Travel Industry Payments Specialist Mint Payments Becomes ABTA Partner

WHY THIS MATTERS
Mint Payments becoming an ABTA Partner signals a growing focus on specialised financial infrastructure for the travel industry. Travel businesses operate within one of the most complex payment environments, involving multi-currency transactions, long booking cycles and heightened chargeback risk. By aligning with ABTA, Mint strengthens its credibility within the UK travel sector while positioning its platform as a purpose-built alternative to legacy payment providers that have historically underserved the industry.

The partnership also reflects broader changes in the travel payments landscape. As some traditional providers have exited the market or adjusted pricing models, travel agencies and tour operators have faced increasing pressure around cash flow, settlement timing and risk management. Solutions that integrate payment acceptance, reconciliation and protection against supplier failures or chargebacks could help modernise financial operations for an industry that processes more than £40 billion in holiday bookings annually through ABTA members alone.

Travel industry fintech Mint Payments has announced it has become an ABTA Partner, meeting the organisation’s strict requirements for suppliers to the UK travel industry. 

Mint launched in the UK in 2025 with a clear vision of bringing specialist payment solutions to an underserved UK travel market, spearheaded by a strategic partnership with The Travel Network Group.

Founded in 1950, the Association of British Travel Agents, now known as ABTA – The Travel Association, is the UK’s largest travel trade body. It represents more than 4,300 travel brands, from independent high street agencies to major tour operators, with members collectively selling over £40 billion worth of holidays each year. It offers advice and guidance to the travelling public, as well as leading the travel industry in supporting high service standards and promoting responsible tourism at home and abroad. 

Being granted ABTA partnership status confirms Mint Payments has real experience and expertise in its field, and that it will support ABTA to enhance relations with ABTA members and increase the perception and professionalism of the travel industry. 

Founded in Sydney in 2007, Mint is the leading travel payments provider in Australia and New Zealand processing more than AUD $3.5bn (£1.7bn) in transactions annually. The company’s UK expansion is driven by the persistent underserving of the UK travel payments market with legacy providers having stepped away or changed pricing structures, leaving the travel sector especially exposed. As an ABTA Partner and by partnering with The Travel Network Group, one of the UK’s largest independent travel agency network consortiums with over 1,100 members and affiliates, Mint will strengthen trust, improve settlement efficiency, and provide greater protection for travel businesses. 

“We’re proud to partner with ABTA, holding the same high service standards dear to our heart,” said Simon Bowles, UK Managing Director at Mint Payments. “As a trusted payments partner to the industry, we’ve chosen to align with ABTA and support its work as a demonstration of our commitment to integrity, transparency and industry best practice. Building on our partnership with The Travel Network Group, it further underlines our commitment to offering UK travel businesses the very best industry-tailored payment solutions.” 

Mint’s platform is purpose-built for the complexities of travel, embedding payment acceptance directly into booking workflows and mid-office systems. The technology enables agencies and tour operators to accept payments across multiple methods and currencies, automate reconciliation to booking references, and manage settlements through a single unified interface.

Mint Protect provides a financial guarantee designed specifically for the travel industry, helping protect agents and operators against the financial impact of chargebacks and supplier failures – an area where traditional payment providers typically offer no protection. Unlike conventional models that rely on large rolling reserves or cash guarantees to manage risk, Mint’s approach is designed to reduce capital lock-up and support healthier cash flow for travel businesses. 

Simon added: “Travel is one of the most complex payment environments in any industry. Our platform is designed specifically for that complexity – connecting payment acceptance, reconciliation and risk management in a way that traditional providers simply weren’t built to do.”

FF NEWS TAKE
Travel payments remain one of the most operationally demanding areas in fintech, requiring infrastructure tailored to long settlement cycles, booking systems and industry-specific risks.

Mint’s move to partner with ABTA highlights the opportunity for specialist payment providers to fill the gaps left by traditional acquirers. As travel continues to digitise and international bookings grow, platforms that combine payment processing, reconciliation and risk protection in a single system are likely to become increasingly valuable for agencies and tour operators.

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