Swiipr, an airline payment fintech, has partnered with Google to launch an instantly provisioned digital compensation card, eliminating the need for passengers to download an app to receive funds. The new airline pay-out product leverages Google’s pioneering Web Push Provisioning (WPP), enabling travellers to add a digital payment card directly from their web browser to their Google Wallet. Airlines then instantly load the cards with funds, quickly giving passengers compensation or food and drink payments at the point of disruption.
Swiipr’s WPP-driven digital solution is particularly suited to limited use, lower value, time-sensitive pay-outs, such as when passengers are disrupted, and airlines need to provide immediate assistance or compensation.
“This is a major step forward on our relentless quest to move compensation away from legacy systems like paper vouchers, bank transfers, and cash. By making the wallet provisioning experience faster and more frictionless, we can drive broader adoption of mobile compensation technology and create an industry-leading experience,” said Tara Spielhagen, co-founder and CEO at Swiipr.
More than 500 million passengers are estimated to be affected by flight disruption each year, costing airlines billions of dollars in administrative fees and payouts. Swiipr’s digital payment cards offer a modern alternative to outdated disruption payment methods, and are used by passengers across 150 airlines worldwide, including flag carriers such as British Airways and Iberia.
“Our new digital product addresses the number one question we hear from airlines considering digitizing their compensation system: ‘Will our passengers need to download an app?’ Now, we’re pleased to say the answer is ‘No’, making the mobile payments process smoother than ever and helping airlines become truly digital in the last mile of the passenger journey,” added Swiipr co-founder Ian Clowes.
Jonathan Hill, head of transit partnerships at Google Wallet, said,
“With this new integration, Swiipr is making it easier than ever for customers to add their cards to Google Wallet and start paying securely with just a few clicks.”