Bitcoin takes flight: Webjet partners with Australian startup BitPOS

Online travel booking platform Webjet is now accepting bitcoin as a payment method through its Webjet Exclusives site.

It’s the first online travel agency in Australia to accept bitcoin and the payment process will be facilitated by Sydney-based bitcoin startup BitPOS.

BitPOS is a bitcoin payment gateway that settles transactions by trading the bitcoins provided by the consumer and passing it on to the merchant in their preferred currency.

BitPOS founder Jason Williams says bitcoin sales have zero chance of fraud and are cheaper than traditional online payment methods. BitPOS takes a 1% cut of the transaction.

“For BitPOS, it’s a big win in Australia for us. Webjet is the biggest name we’ve got and I can’t tell you how proud I am to make that happen,” he says.

“It’s very, very exciting. Even if I wasn’t a part of BitPOS this is very exciting for the bitcoin community in general.”

CEO of Webjet Exclusives, Paul Ryan, says Webjet’s excited to be the first online travel agency in Australia to accept bitcoin.

“It’s an innovative addition to the existing payment options available on site. We are dedicated to providing our customers with a wide range of choice and flexibility in how they can purchase their travel deals,” he says.

“In this particular case, we are excited to extend this payment option to the community of bitcoin users that have relatively limited choice in terms of online retailers in the Australian market.”

The Webjet Limited Group is trialling bitcoin on Webjet Exclusives before potentially rolling it out across its other products, including flights, accommodation and travel insurance.

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