The document provides an overview of virtual payment cards, outlines the benefits and challenges they pose
to hotels, and recommends alternatives for identifying virtual payment cards and handling them most
appropriately within the limitations of current systems.
The corresponding Technical Specification, HTNG Virtual payment cards 2015A Technical Specification,
provides guidance on a standardized systems approach. It outlines and defines the HTNG scenarios and
business processes for including virtual payment card information as part of the reservation delivery process,
based on OpenTravel Alliance messages. It provides details on a series of messages that simplify the process
of issuing, modifying, cancelling and transmitting virtual payment cards along the entire booking chain.
In creating this handbook, HEDNA and HTNG sought input from their members, including hotel chains,
payment providers, global distribution systems (GDS) and software/application providers. Both associations
encourage the widest possible dissemination of this document and adoption of the specifications herein.
This will help hotels understand the challenges associated with virtual payment cards, address relevant issues
when engaging with distribution partners and develop suitable operational policies. Additionally, as
providers across the booking network update their systems in accordance with the specifications as defined,
this shared set of enhancements will provide an efficient and common method for delivering the information
that hotels need to process virtual payment cards appropriately