Now that tourism is gradually opening up, guests cannot surely wait to book their flight away from the city and escape the COVID-lifestyle for a while after two years of staying at home. The hard reality is that leisure travel is off the table now since finances are tight as the pandemic came into our lives. Movements have been limited, so has our budget. Many people lost their jobs, got sick. and hospitalized and some died because of the virus. It was a hard knock life for us all.
For a minimum wage earner, there’s a gray sky between ‘I want to go and I need to pay my bills this month’. So, the money would rather go to ‘I need to pay for my bills first than wanting to have the vacation that I wanted.
Great news for us! The airlines heard all the cries of your heart this year! As you go online, every airline is busy flexing their travel promos all over their website. Yes, Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, came up with the ‘Fly-Now-Pay-Later’ program! So, it’s now or never…
PAL announced its tie-up with First Digital Finance Corp. (FDFC) that operates the buy now, pay later app BillEase to allow clients to pay airline tickets on an installment basis. This was last September 29!
What is BillEase Anyway?
BillEase is considered as one of the flexible alternatives to credit cards and e-wallets, enabling customers to apply for a point of sale loan and pay over 3, 6, 9, or 12 monthly installments. This can be compared to “home credit”.The BNPL service is card-free and does not require customers to sign up for a credit or a debit card.
With BillEase, PAL travelers can now take off to their go-to destinations without minding much of their finances first hand since they can now enjoy an installment plan as part of PAL’s ‘Fly Now, Pay Later program.
How does BillEase Work?
- PAL customers need 1 valid ID when signing up and are expected to get approved in less than 5 minutes to complete their booking.
- Customers will be shown the actual amount including the exact date of installments and a disclosure statement before completing the purchase. The first installment is not due until 15 days or 30 days after the trip is booked.
- So, avail now or never!
“We’re excited to enable customers to book their flights with a hassle-free payment option. Our partnership with PAL is focused on providing what customers need and delivering a differentiated customer experience for travelers,” George Steiger, CEO, and Co-Founder of FDFC said.
According to PAL SVP for Sales and Marketing Oscar Reyes, the airline is proud of the partnership they made with BillEase. Reyes added that this latest service innovation using a card-free installment solution will add more flexibility to the passenger’s flight booking process.
The fintech startup has established its name not only for PAL but with over 200+ merchants, as well as, with the major payment processors such as 2C2P, Xendit, Paynamics, Dragronpay, and UBX Philippine’s Bux.
With the ‘Fly Now, Pay Later program and PAL’s partnership with the company, this will also increase the traveler’s count, as well as, boost the promotion for the tourism industry in line with the airline’s goal.
The airline also assures that the safety of the flight members and the passengers will be always on top of their priority.
