Is taking credit card payments — or using the wrong cards when you travel — costing your business more than it should?

Greg Bottenhorn thinks travel business owners need to keep a close eye on the way they use and process cards, both to keep their clients’ funds safe and to keep their costs low. As chief marketing officer at fintech company Jassby, he specializes in helping tour operators leverage payment technology to meet their needs in innovative ways. He joins this episode of the podcast to walk you through the world of travel payments and show you how to save time and money.

Greg discusses the basics how credit and debit card processing fees work. He explains the secrets of foreign transaction fees and shares how new card technology allows tour companies to offer trips that are both flexible and fully inclusive. Plus, we have news about an impending “hotel recession” in the U.S.; a Road Tip about dealing with excess travel swag; and a Hot Minute about the relationship between AI and the travel industry.

Greg had a lot of interesting ideas about the best way to handle funds and payments in the context of travel. Here’s what he had to say about the benefits of using debit cards on the road:

“A debit card links directly to your funds, but that means you can control how many funds are accessible via that card. You can keep that amount lower or move money to that card every day…. I’ve always found that challenging purchases with my bank, who I have relationship with, has been far easier than when I try to challenge a credit card transaction… I would much rather have that conversation with my local bank than a credit card 800 number.”

Plus, he had great perspectives on:

Find Jassby online at jassby.com.

Learn more about GroupCollect at groupcollect.com/gatherandgo.

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1:16 — Travel News: A “hotel recession” in the U.S.?

2:41 — Road Tip: What to do with your tourism swag

8:54 — Your source for great FAMs

12:43 — Is cashless the future of travel?

14:42 — When fintech meets tourism

16:43 — Who gets a cut of your credit card fees?

20:26 — Can you reduce your company’s processing costs?

23:20 — Beware foreign transaction fees

27:37 — Credit vs. Debit: Which is better for travel?

30:04 — How secure are credit cards today?

32:41 — How tour companies are using prepaid cards on trips

47:42 — Hot Minute: Does AI understand tourism?

See the full interview with Greg on our YouTube channel.

Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.