AI transforms travel payments and fraud protection — The National
In Dubai, travel and payment companies discussed the use of artificial intelligence for trip bookings, expense control, currency transactions and fraud prevention. As The National reports, AI is being integrated into payment services to reduce the number of payment declines, help travelers monitor their budgets and personalize the payment experience.
Detecting suspicious transactions
Adyen’s head for the Middle East, Daumantas Grigaravicius, noted that a single trip may involve bookings, purchases and payments across several countries, currencies and systems. According to him, problems arise, in particular, when payment is declined because an anti-fraud rule was triggered by an unusual market, when a service does not offer the required payment method, or when the price is displayed in a currency that makes a purchase decision more difficult.
Adyen said it uses dynamic behavioral analysis instead of one-time identity checks. The system assesses the transaction patterns of customers and companies and flags operations that deviate from the usual pattern. Grigaravicius said this approach is intended to reduce fraud and the number of false payment declines. According to him, the International Air Transport Association, IATA, previously estimated annual losses from payment fraud at at least $1 billion.
Budget and currency transactions
Abdulhamid Ahmed, founder and chief technology officer of Emirati fintech company Halala Plus, said that AI can automatically analyze a traveler’s expenses throughout a trip. Such tools can warn about exceeding a budget or dynamically set aside small amounts in savings.
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He also pointed to predictive hedging of currency risks for private clients: platforms can forecast exchange-rate fluctuations and advise when to pay for a hotel or a major purchase in foreign currency. Another area is the so-called invisible checkout, in which the system biometrically verifies identity and processes a multi-currency payment without presenting a card.
AI agents for the entire journey
At the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai, Trip.com and Mastercard demonstrated the TripGenie AI assistant. According to Siddharth Sudhakar, Trip.com’s representative for the Middle East and North Africa, it helps compare options and manage bookings by combining travel content, destination knowledge and up-to-date offer data.
Grigaravicius believes that in the future AI agents may manage an entire journey, from search and booking to payment, while taking into account booking history, preferred airline alliances, payment methods, aircraft seats, room parameters and dietary requirements. He also cited Salesforce research according to which 80% of organizations in the UAE plan to use AI agents by 2027.
