Thomas Cook India has become the first forex card provider in the country to enable contactless cross-border payments through a new partnership with Google Pay and Visa.
This milestone allows customers to simply add their Thomas Cook forex cards — Borderless Travel, One Currency, Study Buddy, and EnterpriseFX — to Google Pay and make swift, secure payments overseas using just their mobile phones. The feature works for both tap-and-pay at retail outlets and online transactions, while Google Pay’s network tokenisation ensures enhanced security.
The launch comes at a time when India’s travel and payments landscape is rapidly going digital. UPI processed over 16.5 billion transactions worth ₹23.49 lakh crore in October 2024 alone — a 45% jump from the previous year. Thomas Cook has also seen 20%+ of its forex business come from digital platforms, including its website, apps and WhatsApp.
This new solution aims to make travel payments effortless for Indian customers—across accommodation, transport, dining, shopping and more—while eliminating the need to carry physical cards.
Key Benefits:
- Easy addition of Thomas Cook forex cards to Google Pay
- Quick, contactless mobile payments
- Extra security with tokenisation
- No need to carry physical cards, avoiding risk of loss/theft
- Global acceptance across 95 countries
Deepesh Varma, Executive Vice President – Foreign Exchange, said, “India’s young, digital-savvy travellers expect faster and safer ways to pay. By simply adding their Thomas Cook forex cards to Google Pay, they can now make secure contactless payments worldwide—without carrying physical cards.”
Rishi Chhabra, Country Manager, India at Visa, added, “As overseas travel surges, especially among millennials and Gen Z, this collaboration delivers the fast, safe, mobile-first payment experience they want.”