Thomas Cook, SOTC launch 'travel first, pay later' scheme

Thomas Cook India and SOTC are offering customers an option to pay after returning from their holidays and have introduced new safety protocols to attract customers.

The schemes address issues related to health and hygiene during travel and also of financial risk of booking trips during the Covid-19 pandemic. The schemes were announced on Wednesday.

Customer travel expenses will be funded by a financial institution under the 'Holiday First Pay When You Return' scheme. Thomas Cook and SOTC have tied up with an institution which will carry out quick due diligence and assess credit worthiness of a potential customer. There will be no additional charges payable to the institution apart from the tour cost.

"We think it is a great customer proposition. People are still worried about committing their money on travel and this scheme removes the risk completely," said Abraham Alapatt, president and group head (marketing) of Thomas Cook India.

Customers can book holidays to domestic and a few international destinations under the scheme.

The schemes have been launched after a survey covering 4000 customers in June which revealed strong pent up demand and key pain points while travelling in the current scenario.