BCD Travel has launched the travel industry’s first Virtual Card Acceptance (VCA) Rating. The system was developed in partnership with global payments company Conferma.
The VCA Rating evaluates hotels based on successful virtual card processing. It scores properties on a one to 10 scale.
The rating is integrated across BCD platforms. Travellers and agents can filter search results by virtual card acceptance, while travel buyers can benchmark suppliers and make data-driven negotiation decisions.
Corporate virtual card adoption is set to triple by 2030, according to Vantage Market Research. The launch builds on the expanded BCD–Conferma partnership.
The VCA Rating is powered by live transactional data captured through Conferma Connect. This provides payment reliability information across currencies, banks and hotel chains.
Hotels must be enrolled in Conferma Connect to receive a score. This ensures results are based on verified payment activity rather than manual reporting.
The system removes the need for travellers to manually report hotel charges. Travel buyers can identify suppliers that consistently provide frictionless payment experiences.
Neil Fyfe, head of payment solutions at BCD, said: “True transformation requires more than technology it requires transparency, trust, and collaboration across the entire payments ecosystem. Our VCA Rating is a pivotal step, giving customers actionable insight to streamline operations and build traveler confidence.”
Stuart Davenport, chief product officer at Conferma, said: “By making virtual card acceptance transparent, we’re moving the industry toward an intelligent, interoperable ecosystem, one that benefits buyers, travelers, and suppliers alike.”