Mastercard and Glyde target travel payment challenges with virtual cards
Mastercard has partnered with South African payment platform Glyde Payments to launch virtual card payments for travel businesses in Southern Africa, simplifying supplier transactions, strengthening payment security, and modernizing cross-border settlements.
Powered by the Mastercard Wholesale Program, the new solution lets travel agencies and travel management companies generate a unique Virtual Card Number (VCN) for each booking and supplier transaction. The initiative marks the first issuance of a Mastercard Wholesale Program card in Southern Africa.
The platform allows businesses to set specific payment controls for each virtual card, including transaction amounts, eligible merchants, and validity periods. This is expected to give travel companies greater control over supplier payments while improving transaction visibility and reducing the risk of fraud and chargebacks.
The solution is intended to address some of the operational challenges facing B2B payments in the travel industry by simplifying payment reconciliation and supporting faster supplier settlements.
The Travel and Tourism sector was forecast to contribute ZAR 659.8 billion (approximately $ 39.86 billion) to the country’s economy in 2025, representing 8.9% of gross domestic product (GDP).
“Travel is one of the most powerful engines of growth across Southern Africa, and the businesses behind every journey deserve payment tools designed for the way they work. We are proud to collaborate with Glyde on this innovative solution for the travel industry in Southern Africa. By bringing the Mastercard Wholesale Program to the region, we are providing travel companies with a smarter, safer, and more transparent way to pay suppliers around the world.” Said Darryl Adriaanzen, country manager, Southern Africa at Mastercard.
Additionally, the Mastercard Wholesale Program is designed specifically for B2B travel transactions and has facilitated payments to more than 400,000 suppliers across multiple countries. The programme builds on more than a decade of Mastercard’s virtual card innovation in the travel sector.
Glyde has also integrated compliance and reporting capabilities for international transactions into its platform, enabling travel businesses to manage cross-border supplier payments with greater transparency.
“We built Glyde to make payments effortless for the businesses that keep the travel industry moving. Collaborating with Mastercard allows us to combine our travel payments platform with the scale and trust of a global network. Travel companies across Southern Africa can now issue a virtual card for every transaction, with the control, reporting and compliance they have always needed.” Added Paulina Klotzbücher, CEO of Glyde Payments.
The collaboration extends Mastercard’s existing work with travel payment providers in Europe and other markets, bringing its virtual card capabilities to Southern Africa’s travel sector.
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