After two years of isolation and numerous trip cancellations, you might be wanting to de-stress by taking a short vacation. In fact, it’s not just you who is itching to travel again! The travel industry across India is quickly catching up to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Whether an adventurous trip to Ladakh or a sun bath on Goa’s beaches, the visitor traffic is high everywhere.
As a result of the growing demand, many financial institutions have introduced a travel now, pay later option to make travel and leisure activities more accessible. So, if you are planning your next trip, you should learn everything about this product and how it can help your travels become more memorable
.
What is Travel Now Pay Later finance?
Travel now, pay later is a kind of buy now, pay later (BNPL) financing scheme that allows you to pay for your travel-related reservations without having to incur anything out-of-pocket. If paid within the specified time frame, most loans have a no cost EMI option. However, if you miss a payment, the lender will charge you an interest on the principal amount.
How does Travel Now Pay Later financing work?
The travel now, pay later is available from a variety of financial institutions. In this type of financing scheme, the disbursements are broken down into small amounts and divided into a series of payments. You must make the first payment when you check out of the hotel.
Financial institutions that provide this loan have tied-up with various hotels, airlines, restaurant chains, and a few more travel facilitators. The collaboration enables these partners to offer the BNPL service on their websites.
Let's understand the specifics of this scheme with the help of an example.
Assume you want to book your trip through a travel agency named XYZ Tours Ltd. The company has partnered with a few financial institutions to offer travel now, pay later. When you choose this option, you will be required to pay the availed funds over a set period at a fixed annual percentage rate (
APR), which includes an interest component and various charges. Once your booking is complete, you can set off on your trip without paying anything to XYZ Tours Ltd. The payment cycle starts only after you have completed the trip.