Travel agency merchant accounts UK

Travel agencies hold customer money for delivery in the future. Card schemes treat the long delivery gap as elevated chargeback risk; collapses (Thomas Cook, Monarch) sharpened the rules.

Legal status (UK)

Legal with ATOL / ABTA membership where applicable. Strong consumer-protection regulation.

Acquirers accepting

  • Specialist travel acquirers
  • Trust Payments (selectively)
  • Acquirers with ATOL-aware programmes

Typical pricing

Rate
2.0% to 3.5%
Settlement reserve
Variable; can be substantial; sometimes settled into a trust account rather than direct

Watch outs

  • ATOL / ABTA membership documentation required.
  • Trust-account arrangements for advance payments.
  • Section 75 protection where credit cards are used adds chargeback exposure.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-26.