A New Era of Travel: Trip.com Now Accepts USDT & USDC Stablecoin Payments—With Savings Up to 18%

Travel is getting a serious fintech upgrade. Trip.com has officially rolled out stablecoin payments—letting travelers pay for select bookings using USDT and USDC, two of the world’s most widely used USD-pegged stablecoins. The update, reported as launching on December 25, 2025, marks a meaningful step toward making digital-asset payments feel less like a niche experiment and more like a practical everyday option for global consumers.

Why this matters: real savings, not just “cool tech”

The headline grabber is cost. Early user reports highlight that paying with stablecoins can be significantly cheaper, with savings up to around 18% on flights in some cases. Hotel bookings have also shown smaller but still notable reductions (around a few percent). While the exact discount will vary by route, property, time, and market conditions, the message is clear: stablecoins can reduce friction—and sometimes reduce cost—compared with traditional card rails and cross-border payment markups.

How stablecoin checkout works on a travel platform

Unlike conventional card payments that require multiple intermediaries, stablecoin payments typically settle on-chain. Trip.com’s stablecoin checkout is designed to feel familiar: you choose your itinerary or hotel, select the stablecoin option at payment, and complete the transfer through supported blockchain networks. Reports indicate the rollout supports major chains such as Ethereum, Tron, Polygon, Solana, and in some regions also includes additional networks like Arbitrum One and TON—expanding flexibility for travelers who hold stablecoins on different wallets and ecosystems.

A key enabler is the payment infrastructure behind the scenes. Trip.com’s integration is reportedly powered by a regulated crypto payments provider, helping manage compliance, settlement, and the merchant experience so that users can pay with stablecoins without the platform needing to handle every technical detail directly.

Who benefits most?

This update is especially useful for:

  • International travelers who face foreign transaction fees or unfavorable exchange rates

  • Remote workers and digital nomads who already hold stablecoins as a day-to-day spending balance

  • Users in emerging markets where cards are less accessible or cross-border payments are costly

  • Crypto-native customers who prefer paying directly from their wallets

Stablecoin checkout can also be a speed and convenience win, particularly when traditional banking rails are slow or when card verification becomes a bottleneck during time-sensitive bookings.

What to watch out for

Stablecoin payments are not “set and forget.” Before paying, travelers should keep a few practical points in mind:

  1. Network fees and speed: Fees differ widely by chain and can change quickly during congestion.

  2. Refunds and cancellations: Refund handling may differ from card workflows. Always double-check the platform’s cancellation terms and how refunds are processed for stablecoin transactions.

  3. Wallet safety: Sending funds on-chain is typically irreversible if you enter the wrong address or choose the wrong network.

  4. Local rules: Regulations around digital assets vary by country, which may affect availability and user experience.

The bigger picture: travel meets the “internet of money”

By adding USDT and USDC, Trip.com is signaling that stablecoins are moving beyond trading and into real commerce—where users care less about buzzwords and more about price, speed, and simplicity. If adoption continues and more travel brands follow, stablecoins could become a standard payment option for cross-border bookings—especially in regions where traditional payment costs remain stubbornly high.

For travelers, the takeaway is straightforward: if you already use stablecoins, you may now have a faster, more global way to pay—and in some cases, a surprisingly cheaper one too.

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