Skift Travel News Blog

Short stories and posts about the daily news happenings around the travel industry.

Online Travel

Booking.com Is Launching a U.S. Credit Card – Who’ll Be Its Partner?

7 months ago

Booking.com hasn’t announced a deal to launch a co-branded credit card in the U.S., but a LinkedIn post Tuesday by a relatively new employee and a job opening for “manager, co-branded credit card growth & strategy,” provided grist for speculation.

In the LinkedIn post, Jonathan Rossman, whose position is listed as “co-brand credit card at Booking.com,” said he’s hiring team members and asked people to reach out if they are “interested in helping to build and grow a unique and differentiated cobrand product” at Booking.com.

Rossman, who has been at Booking.com for nine months, according to his LinkedIn profile, did previous stints at JPMorgan Chase, American Express, and British Airways.

He linked to a Booking.com job posting for manager, co-branded credit card growth and strategy, which the company described as “a new role being created to launch and manage Booking.com’s upcoming co-branded credit card in the US, a top priority market for the company.”

Booking.com tried its hand at travel inspiration. Source: Booking.com

Booking.com has been pushing for the past few years to get stronger in the U.S. It will need a partner for a co-branded credit card and it’s unclear who it will be.

One possibility? Booking.com kicked off an important partnership with Citi last month when the Amsterdam-based online travel agency and sister brand Rocket Travel began powering a newly launched Citi travel site for cardholders, CNBC reported. Booking provides flights, accommodations, rental cars, and tours and activities for the portal.

Travel Booking

Citi Is Developing a Travel Platform with Booking.com

2 years ago

Financial services firm Citi is launching Citi Travel later this year. The travel booking platform will be powered by Booking.com and its Rocket Travel subsidiary.

The portal is set to replace its existing City Thank You Travel Center website, and will offer hotel, air, and car hire options.

“Leveraging the scale and range of Booking.com, the new Citi Travel provides an unmatched breadth of hotel reservation options,” the companies said in a joint statement. “With more than 1.4 million hotels available worldwide — ranging from boutiques to beloved chains — there is the right option for every budget, vacation type and preference.”

Banks are continuing to develop travel products to gain more loyalty from their customers, giving them more options to spend their points. Capital One has recently invested in Hopper as well as private jet startup Aero.

Earlier this year, JP Morgan bought luxury travel agency Frosch, while in Nov. 2021, U.S. Bancorp acquired Will Smith-Backed TravelBank for $200 million.