20 practical checks for choosing a travel provider. Cover flights, hotels, activities, your suppliers, SDKs, microfrontends, MCP and international payments—then test what happens after the booking.
Updated 20 September 2026 · By OnArrival · No signup required
Use one worksheet per provider. Write down the products, suppliers and countries you tested. A successful test booking does not prove that every supplier supports the same features.
Use a consistent status
Documented: the provider has explained it in writing. Demonstrated: you have seen it work in your test. Unsupported: the provider cannot do what you need. Unconfirmed: you still need an answer or proof. Out of scope: your product does not need this.
Decide what is essential
List the features you cannot launch without. One missing essential feature can matter more than many smaller checks passing. The completion count below is not a provider rating.
Use the provider’s test environment for booking, cancellation and payment tests. Agree how to check the live setup before your customers start using it.
Your evaluation worksheet
Choose a status, add your notes and name the person who will follow up. Entries stay in this tab; download or print before leaving. Nothing you enter in the worksheet is submitted to OnArrival.
0 of 20 checks marked demonstrated. Review essential features before deciding.
Products and integration
01
The travel products and markets you need
Can you book the flights, hotels and other products your customers need?
What to ask for
A dated supplier list, launch countries, routes or properties, booking types and access requirements.
What to test
Search and book a sample using your real launch requirements. Record unavailable products and suppliers, not just the total size of the catalogue.
02
Bring your own suppliers
Can you keep your airline agreements, GDS access and direct hotel rates?
What to ask for
A list of your supplier contracts, supported connections, setup costs, access permissions, rate ownership and support responsibilities.
What to test
Connect one of your suppliers in an agreed test setup. Check your negotiated price, supplier reference, payment destination and support path.
03
SDKs for your website and apps
What ready-made code or booking components can your team use?
What to ask for
The actual packages and supported versions for your web, iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native app; included screens and update policy.
What to test
Install the right package in your app. Test login, branding, loading time, accessibility, payment handoffs and returning to a booking after closing the app.
04
Microfrontends and embedded screens
Can you add a complete travel section inside your existing product?
What to ask for
A list of included screens, styling options, login integration, navigation rules, languages, hosting and release responsibilities.
What to test
Use the full flow inside your app: search, checkout, confirmation and booking management. Test back buttons, expired sessions, deep links and an update to the embedded section.
05
Activities, transfers and buses
Does each extra travel product work beyond the search result?
What to ask for
Dates and time slots, guest age rules, pickup details, ticket or voucher format, confirmation timing and cancellation policy.
What to test
Book an activity and a ground journey you plan to sell. Check the voucher, meeting point, passenger details and what happens if the operator cancels.
Booking and after-sales
06
A trip with several products
What happens when a flight, hotel and activity are bought together?
What to ask for
The trip record, each supplier confirmation, price breakdown, payment steps and rules for partial booking failure.
What to test
Make one part fail in a test trip. Check what remains booked, what was charged, what the customer sees and how the missing part is fixed.
07
Price changes before purchase
What happens when the price or booking conditions change?
What to ask for
Price expiry, the final price check, currency, taxes, fees, bags or meal plan, and cancellation terms.
What to test
Let a price expire or change. Check that the customer approves the new price or terms before payment and booking.
08
Booking confirmation and status
Can your app tell whether a booking succeeded, failed or is still waiting?
What to ask for
Your request reference, provider booking ID, supplier confirmation, status lookup and status-change notifications.
What to test
Retrieve a successful, failed and pending booking. Show what the customer and support team see when the result is unclear.
09
No duplicate bookings or charges
What happens if the customer retries after a timeout?
What to ask for
Written rules for repeat requests, the reference that links attempts, how long it is kept and the booking lookup process.
What to test
Repeat a test request and simulate a lost response. Verify one intended booking and payment, or a safe status check before another attempt.
10
Hotel and room matching
Are duplicate hotels matched without hiding different room or rate conditions?
What to ask for
Your own sample of duplicate listings and unclear room names, with bed type, guests, meals, taxes and cancellation rules.
What to test
Compare the sample. Keep refundable and non-refundable rates, different meal plans and different guest limits distinct. Mark this out of scope if you only sell flights.
11
Changes, cancellations and support
Which changes can you make, and who handles the rest?
What to ask for
Supported actions for each supplier, booking restrictions, fees, cancellation deadlines and the support escalation process.
What to test
Change or cancel one eligible booking. Also test a case that needs manual supplier help, and identify who owns it and how the customer is updated.
Payments and finance
12
International payments and currencies
Can the customer pay and the supplier receive money in the required countries and currencies?
What to ask for
Supported merchant and customer countries, currencies, payment methods, exchange-rate rules, fees and payout schedules.
What to test
Use your intended customer country, charge currency and supplier currency together. Check currency conversion, authentication, declined payments and a cross-currency refund.
13
Your existing payment provider
Can you keep your payment account, and who is responsible for the sale?
What to ask for
Supported payment providers and account types; who collects the money, handles disputes, pays taxes and issues refunds in each market.
What to test
Run checkout with your chosen provider. Test an interrupted payment, a duplicate callback and a refund. Confirm the agreed responsibilities in the contract.
14
Supplier payments, refunds and reports
Can finance match every charge, supplier payment, fee and refund to a booking?
What to ask for
Payment and booking references, currencies, virtual-card or bank-payment options, fees, payout times and exportable reports.
What to test
Follow one booking from customer charge to supplier payment and refund. Check when money actually moves, not just when the refund is approved.
Controls and running the service
15
MCP and AI booking approvals
Can an AI agent complete a booking only within the customer’s approval?
What to ask for
Available MCP tools, user identity, allowed actions, price limits, approval steps and a record of each action.
What to test
Complete an approved test booking through the agent. Try an unapproved purchase, an over-budget price, changed terms and a repeated call. Check the system blocks unsafe purchases.
16
Loyalty points and company travel rules
Can you apply your own points, budgets and approval rules?
What to ask for
Points-to-money rates, points plus cash, earning or redemption rules, company policies and cancellation treatment.
What to test
Book with points and cash, cancel part of the trip and check both balances. For business travel, test a booking outside policy and the approval path.
17
Booking events and useful reporting
Can product, support and finance see what happened?
What to ask for
Search, checkout, booking and cancellation events; reports and exports; rules for repeat or delayed notifications.
What to test
Trace a test booking from your app to the supplier and payment reports. Count one successful booking once and keep failed requests out of conversion totals.
18
Access, customer data and security
Who can see customer data, change a booking or issue a refund?
What to ask for
Access roles, company login options, action logs, data locations, retention rules, contract terms and current security evidence.
What to test
Check that a restricted user cannot change a booking or refund it. Review how customer data is exported, deleted and protected across the app, provider and suppliers.
19
Support when something goes wrong
Who owns a failed booking, overnight disruption or stuck refund?
What to ask for
Support hours, named escalation routes, response commitments, incident updates and the split between your team and the provider.
What to test
Walk through an out-of-hours disruption with product, support and finance. Agree the owner of each step and how you will keep the traveller informed.
20
Full cost and switching providers
Does the contract cover the product you tested and the cost of running it?
What to ask for
A quote for your traffic, bookings, suppliers, SDKs, embedded screens, payments and support, plus minimums, export rights and exit terms.
What to test
Price a normal month and one with many changes and refunds. Agree how existing bookings will still be supported if you move to another provider.
Before you sign
Keep your test results with the written quote. Agree who will fix each essential gap and by when. If you switch providers, confirm who will handle old bookings, supplier payments and refunds.
For enterprise teams
Show us what you want to build.
Bring your travel products, target countries, app platform and supplier contracts. We can walk through the booking experience, payment setup and support your business needs.
