POLi opens up online payment options for more travellers
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - - POLi Payments growth in the online travel space continues to gain momentum with the recent
announcement of two high profile airlines to their merchant platform. Etihad Airways and Cathay Pacific now offer the
benefits of POLi’s direct bank transfers as an online payment option, further extending POLi’s reach across the
international traveller market.
Air New Zealand was an early adopter of POLi in 2009, providing online customers with the option of direct bank transfer
for travel purchases, and in doing so, opening up their service to potential customers who did not own a credit card, or
who wanted to avoid a credit card surcharge. “Over 40% of POLi’s customer base own a credit card and yet there is still
a very strong preference for consumers to use their own funds rather than credit when buying online” said Jeff Skidmore
Director of POLi NZ. Since Air New Zealand, POLi has acquired a growing list of major airlines including Virgin,
Jetstar, Air Asia and now Etihad and Cathay Pacific.
Now in New Zealand, you can pretty much travel the length of the country using POLi’s convenient and secure payment
system, from Air NZ, Jetstar, InterCity and Naked Bus to the InterIslander. InterCity launched POLi in September 2010
with customers quick to switch within the first few minutes of the system going live. InterCity has continued to
experience growth in POLi transactions, up 30% year on year.
POLi’s growth has not been isolated to the travel industry, with the company experiencing a notable lift in customer
transactions of 52% from 2013 to 2014 and significant growth in merchant numbers of 83% for the same period. “We’ve
experienced some impressive growth in 2014, and with some exciting opportunities in the pipeline for 2015, we expect to
see similar growth in the coming year” said Skidmore. “We’ve been fortunate to have had some loyal early POLi adopters
and, like a lot of innovation, we’re beginning to see the rewards of the early years starting to pay off,” said
Skidmore. “As our merchant numbers grow, and the POLi user experience continues to improve we are seeing more and more
customers switching to the convenience and security of POLi bank transfers for their online travel, bill payment and
shopping. This is in part because POLi is the leading solution in the market, but also because it’s easy to use, and
offers a viable alternative payment to online shoppers.
ends