Travel sector sees highest e-commerce cart abandonment, report finds

Inclusive global payments platform Ecommpay has released a benchmark report analysing the payment strategies of the UK’s top 10 online travel agencies (OTAs), highlighting opportunities to recover billions in lost bookings.

The report, Payment Strategies of Leading UK Travel Companies, reviews the verified 2025 payment stacks of major OTAs including Booking.com, Airbnb, TUI, Expedia, and Jet2holidays.

It found the travel sector has the highest cart abandonment rate in e-commerce at 81.7%, with 37% of drop-offs linked to payment issues such as limited payment options, lack of trust, and card declines. Optimising payment strategies could unlock an estimated £16.5bn in recoverable revenue for the UK travel industry.

The analysis shows that leading OTAs prioritise mobile-first payment experiences, including digital wallets and frictionless mobile checkout flows to address conversion gaps. Affordability options such as buy now, pay later (BNPL) and instalment plans are also widely used to support higher-value bookings.

The report also highlights the growing role of local payment methods and open banking in improving cross-border conversion and reducing costs.

“Travel businesses can no longer afford to treat payments as back-end plumbing,” said Roy Blokker, Head of Strategic Sales at Ecommpay. “Our analysis shows that the leading OTAs are already turning checkout into a strategic product.”

The ITIJ team recently spoke to experts about how affinity partnerships between travel insurers and OTAs are formed to drive growth and benefit travellers.