The sun is out, school is out, and summer vacation season is in full swing. Whether you’re jet-setting to Paris for the 2024 Olympics or staycationing in Seattle, mobile payments can make your travels smoother and safer.
According to Visa, digital wallets have become an essential part of the travel experience for many, with 74% of U.S. travelers now using them on their trips.
Globetrotters traveling by air can scan their mobile boarding passes for most airlines at many U.S. and international airports. New Yorkers can now also use their mobile driver’s license for identity verification at JFK and LaGuardia Airports, and at 26 other airports where TSA has credential authentication technology units. Other states offering digital IDs include Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, and Utah.
Once travelers reach their destination, mobile payments make getting around via public transit easier and more convenient. In cities like Chicago, London, Lyon, New York, Singapore, Vancouver, and soon Boston, transit riders can simply tap their contactless credit or debit card, mobile wallet or smartwatch to pay for fares. Visitors to Paris can add their Navigo card to their Apple Wallet and Samsung Wallet to ride the metro, train, and bus as explore the French capital. Similarly, tourists and commuters in Seattle can now add their ORCA card to Google Wallet to travel around Puget Sound.
Travelers can also collect extra loyalty rewards when they use mobile payments while they’re on the road. Caffeine lovers can earn additional Starbucks Rewards Stars, Marriott Bonvoy points, and Delta Sky Miles when they link their loyalty accounts. Additionally, travelers can use their mobile phones as their room keys at some hotels. Guests staying at Strawberry’s Clarion Post Hotel in Sweden can add an NFC mobile hotel key to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet and tap to unlock their room. Once the guest checks out, the key is automatically deactivated. Hilton and other hotels offer mobile room keys using Bluetooth technology.
Contrary to popular belief, mobile payments are more secure than card payments. Mobile and digital wallets leverage tools, such as tokenization and biometrics to protect card account data and provide stronger authentication. If a traveler, unfortunately, loses their mobile phone or card while on vacation, they can immediately block their mobile wallet and request a replacement card.
Visa recently announced a new Digital Emergency Card Replacement service that promptly delivers a digital replacement card via text or email to the cardholder, who can authenticate and add the new card into a digital wallet upon receipt. “We’ve all felt that moment of panic while on vacation—the loss of a card and the feeling of being stranded,” said Kathleen Pierce-Gilmore, global head of Issuing Solutions at Visa in an article. Visa’s new service allows issuers to offer instant, secure access to funds for their customers when they travel.
Spend more time making memories with your family and friends this summer, and less time waiting in lines to pay for food, souvenirs, transportation, and other purchases. Digital payments improve your vacationing experience and peace of mind.
