Expedia Group partners with Flex Pay for cruise bookings

Expedia Group has chosen Flex Pay to bring flexible payment options in Canada and the U.S. to travelers booking cruise vacations across five Expedia Group brands including Expedia Cruises, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com.

Travelers can now use Flex Pay, a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution from Upgrade. This payment option, available across over 750 travel and retail brands, allows travellers to finance their cruise experiences in simple, and affordable monthly installments.

"We believe travel should be accessible to everyone," stated Matthew Eichhorst, president of Expedia Cruises at Expedia Group. "With the introduction of Flex Pay, we're not just offering payment options; we're opening doors to experiences that once may have seemed out of reach. By allowing travelers to spread costs over time, we're making dream cruises more attainable and enabling the exploration of the world on one's own terms."

It marks the expansion of a longstanding offering of financing through Flex Pay (formerly Uplift) that enables travelers to enjoy unforgettable cruise adventures while managing their budgets more effectively.

With its bank partners, Flex Pay offers no-interest financing that it says increases booking volume, conversion, and order value by 15-25 per cent.

"We are excited that Expedia Group has chosen Flex Pay, the leader in travel BNPL, to power their cruise booking," said Tom Botts, president of Flex Pay, in a statement. "This partnership builds on the success of our cruise division, which achieved a 23 per cent year-over-year growth in bookings in 2024, driven by both increased volume and order value. With products like no-interest loans and on-board financing, we take pride in helping partners like Expedia Group and their cruise lines expand their reach, attract more customers, and boost revenue."

Through Flex Pay, travellers can spread their payments over three to 24 months.

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