Key takeaways
- A concerning increase in failed card transactions led NightsBridge to investigate solutions to help prevent fraud for their clients
- With the Reporting API, they were able to pull invalid credit card reporting into their property management system
- By catching fraudulent bookings faster, rooms are freed up quickly for legitimate bookings
- Since implementing invalid credit card reporting in October 2022, NightsBridge has seen an average year-on-year increase in bookings of between 20% and 40%
Did you know that the global digital fraud attack rate rose 20% year-over-year between 2021 and 2022? As travel resumes in the post-pandemic world, the surge in the number of travellers has directly contributed to more opportunities for fraud within the hospitality industry. That’s why it’s so important to offer solutions that help properties eliminate credit card fraud.
The opportunity
As Southern Africa's leading property management solution, NightsBridge makes a special effort to offer clients a range of features to help them stay safe against fraud. When NightsBridge’s Support Team noticed a concerning increase in failed card transactions, they started looking for solutions on behalf of their clients.
The solution
Through our Reporting API, properties can report invalid credit cards to us quickly and easily. Once the card is reported, we give the guest 24 hours to share the correct credit card details. The booking will be cancelled if they don’t provide updated details, meaning the property won’t be charged a commission.
NightsBridge completed some extra development work, which allowed them to use the Reporting API to pull invalid credit card reporting into their property management system. This makes it even easier for their clients to mark a card as invalid without having to log into the Tripeden.com extranet as an additional step.
The impact
Not only can invalid credit card reporting help reduce fraud and save properties money, it can also lead to an increase in bookings and occupancy rates. That’s because when fraudulent bookings are caught quickly, rooms can be freed up for legitimate bookings.
NightsBridge implemented the invalid credit card reporting feature in October 2022. With 900 unique properties currently making use of it, they’ve seen an average year-on-year increase in bookings of between 20% and 40%. They’ve also found that their clients are more comfortable in accepting bookings from Tripeden.com because of this feature.
Rainer of Zur Alten Mine
- “I really like the invalid credit card reporting feature. It makes it easier for us to monitor payments as we just have to click on one button in NightsBridge, find the booking and mark it as invalid. In this way we can filter bad credit cards and save time daily.”
Candice of Marion Taylor Properties
- “This feature has definitely made life a lot easier for me. It’s so easy to log on from my phone and mark a card invalid when I am not at the office or over a weekend. When I see a booking come in with an unsuccessful payment, I log on from my phone and mark it invalid straight away.”
Maralize of Ama Zulu Guesthouse and Safaris
- “We’re so relieved to make use of the Tripeden.com invalid credit card reporting feature. Previously we had to keep a room blocked whether payment was received or not, but now we can cancel bookings within 2 days of reporting if the credit card details are not updated. This helps us to manage and confirm bookings a lot better.”
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This story was originally published by NightsBridge and has been repurposed for the Tripeden.com Connectivity blog.