AGODA has made it easier for travellers who find it “inconvenient” to pay for their accommodation in one lump sum to do so in instalments.
The digital travel platform makes this possible through a regional partnership it just formed with “buy now pay later” technology company, Atome, to offer flexible instalment payment option for accommodation bookings.
Under the partnership, which started on 21 December, the payment option is implemented first in Singapore and Malaysia. Next year the option will be expanded to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Travellers, currently from Singapore and Malaysian, can pay for their accommodation in three easy zero interest payments with no additional charges or service fees by selecting Atome at checkout on agoda.com or the Agoda mobile app.
Commenting on the partnership Agoda vice president of commercial finance, Darren Makarem, said the instalment option would enable travellers “to spread the costs over multiple payments by choosing to pay with Atome without incurring additional costs.”
David Chen, CEO of Atome, added that “as more borders in Asia re-open for travel in 2021 our regional partnership will allow even more Agoda travellers to enjoy this payment convenience and flexibility at checkout, improving the customer experience.”
Atome, headquartered in Singapore, launched its service in December 2019. Its online and offline retailers include Sephora, Zara, Marks & Spencer, IUIGA and iStudio across verticals such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, homeware and travel.
• Featured image credit: AlexLMX/Getty Images
