ARC has expanded its suite of automated credit card
processing services to include transactions processed via an API (application programming interface).
The move, explained ARC's director of payment products
Joseph Cavanagh, will position ARC for
an anticipated increase in direct connect transactions within the travel
industry as use of IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC) expands.
"We want to get out in front of that," Cavanagh
said. "We wanted to make sure that we have an avenue available for
agencies and aggregators if they want to go down that road."
The new payments facilitator, called ARC Pay API, extends
ARC's automated credit card acceptance abilities to third-party integrators and
travel industry organizations, including agencies. It joins ARC's primary
automated credit card processing service, which streamlines payments within the
GDSs, as well as a third ARC payment platform, which facilitates web-based
credit card processing for home-based agents. ARC on Wednesday rebranded the
GDS platform, formerly called TASF, as ARC Pay GDS. ARC also rebranded the
home-based agent platform, changing its name from Agent's Choice to ARC Pay
Hub.
Cavanagh said that likely users of the new ARC Pay API
include travel agencies that are selling air through an NDC aggregator such as
ATPCO's NDC Exchange, or via an airline direct connect supported by a company
such as Farelogix. The product could also be used by OTAs that want to add
payment services, he said.