Checkout.com has partnered with Agoda to provide AI-powered payment infrastructure supporting the online travel platform's global bookings.
According to the official press release, a central element of the partnership is Intelligent Acceptance, Checkout.com's AI solution that uses real-time network data to optimise individual transactions. The system applies intelligent routing and performance adjustments aimed at reducing failed transactions and improving approval rates. According to the companies, this capability is combined with Network Tokens and a Real Time Account Updater, tools intended to reduce false declines across payment flows that are common in global travel, including cross-border, multi-currency, and high-volume transactions.
The partnership also extends to virtual card issuing, which Agoda uses to process payments to its network of travel suppliers. Checkout.com stated that supplier payments are processed at scale through this issuing capability, supporting continuity across the travel booking chain. In addition, the companies said the arrangement is delivered through a single connected platform, giving Agoda oversight of its issuing operations.
Company comments
Pitichoke Chulapamornsri, Senior Director and Head of Fintech and Business Initiatives at Agoda, said the company's mission is to make travel accessible for all users, and that this requires payments infrastructure that can be trusted at a global scale. Chulapamornsri added that Agoda selected Checkout.com for its payment performance and technical capabilities, noting that improvements to acceptance rates support the company's continued international expansion.
Brian Sze, Head of APAC at Checkout.com, said that each completed travel booking depends on a digital payment moment that needs to function without friction. Sze added that as travel continues to digitise, AI-driven optimisation and resilient payment systems become increasingly relevant to connecting travellers, merchants, and partners across markets.
The partnership reflects a wider trend in the travel sector, where platforms operating across multiple currencies and geographies are increasingly relying on AI-based payment routing and tokenisation to manage transaction volume and reduce friction at checkout. For travel platforms managing large supplier networks, virtual card issuing has also become a mechanism for centralising control over outbound payments while maintaining operational visibility.
