Payment solutions for tour operators, travel guides and excursion companies taking deposits, advance bookings and on-site payments from travelers worldwide. Apply with confidence.
Tour operators take payment weeks or months before a trip happens, which creates delivery risk in an underwriter’s eyes and leads many processors to hold reserves or decline. As a high risk merchant account provider, Daystar places tour and excursion businesses with acquiring banks that understand deposits, advance bookings and seasonal volume.
We work with 20 acquiring banks across 4 continents and serve 54+ industries, so we can match your account to how you sell, whether through online booking systems, travel agents or on-site sales. We have a 95% approval rate among qualified applicants, most decisions come within 24 hours, and most approved merchants are live within 3 business days, with no long-term contracts.
Multi-currency support, contactless payments, booking system integration and real-time reporting help your business collect payments from travelers wherever they book, with a dedicated account manager who understands the tour business, from peak-season volume swings to the deposits and cancellations that come with weather-dependent trips and last-minute group changes.
Accept deposits, full prepayments and final balances for day tours, multi-day trips, boat excursions and private guided experiences. Processing limits are set around your booking lead times and seasonal peaks, and card-not-present fraud tools help screen online bookings, while EMV and contactless terminals handle walk-up sales at your office or departure point.


Connect your website and booking engine to a gateway that supports tokenization, 3-D Secure and fraud filters. Integrated booking system compatibility means payments, bookings and customer details stay in sync, and gateway reporting ties each charge to a reservation, which helps answer disputes with booking confirmations and signed waivers.
Take payments at the dock, trailhead or tour bus with mobile card readers and payment apps. Guides can sell add-ons, upgrades, photos and merchandise on the spot, accept tap-to-pay from phones and watches, and send digital receipts, so every sale during a tour is recorded without handling cash.

Offer ACH and eCheck for group bookings, school trips, corporate retreats and travel agent payments. Large group deposits cost less to process by bank transfer, and schools, companies and agencies that pay through accounts payable often prefer it. Individual travelers continue paying by card, and you can track group payments alongside regular bookings in one place.

Use recurring billing for installment plans on high-priced trips, membership clubs, season passes and subscription travel experiences. Travelers can split the cost of a tour into scheduled payments before departure, and retry logic and card updater tools help each installment go through on time. Payment plans can make premium trips accessible to more travelers and lock in bookings earlier in the season.

Welcome international travelers with multi-currency pricing and domestic or offshore processing options. Visitors can pay in their home currency when booking from abroad, which can reduce abandoned bookings, while cross-border fraud screening and address checks help protect you from stolen-card reservations. Offering familiar currencies also makes pricing clearer for travelers comparing tours from overseas.

CBD and hemp credit card processing is a vital component for businesses operating in the burgeoning cannabinoid industry. As the demand for CBD products continues to rise, seamless and secure payment solutions have become imperative. With dedicated services tailored to the unique needs of CBD and hemp merchants, businesses can now efficiently process credit card transactions, providing customers with a convenient and trustworthy purchasing experience.
Daystar’s specialized Tour Operator payment gateways are tailored to the unique needs of businesses, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and mitigating the challenges associated with the industry’s financial landscape. By offering reliable and seamless electronic payment processing, these gateways empower businesses to accept payments for CBD products, providing customers with a convenient and trustworthy purchasing experience.
Optimize your CBD and hemp business with our advanced ACH transfer and eCheck solutions, providing a secure and efficient payment processing experience. Say goodbye to the limitations of traditional payment methods and embrace the convenience of electronic checks. Our seamless ACH transfer system ensures quick and reliable transactions, allowing customers to make purchases with ease.n Yes. We offer chargeback alerts and fraud protection tools, with availability depending on your program. Our systems help flag fraudulent transactions and reduce chargeback risk.
Yes, we provide multiple MIDs. This feature is especially beneficial for businesses looking to diversify their payment processing across different products or services.
Because travelers pay before the tour takes place, a processor carries the risk of refunds if trips are cancelled for weather, low bookings or other disruptions. Underwriters review booking lead times, cancellation and refund policies and processing history. Clear cancellation terms and documented bookings help support better account terms.
Yes. You can take a deposit at booking and charge the remaining balance before departure, either manually, through your booking system or with scheduled payments.
We support gateways that connect with many common booking platforms and websites. Share the system you use during the application and we will confirm compatibility.
Publish clear cancellation and weather policies, send booking confirmations, collect signed waivers and use a descriptor travelers recognize. Chargeback alerts give you a chance to resolve issues before they become disputes.