From August 14, kulula.com now accepts credit card payments on Group Optimizer (the airline’s groups booking platform). Previously agents could only make payments via bank transfer.
In a statement the airline said: “When paying by card, you need to click on the payment gateway, select kulula, and then click submit. The amount payable is on the far right. Click on ‘Bank Cards’ and then ‘Submit Payment’ – this will take you to the next step – selecting your card type. We accept MasterCard, Visa, Amex and Diners cards.
“Select the card type you are using and complete the form with card details and click submit. You need to have a mobile phone ready as you will receive an OTP (one time pin) which must be entered.
You will receive a successful SMS and it will show on the GO screen.”
The airline added that should an agent receive a reject response, they will need to check the reason for the rejection with their bank.
A spokesperson for kulula.com told eTNW that paying by credit card will improve the turnaround time of booking. "The EFT option is a bit more time consuming for some customers because of the three- or four-dayturnaround in signing off electronic transfers, plus a 24– to 48- hour wait for funds to show which meant that sometimes bookings got cancelled, especially if customers didn’t insert the correct GRP number or didn't insert a booking reference. In this instance we would not be able to link a payment to a booking. The credit card payment option is instant."
When asked why credit card payments were not introduced sooner the airline said, "Our technology provider, Sabre Airline Solutions, had to implement specific customisation to allow the acceptance of credit cards. The original version did not have sufficient security and after the customisation the credit card now passes through the same security verification as per website, and an OTP is sent to the customer's cell phone for verification."
