CellPoint Digital, the leading provider of payment solutions for the airline industry and a global pioneer of Payment Orchestration, today announced a strategic partnership with PayU GPO, a leader in global payments and innovative fintech and a premier payment services provider (PSP) across emerging markets.

The partnership will increase the payment options available to travel merchants that work with both companies, enabling more seamless entry into new regions with PayU GPO’s localised offerings and alternative payment methods (APMs). PayU GPO operates across over 50 emerging markets, with a strong presence in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

Its expertise will extend CellPoint Digital’s capacity to support travel merchants in expanding their regional footprints with greater ease and efficiency. CellPoint Digital merchants have already committed to using PayU GPO, and integrations are underway.  

Through the partnership, merchants will benefit from the APM Hub serving as a centralised hub for contracting and onboarding, whilst gaining access to PayU GPO’s streamlined services, high approval rates, and swift payment processing.

Expanding Access to Alternative Payment Methods

Crucially, CellPoint Digital’s merchants will, through a single integration, gain access to various market-specific options offered by PayU GPO, including alternative payment methods (APMs), which are popular in emerging markets where traditional methods are less prevalent. In Latin America, for example, APMs accounted for 39% of the region's digital commerce volume in 2022.

Merchants with a presence or plans to expand in the region can offer cash vouchers, a widely used APM in Latin America, through the PayU GPO partnership. According to CellPoint Digital’s Payments Come of Age report, 31% of regional airlines plan to offer vouchers as a payment option within the next 6-12 months, compared to the global industry average of 25%.

Similarly, CellPoint Digital merchants will be able to offer Colombian travellers without a credit or debit card the option to pay directly from their bank accounts, thanks to PayU GPO’s partnership with PSE, an established platform used by more than 26,000 businesses across Colombia.

Joining Forces to Unlock Growth in Emerging Markets

“CellPoint Digital is a perfect partner for us to establish a strong foothold in the aviation sector. We anticipate significant interest from its merchants, who see alternative payment methods (APMs) as a key to breaking into emerging markets, where our expertise lies,” said Michiel Knoester, Partner Manager EMEA at PayU GPO.

The Latin American airline sector has experienced a comparatively swift recovery, with IATA forecasting that 2024 will surpass 2023. PayU GPO’s platform, which offers one of the broadest selections of local and global payment methods, leverages the latest AI and fintech solutions to ensure a smooth checkout experience for customers worldwide. This simplified processing, combined with extensive support for APMs and CellPoint Digital’s leading Payment Orchestration platform, creates a powerful solution that will deliver tangible benefits to merchants across the travel sector.

“APMs are the future, particularly in Latin America and other high-growth emerging markets. PayU GPO has all the right credentials to help us expand APM offerings and enable our merchants to capitalise on localised payment solutions that better meet their needs,” added Andy Sale, Head of Partnerships at CellPoint Digital.