20 practical checks for choosing a travel provider. They cover flights, hotels, activities, your suppliers, SDKs, microfrontends, MCP and international payments. Then you test what happens after the booking.
Give each provider the same requirements. Record what you saw, what worked and what still needs an answer.
Use the same requirements for every provider you compare.
Record what you saw and what worked.
Note what still needs an answer, and who follows up.
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.
You still need an answer or proof.
The provider has explained it in writing.
You have seen it work in your test.
The provider cannot do what you need.
Your product does not need this.
List the features you cannot launch without, and mark them with the Essential button on each check. 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.
Tick each check, 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.
Can you book the flights, hotels and other products your customers need?
A dated supplier list, launch countries, routes or properties, booking types and access requirements.
Search and book a sample using your real launch requirements. Record unavailable products and suppliers, not just the total size of the catalogue.
Can you keep your airline agreements, GDS access and direct hotel rates?
A list of your supplier contracts, supported connections, setup costs, access permissions, rate ownership and support responsibilities.
Connect one of your suppliers in an agreed test setup. Check your negotiated price, supplier reference, payment destination and support path.
What ready-made code or booking components can your team use?
The actual packages and supported versions for your web, iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native app; included screens and update policy.
Install the right package in your app. Test login, branding, loading time, accessibility, payment handoffs and returning to a booking after closing the app.
Can you add a complete travel section inside your existing product?
A list of included screens, styling options, login integration, navigation rules, languages, hosting and release responsibilities.
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.
Does each extra travel product work beyond the search result?
Dates and time slots, guest age rules, pickup details, ticket or voucher format, confirmation timing and cancellation policy.
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.
What happens when a flight, hotel and activity are bought together?
The trip record, each supplier confirmation, price breakdown, payment steps and rules for partial booking failure.
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.
What happens when the price or booking conditions change?
Price expiry, the final price check, currency, taxes, fees, bags or meal plan, and cancellation terms.
Let a price expire or change. Check that the customer approves the new price or terms before payment and booking.
Can your app tell whether a booking succeeded, failed or is still waiting?
Your request reference, provider booking ID, supplier confirmation, status lookup and status-change notifications.
Retrieve a successful, failed and pending booking. Show what the customer and support team see when the result is unclear.
What happens if the customer retries after a timeout?
Written rules for repeat requests, the reference that links attempts, how long it is kept and the booking lookup process.
Repeat a test request and simulate a lost response. Verify one intended booking and payment, or a safe status check before another attempt.
Are duplicate hotels matched without hiding different room or rate conditions?
Your own sample of duplicate listings and unclear room names, with bed type, guests, meals, taxes and cancellation rules.
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.
Which changes can you make, and who handles the rest?
Supported actions for each supplier, booking restrictions, fees, cancellation deadlines and the support escalation process.
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.
Can the customer pay and the supplier receive money in the required countries and currencies?
Supported merchant and customer countries, currencies, payment methods, exchange-rate rules, fees and payout schedules.
Use your intended customer country, charge currency and supplier currency together. Check currency conversion, authentication, declined payments and a cross-currency refund.
Can you keep your payment account, and who is responsible for the sale?
Supported payment providers and account types; who collects the money, handles disputes, pays taxes and issues refunds in each market.
Run checkout with your chosen provider. Test an interrupted payment, a duplicate callback and a refund. Confirm the agreed responsibilities in the contract.
Can finance match every charge, supplier payment, fee and refund to a booking?
Payment and booking references, currencies, virtual-card or bank-payment options, fees, payout times and exportable reports.
Follow one booking from customer charge to supplier payment and refund. Check when money actually moves, not just when the refund is approved.
Can an AI agent complete a booking only within the customer’s approval?
Available MCP tools, user identity, allowed actions, price limits, approval steps and a record of each action.
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.
Can you apply your own points, budgets and approval rules?
Points-to-money rates, points plus cash, earning or redemption rules, company policies and cancellation treatment.
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.
Can product, support and finance see what happened?
Search, checkout, booking and cancellation events; reports and exports; rules for repeat or delayed notifications.
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.
Who can see customer data, change a booking or issue a refund?
Access roles, company login options, action logs, data locations, retention rules, contract terms and current security evidence.
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.
Who owns a failed booking, overnight disruption or stuck refund?
Support hours, named escalation routes, response commitments, incident updates and the split between your team and the provider.
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.
Does the contract cover the product you tested and the cost of running it?
A quote for your traffic, bookings, suppliers, SDKs, embedded screens, payments and support, plus minimums, export rights and exit terms.
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.
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.
