Thomas Cook India Launches Contactless Forex Cards with Google Pay and Visa

Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s omnichannel forex services provider, has announced a pioneering partnership with Google Pay to enable contactless payments via its prepaid forex cards. This makes Thomas Cook India the first company in India’s cross-border payments sector to allow customers to transact effortlessly using their mobile devices across retail tap & pay (contactless) and online via Google Pay. Cardholders will benefit from added security through Google Pay’s advanced network tokenisation standards.

The launch is in collaboration with Visa. The increasing adoption of digital payments across India’s travel industry—from business trips to leisure travel—and among Millennials and Gen Z highlights a significant market opportunity. India's rapid move towards contactless payments is evident, with the government’s data revealing that UPI processed 16.58 billion transactions valued at Rs 23.49 lakh crore as of October 2024—an increase of 45 per cent compared to the previous year. Thomas Cook’s digital platforms, including its portal, apps, and WhatsApp forex services, contribute over 20 per cent of its overall transactions, underscoring the importance of digital solutions.

Given the rising demand for seamless digital cross-border transactions, Thomas Cook’s partnership with Google Pay aims to empower Indian consumers travelling abroad—covering expenses such as accommodation, transport, dining, and shopping. Customers can add their Thomas Cook forex cards (Borderless Travel, One Currency, Study Buddy, and EnterpriseFX) to Google Pay for a quick, secure, and intuitive payment experience.

Key Benefits:

• Easy addition of Thomas Cook’s forex prepaid cards to Google Pay
• Contactless and swift payments via mobile
• Enhanced security through tokenisation
• No need to carry physical cards, reducing risks of loss or theft, and eliminating the hassle of replacements or emergency cash
• Global acceptance in 95 countries for seamless transactions

Deepesh Varma, Executive Vice President - Foreign Exchange, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, "India today represents the youngest demography, the fastest growing major economy and the fastest growing digital economy all at once. This macro-confluence is constantly driving higher expectations from payment service providers to facilitate faster, seamless, safe payments globally - via technology enabled solutions."

Varma added, "Our partnership with Google Pay & Visa, is tailor made for these Global Indians -   by simply adding their Thomas Cook forex cards to their Google Pay wallet, they can now seamlessly and securely, complete contactless, cross border transactions using their mobile devices across retail tap & pay POS or online. In addition to the unmatched convenience, our cardholders are also assured an extra layer of security via Google Pay’s state-of-the-art network tokenisation standards”

Rishi Chhabra, Country Manager, India Visa, said, “We are thrilled to introduce Visa’s contactless payment technology on Thomas Cook Forex Cards, empowering customers to make secure and seamless Mobile Tap & Pay transactions. As overseas travel surges, especially among millennials and Gen Z there is a growing demand for safe, ultra-fast payment experiences. With this collaboration, Visa reaffirms its commitment to delivering cutting-edge digital payment solutions that offer today’s travellers unmatched convenience, security, and peace of mind, right from their smartphones.”