Travala.com, a blockchain-based travel booking service, announced on Thursday it has joined forces with cryptocurrency payments platform BitPay to power Travala.com’s new Travel Gift Cards. According to Travala.com, the collaboration will enable cryptocurrency holders to purchase gift cards redeemable for over three million travel products on the Travala.com platform.
Travala.com further explained that its Travel Gift Cards will be available to purchase using any of the 30+ cryptocurrencies supported on the company’s travel booking platform, in addition to credit and debit card options.
“Through BitPay, travellers can now convert up to twenty thousand dollars to a Travala.com Travel Gift Card when cryptocurrency market conditions are favorable and use it to book travel anytime in the future, with the Travel Gift Cards having no set expiry date.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Juan Otero, CEO of Travala.com, stated:
“Travel gift cards are a product that we’ve been wanting to offer to our customers for a while, so we’re delighted to have found a partner in BitPay to help bring the idea to life. With the unprecedented pent-up demand for travel following lockdowns across the globe, and with Christmas just around the corner, the partnership allows us to provide a practical, secure, and flexible solution to giving the gift of travel and getting travellers excited about exploring the world again as restrictions ease.”
Sonny Singh, Chief Commercial Officer at BitPay, added:
“Cryptocurrency is ideal for travel expenses, including airlines, hotels and rental cars, as there are no foregin exchange fees and can be used globally. Working with Travala.com, we can offer them a way to accept crypto while reaching new customers who want an innovative and safe payment option.”
Travala claims it has become the world’s leading blockchain-based traveling booking platform that is trusted by thousands of customers worldwide. The platform currently offers over two million hotels and accommodation covering 90,124 destinations in 230 countries and territories.
“Travala.com’s vision is to align travel booking with the ethos of decentralised technology. That being, promote accessibility to anyone, anywhere, offer censorship resistant and peer-to-peer transactions, and build open-source technology controlled by software and governed by users. We aim to be 15% cheaper than the rest of the market, travellers can use 21 different cryptocurrencies in addition to credit/debit cards to pay for accommodation bookings on the website, whilst having the option of earning real-world valued rewards with every booking.”