According toForesight News , Trip.com, a subsidiary of the Trip.com Group, has recently started supporting USDT and USDC payments, and even offers booking prices that are "cheaper than the official website," sparking heated discussions. From advocating for financial freedom to the accelerated deployment of giants like PayPal and Stripe, the global payment revolution led by stablecoins may first spread to the travel and e-commerce industries.
Trip.com's tests show that booking tickets with stablecoins is cheaper and supports multiple blockchain payments.
Trip.com has officially opened payments to global users using USDT and USDC, supporting multiple public chains including Ethereum, Tron, Polygon, Solana, Arbitrum One, and TON.
Foresight's test results showed that booking hotels and purchasing tickets in Vietnam using USDT took less than 10 minutes, a very smooth experience. Furthermore, using USDT to book flights on the same route was 18% cheaper than using traditional payment methods on the Ctrip App, and hotel costs were reduced by 2.35%.
However, ABMedia tests showed that no stablecoin payment option was displayed when changing the VPN to the United States, Vietnam, or Japan, or when changing the currency to US dollars, Japanese yen, or Vietnamese dong.
Triple-A becomes a driving force for global corporate crypto payments; stablecoins pave the way for cross-border transactions.
Trip.com's encrypted payments rely on payment gateways and settlement services provided by Triple-A, a licensed institution in Singapore.
The company's partners span both crypto and traditional businesses, including Singapore's transportation network giant Grab , US cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com , financial payment provider Visa , and blockchain security service provider Fireblocks .
Meanwhile, credit cards serve as a traditional gateway for global cross-border transactions, but only about 125 to 130 million people worldwide hold credit cards, representing more than 80% of the population who cannot make cross-border payments at low cost.
For consumers in markets such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and India, USDT has become a globally accepted currency that can bypass the banking credit system. Even though it is still limited by the drawbacks of third-party platform fees and technical barriers, its accessibility and liquidity are rapidly filling the credit card gap as the user experience matures.
( Stablecoins: How can low transaction fees disrupt payment networks? )
From PayPal to Stripe: Why are tech giants rushing to integrate stablecoins and blockchain?
This year, global industry giants are flocking to the stablecoin field. From PayPal launching PYUSD, Stripe launching a stablecoin issuance platform and payment-type L1 blockchain , Ant Group applying for a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin license, to BYD, Toyota , YouTube , and Interactive Brokers also accelerating the integration of cryptocurrency payments and deposits.
The reason these companies choose to build their own blockchains or issue their own stablecoins is that by vertically integrating and controlling the entire technology stack, they can reduce external dependence, lock in profit margins, and avoid having key business components controlled by others.
As fiat currencies depreciate daily: US dollar stablecoins become "alternative currencies" in some countries.
With the widespread phenomenon of significant depreciation of global currencies against the US dollar, stablecoins have become a payment alternative in some countries, including Bolivia, Iran, Nigeria, Turkey, and Egypt, and are expected to rapidly drive a comprehensive overhaul of payment channels in cross-border e-commerce, tourism, and manufacturing in the future.
This article, "Trip.com Quietly Opens Stablecoin Payments, Making Flights and Accommodation Cheaper?", first appeared on ABMedia, a ABMedia .
