounts, the fee calculator works out the fee for each card type.
Why don't two cards cost the same?
Because part of the fee goes to the traveller's bank, and that amount depends on the card.
Interchange fee
The share of the fee kept by the bank that issued the traveller's card. It is set by the network, Visa or Mastercard, not by the agency's payment provider.
Regulation (EU) 2015/751 caps this fee for consumer cards issued in the European Economic Area: 0.2% of the amount on a debit card, 0.3% on a credit card. That is what makes these cards cheap to process.
Three families of cards fall outside the cap:
- business cards, whose spending is billed to a company account;
- cards issued outside the European Economic Area, including the UK since Brexit;
- most American Express cards, which run on their own network.
On these cards, the issuing bank's fee is not capped, and it is much higher. The payment provider passes it on in its rate. That is why a serious rate card shows several rates rather than one.
Some providers offer a single flat rate. It is easy to read, but a European debit card, the cheapest to process, then costs as much as a far more expensive card.
Why do travellers prefer to pay by card?
Because it is the simplest method, and the one that protects them most.
81%
of European travellers say they prefer to pay for their trip by card
IATA Global Passenger Survey 2025
A payment in seconds. The traveller enters their card and confirms in their banking app. They don't copy an IBAN or choose a reference. On a compatible phone, Apple Pay or Google Pay even spare them typing the card number.
Instant confirmation. The traveller knows straight away that the payment went through and that the booking is moving forward. With a SEPA direct debit, they wait around six business days.
Recourse if the trip doesn't happen. If a paid service is not delivered, the cardholder can dispute it with their bank. With Visa, they have 120 days from the expected service date, up to 540 days after the payment. For a client buying a trip remotely from an agency they don't know yet, that is a strong argument. It is also what exposes the agency to disputes, the subject of our guide to chargebacks in travel agencies.
A later debit. With a credit card or a deferred debit card, the amount often leaves the traveller's account only at the end of the month.
Does the card's insurance apply if the traveller pays another way?
Often not. It is the card benefit travellers know least about, and the one that matters most on an expensive trip.
Premium cards, such as Gold or Platinum ranges, usually include trip cancellation and interruption cover. Entry-level cards are most often limited to medical assistance and travel accident cover. These guarantees don't all follow the same rule.
| Cover | Usual condition |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation or interruption | The trip must be paid with the card, fully or partly depending on the contract |
| Assistance and repatriation | Holding a valid card is usually enough |
These conditions are summarised for French bank cards by Selectra, in an article dated 13 August 2026. The details change from one bank and one country to another: cap, covered reasons, share of the trip to pay with the card. Only the card's policy document is binding.
The consequence is concrete. A traveller who pays for the whole trip by bank transfer or direct debit may lose their card's cancellation cover. If they were counting on it, they only find out when they cancel.
The agency doesn't have to recommend one insurance over another. It can, however, stop a traveller losing cover they thought they had, simply because they paid another way.
What does the agency gain by taking card payments?
More than the fee line shows.
A booking confirmed straight away. The deposit is confirmed the moment the traveller approves it. The agency can secure the option with its supplier without waiting several days.
Instalments charged without chasing. With an automatic payment plan, the traveller saves their card once, then each instalment is charged on its date. In Ezus Pay, this mode only works with a card. SEPA direct debit goes through a link for each instalment. How it works is covered in our guide to the travel payment plan.
Clients from all over the world. SEPA direct debit only works in euros, from an account in the SEPA area. A traveller from the US, Canada or Japan pays by card, or by an international transfer that you then have to find on your bank statement.
Simple refunds. The refund goes back automatically to the card used. A SEPA direct debit, by contrast, can no longer be refunded through the same channel 180 days after the payment. Beyond that, the agency has to send a bank transfer from its own account. See our guide to refunding a cancelled trip.
Fraud kept in check. 3D Secure asks the cardholder to approve the payment with their bank. If an authenticated payment is disputed as fraud, liability generally shifts to the cardholder's bank.
How can you pay lower fees without giving up on cards?
By choosing where the card matters most, and leaving the traveller the choice for the rest.
Take a €5,000 trip, with a €1,500 deposit and a €3,500 balance. The traveller has a European debit card.
- Deposit and balance by card
- €60.10
- Deposit by card, balance by SEPA direct debit
- €28.95
- Deposit and balance by SEPA direct debit
- €15.60
The second line keeps the card where it helps most: the deposit, which needs fast confirmation. It offers SEPA for the balance, which is the larger amount and can be requested early enough. The traveller keeps the choice. If they want their card's insurance, they will pay the balance with it.
A few simple rules
- Deposit
Card, for instant confirmation.
- Large balance
Card and SEPA direct debit on the same link, requested early enough for SEPA's six days of confirmation.
- Business client
Bank transfer or SEPA direct debit alongside the card, because business cards are the most expensive.
- Traveller outside the euro area
Card. A booking in your account currency avoids the 2% conversion: the traveller's bank then converts, on its own terms.
One route, however, is closed: adding card fees to the price of the trip. It is banned in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, even on a business card or an American Express. The country-by-country rules are in our article Card surcharges: can a travel agency pass card fees on to the traveller?. The cost of payment therefore goes into your prices.
How much do card payments cost with Ezus Pay?
Ezus Pay charges a rate based on the card actually used, with no subscription or setup fee.
Visa / Mastercard
| Card type | Europe (EEA) | United Kingdom | Outside Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debit | 1,19 % | 2,49 % | 3,29 % |
| Credit | 1,39 % | 2,79 % | 3,89 % |
| Corporate | 2,79 % | 3,49 % | 4,09 % |
American Express
| Card type | Europe (EEA) | Outside Europe |
|---|---|---|
| Personal & Corporate | 3,49 % | 4,19 % |
SEPA Direct Debit
By direct debit
Additional fees
Rates in force on the publication date. For current terms, see the Pricing.
All rates exclude VAT. The fee is deducted from the payout to the agency: the traveller pays exactly the amount requested.
On the payment page, the traveller pays by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or SEPA direct debit. The agency chooses which methods to offer on each link. 3D Secure is requested on every card payment. Payment plan instalments can be charged automatically to the saved card. Every payment is linked to the booking, and the balance due updates on its own.
Ezus Pay is the payment solution built for travel agencies, DMCs and tour operators. It lets you collect by card or SEPA direct debit and track every payment on the right booking, with or without Ezus.