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KembaraXtra – Travel Terms: agents’ payment systems
Airline ticket reporting and payment was the first major area to be automated. In the US, the IAR system and direct debit are covered under ARC, while in the UK the Bank Settlement Plan is covered under BSP; the entry notes the UK base cycle is monthly (debit on the 17th of the following month) while the US base cycle is weekly. It describes ABTA’s Single Payments System (SPS) for non-BSP sales and explains that uptake has been limited partly because large UK tour operators run direct debit systems such as Thomson’s TABS and Kuoni’s KAB, while Worldchoice agents use ACAS. The entry explains SPS remains in development toward becoming a standard system, is free for agents but charges operators a small fee, and that system costs are partly supported by interest on funds in transit. It then outlines SPS operations: operators issue weekly deposit/amount-due listings and upcoming 42-day departures; agents can view and amend Monday–Wednesday; changes are reported to operators; agents are debited Friday morning; operators are credited Monday morning. It also notes US agents can process service fees through ARC’s TASF programme, with ASTA members potentially accessing better deals via ASTA/Chase Merchant Services.KembaraXtra – Travel Terms: agents’ payment systems
Airline ticket reporting and payment was the first major area to be automated. In the US, the IAR system and direct debit are covered under ARC, while in the UK the Bank Settlement Plan is covered under BSP; the entry notes the UK base cycle is monthly (debit on the 17th of the following month) while the US base cycle is weekly. It describes ABTA’s Single Payments System (SPS) for non-BSP sales and explains that uptake has been limited partly because large UK tour operators run direct debit systems such as Thomson’s TABS and Kuoni’s KAB, while Worldchoice agents use ACAS. The entry explains SPS remains in development toward becoming a standard system, is free for agents but charges operators a small fee, and that system costs are partly supported by interest on funds in transit. It then outlines SPS operations: operators issue weekly deposit/amount-due listings and upcoming 42-day departures; agents can view and amend Monday–Wednesday; changes are reported to operators; agents are debited Friday morning; operators are credited Monday morning. It also notes US agents can process service fees through ARC’s TASF programme, with ASTA members potentially accessing better deals via ASTA/Chase Merchant Services.KembaraXtra – Travel Terms: agents’ payment systems
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