In emerging markets across Africa & Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, local payment preferences, regulation, and fragmented rails make it hard for travel tech companies to monetize demand at scale. dLocal provides the payment infrastructure layer that connects your global platform to local methods, currencies, and partners—so you can focus on building better travel experiences, not managing payments country by country.
Use it when you:
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Need to collect bookings and fees from international and local travelers
using trusted local methods (cards, real-time payments, wallets, bank transfers, cash, BNPL).
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Run an OTA, marketplace, booking engine, or travel SaaS
and must orchestrate payins and payouts for multiple suppliers, partners, or properties.
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Want to reduce refund and chargeback friction
for cancellations, itinerary changes, and no-shows in high‑ticket transactions.
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Manage multi-currency contracts with hotels, agencies, and travel suppliers
and need dependable settlement in a few major currencies (e.g., USD, EUR) while keeping local experiences for travelers.
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Are expanding across 60+ emerging markets
and need one partner for payins, payouts, invoice-based B2B flows, and reporting.
The challenge for Travel Tech in emerging markets
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Your current stateThe challenge for Travel Tech in emerging markets: High-ticket cross-border bookings with local preferences
Travelers want to pay in local currency, often with installments, BNPL, wallets, or real-time payments, not just international cards.
Failed payments hinder growth.
Travel Tech SolutionSolutions: Localized payins for bookings and travel services
Use Payins to accept high‑value bookings, ancillary services, and in‑trip purchases in travelers’ local currencies and preferred methods—from domestic cards and real‑time bank transfers to wallets, BNPL, and cash‑based options. Local acquiring and smart routing help improve approval rates and reduce cross‑border declines.
Higher approval rates, fewer minor rejections
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Your current stateThe challenge for Travel Tech in emerging markets: Complex multi-party settlement
One booking can involve multiple stakeholders (OTA, GDS/aggregator, hotel, airline, insurer, local agent) that all need accurate, timely payouts in different currencies.
Complications in the payment flow
Travel Tech SolutionSolutions: Reliable local payouts to hotels, hosts, and suppliers
With Payouts, you can pay properties, airlines, mobility partners, DMCs, and agencies in their own currencies and preferred payout methods (bank, card, wallet, mobile money), while dLocal handles FX and local rails in each country.
Higher approval rates, fewer minor rejections
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Your current stateThe challenge for Travel Tech in emerging markets: Refunds, chargebacks, and itinerary changes
Cancellations, no‑shows, and changes are common and can quickly turn into operational overhead and lost revenue if refunds and disputes aren’t streamlined.
Revenue loss from refunds and disputes
Travel Tech SolutionSolutions: Fraud, disputes, and operational control
Combined with dLocal’s broader tooling, you can reduce chargebacks and fraud related to high‑ticket bookings, no‑shows, and itinerary changes, and centralize dispute handling so finance and risk teams see the full picture.
Frictionless fraud protection
Key solutions for Travel Tech
Explore solutions-
Payins
The core of your subscription revenue
Learn more about PayinsCollect bookings, extras, and in‑trip payments in travelers’ local currencies using 1,000+ methods across 60+ countries, with local acquiring and smart routing.
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Payouts
Pay using your preferred method and currency.
Learn more about PayoutsPay hotels, hosts, airlines, mobility partners, DMCs, and agencies in their preferred methods and local currencies, with FX handled by dLocal.
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Invoice Collection
For B2B or enterprise subscriptions
Learn more about Invoice CollectionManage B2B and wholesale agreements with agencies, corporate clients, and supply partners using local‑currency invoices and streamlined FX and settlement.
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dLocal for Platforms
Designed for platforms with multiple participants
Learn more about dLocal for PlatformsPower marketplace and aggregator models with sub‑accounts, balances, and split payments in a single transaction for multi-party bookings.
Benefits for your travel tech company in emerging markets
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Higher conversion and revenue in emerging markets
Local payment methods, Smart Routing, and options like BNPL increase approval rates, reduce abandonment, and boost average order value for high-value bookings.
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Simpler operations and reconciliation
A single integration for pay-ins and pay-outs across more than 60 markets reduces the number of local providers, automates reconciliation, and unifies your reporting.
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Reduced regulatory and FX complexity
dLocal’s entities and licenses handle currency controls and local taxes, safeguarding margins without the need to establish proprietary banking structures.
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Faster expansion and experimentation
Scale to new countries and test business models or commercial partners using the same payment integration, without redesigning the technical architecture.
Key payment flows
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Customer bookings and travel payments
For most travel tech businesses, the core flow is search - book - pay - confirm
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Traveler selects an itinerary and currency
They choose flights, hotels, packages, or services and see prices in their local currency, with taxes and fees handled based on local rules.
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Traveler chooses a local payment method
At checkout, they pick from locally relevant options: domestic and international cards, real-time payments (e.g., Pix‑like schemes), bank transfer, wallets, mobile money, cash vouchers, or BNPL/installments, depending on the market.
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dLocal processes the payment locally
dLocal routes the transaction via local acquirers and payment rails, using smart routing to maximize approvals and reduce declines, then confirms authorization in real time.
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Booking is confirmed
Your platform confirms the booking or service, while dLocal manages any necessary authentication flows and secure payment handling behind the scenes.
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Changes, cancellations, and refunds
When a booking is changed or canceled, you trigger a full or partial refund through dLocal. Refund status and chargebacks are tracked centrally, so you can reconcile net revenue per market and supplier.
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Marketplace payins and supplier payouts
For OTAs, aggregators, and platforms, there is a multi-sided flow:
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Traveler pays the platform at checkout
A single checkout covers accommodation, transport, extras, and fees.
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Funds are attributed to multiple suppliers
Your platform calculates the split per supplier (hotel, airline, DMC, service provider) based on your commercial model.
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Balances and sub‑accounts are managed via dLocal for Platforms
dLocal tracks balances by supplier, country, and currency, supporting multiple sub‑accounts under your main account.
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Payouts are executed to suppliers
Using Payouts, funds are distributed in local currencies via bank, card, wallet, or mobile money, aligned with your payout schedules and thresholds.
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Fees, commissions, and taxes are retained
Your commission, fees, and any applicable taxes or withholdings are accounted for, with clear reporting in the dLocal dashboard.
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B2B invoices and agency/supplier payments
For B2B contracts, agencies, and wholesale arrangements:
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You issue a local‑currency invoice
Through Invoice Collection, you issue an invoice to a travel agency, corporate client, or supply partner in their local currency.
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Partner pays using local methods
The agency or partner pays via cards, bank transfers, real-time payments, or other local methods supported by dLocal.
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dLocal collects and converts funds
dLocal collects funds locally and handles FX conversion and settlement so you receive funds in your chosen currency (e.g., USD or EUR).
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Reconciliation aligns B2B and B2C flows
B2B payments appear alongside B2C bookings and platform flows in a single reporting layer, making it easier to reconcile total revenue and payouts.
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Mobility and in‑trip payments (where relevant)
For travel tech with mobility or in‑trip services:
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Traveler books or orders in-app
(e.g., a ride, transfer, tour, or extra service).
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They pay via card, wallet, or real-time bank transfer
at checkout or post‑trip.
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dLocal handles high‑frequency payins
and instant or scheduled payouts to drivers, guides, or partners using local rails.
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Industry-Relevant Payment methods
For travel tech in emerging markets, the right mix of payment methods per country directly affects conversion, risk, and margin:
View all payment methods-
Cards (local and international)
Core for many online bookings, especially when combined with 3DS, tokenization, and smart retries to keep high‑ticket payments flowing.
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Real-time payments
Schemes like Pix in Brazil and other instant rails are ideal for time‑sensitive bookings and last‑minute purchases, often with lower failure rates.
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Digital wallets and SuperApps
Essential in many Asian and some LATAM markets, where wallets are the default online payment method, especially on mobile.
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Mobile money
Critical across parts of Africa, where mobile money is the primary digital rail and often the best way to reach unbanked or underbanked travelers and partners.
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Cash vouchers and cash‑based networks
Allow cash‑preferring users to pay for digital travel services via local stores and agents, bridging offline and online.
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BNPL and installments
Particularly relevant for high‑AOV travel bookings, enabling travelers to spread payments over time while merchants still receive funds up front.
Got questions?
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How does dLocal handle refunds and chargebacks for travel cancellations?
When a booking is canceled or changed, you initiate refunds through dLocal using the same channels used for the original payment where supported.
Chargebacks and disputes for card and relevant methods are centralized in one workflow, so your teams can manage them consistently across markets, with clear visibility into net revenue after disputes.
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Can we use dLocal only for emerging markets alongside our existing global PSP?
Yes. Many travel tech companies use dLocal specifically for emerging markets, while keeping other PSPs for mature regions.
You route traffic to dLocal based on geography, product, or brand strategy, then combine dLocal’s settlement and reporting with other providers in your internal treasury and BI tools.
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How do you support multi-party flows for OTAs and travel platforms?
With dLocal for Platforms, you can define sub‑accounts, balances, and split rules per supplier, market, or product line.
A single traveler payment can be split between multiple parties, with funds held, settled, or paid out according to your commercial logic and local regulations.
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In which currencies can we receive settlement?
You can typically receive settlement in major currencies such as USD or EUR, while dLocal collects funds in local currencies from travelers and partners.
FX conversion and fund remittance are handled according to pre‑agreed models, so your teams can focus on pricing and margin rather than daily FX operations.
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How long does it take to go live with dLocal for Travel Tech?
Timelines depend on scope and integration model, but the single API and standardized flows are designed for fast onboarding.
Many merchants start with priority markets and methods, then expand coverage, add payouts, and introduce platform or invoice-based flows as they grow.
Are you ready to turn more interested prospects into customers who book?
If you’re ready to turn travel innovation into global growth across Africa & Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, talk to dLocal about how our solutions can power your travel tech expansion in emerging markets.
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