ConnectTravel*, a rapidly growing eSIM provider for international travelers, delivers seamless mobile connectivity in over 180 countries. Their innovative platform allows travelers to instantly activate local data plans without physical SIM cards, eliminating roaming charges and providing predictable costs for data usage abroad.
When Joshua Berg*, VP of Global Payments at ConnectTravel, joined the company in 2023, he immediately identified payment processing as a critical bottleneck for international expansion. With customers spanning 45+ countries and transaction values typically ranging from 10 to 20 euros, the company needed a payment solution that could efficiently handle their unique global requirements.
“Our previous payment setup consisted of multiple disconnected processors and gateways, which created significant integration challenges,” Berg explained. “Each time we wanted to expand into a new market, we faced weeks of development work to connect new payment methods. This was slowing down our global expansion strategy and creating maintenance headaches for our development team.”
ConnectTravel’s payment infrastructure needed to support multiple currencies, maintain strict PCI compliance, and provide a seamless branded experience that matched their travel partners’ requirements. Additionally, their fragmented payment setup was causing friction in partner airline checkout flows, leading to higher abandonment rates during the payment step. They also needed to store payment details securely for returning customers who frequently topped up their eSIM packages while traveling.
“We were spending too much engineering time on payment integrations instead of focusing on our core product,” said Berg. “With transaction values typically between 10 and 20 euros, we also needed a cost-effective solution that wouldn’t eat into our margins. But perhaps most frustrating was watching potential customers abandon their purchases because our payment flow didn’t integrate smoothly with our airline partners’ booking systems.”
The Orchestra Solutions Difference
ConnectTravel began exploring unified payment solutions and ultimately selected Orchestra Solutions for its developer-friendly approach and comprehensive global capabilities.
“What immediately stood out about Orchestra Solutions was how quickly we could integrate multiple payment methods through a single JavaScript library,” noted Berg. “Their documentation was clear, the sandbox environment let us test everything thoroughly before going live, and their team understood our industry-specific challenges around international payment processing.”
Since implementing Orchestra Solutions in early 2024, ConnectTravel has transformed its payment capabilities across two key areas:
Global Payment Acceptance
Orchestra’s global payment acceptance capabilities enabled ConnectTravel to expand into 18 new markets without the typical payment infrastructure barriers. “With Orchestra, we’ve expanded payment options by 300% while reducing integration time by 75%,” shared Berg. “Our development team can now focus on improving our core eSIM technology instead of managing payment integrations.”
The platform’s comprehensive support for regional payment methods has been transformative for ConnectTravel’s international expansion. “Orchestra already supported the payment methods our customers expected in each new market we entered – from SEPA Direct Debit in Europe to local bank transfers in Southeast Asia,” Berg noted.
Payment Routing Optimization
Orchestra’s REST API implementation provides ConnectTravel with intelligent transaction routing that optimizes for cost efficiency across their global transaction volume. “Orchestra routes each transaction to the optimal payment processor based on currency, transaction size, and geographic location,” Berg explained. “This intelligent routing optimization has reduced our processing costs by approximately 15%.”
The routing system automatically adapts to ConnectTravel’s business rules, sending European transactions to their EU-based processor for better approval rates while routing high-value transactions to their lowest-cost gateway. “The system learns from our transaction patterns and continuously optimizes routing decisions,” Berg added.
Implementation Details
ConnectTravel implemented Orchestra Solutions using both available interfaces:
REST API Integration: Used for backend payment routing optimization and transaction processing logic, allowing ConnectTravel’s systems to intelligently route transactions based on business rules.
JavaScript Library Integration: Implemented for front-end payment forms and PCI compliance, providing a seamless checkout experience while outsourcing security requirements to Orchestra’s certified infrastructure.
“Using Orchestra’s JavaScript library for our payment forms completely eliminated our PCI compliance burden,” admitted Berg. “Their team handles all the security requirements while still giving us complete control over the look and feel of our payment page.”
Key Benefits Delivered
Multi-Currency Support
By leveraging Orchestra’s connections to multiple payment gateways through a single integration, ConnectTravel now supports transactions in 42 currencies. The platform automatically routes each transaction to the most cost-effective processor based on currency, geography, and transaction characteristics.
Outsourced PCI Compliance
“PCI compliance was keeping me up at night,” admitted Berg. “Using Orchestra’s hosted JavaScript payment forms removed this burden entirely. Their team handles all the security requirements while still giving us complete control over the look and feel of our payment page.”
Card Storage for Repeat Transactions
Orchestra’s tokenization capabilities have significantly improved the experience for ConnectTravel’s returning customers. “About 65% of our customers make additional purchases while traveling. With Orchestra’s secure tokenization, they can top up their eSIM packages with a single click instead of re-entering payment details,” explained Berg.
Seamless Airline Integration
The flexibility to create customized payment experiences has been transformative for ConnectTravel’s partnerships with travel agencies and airlines. “Each of our partners has specific requirements for how payments integrate into their checkout flows,” said Berg. “Orchestra’s flexible integration options allowed us to create seamless payment experiences that feel native to each airline’s booking system. Since implementing Orchestra, we’ve seen checkout abandonment rates drop by 40% across our airline partnerships. This has helped us secure 12 new major travel partnerships in the past year.”
Growing Together
Since implementing Orchestra Solutions, ConnectTravel has experienced remarkable growth. Transaction volume has increased by 230%, and the company has expanded into 18 new markets.
“When we started with Orchestra, we were processing about 8,000 transactions per month. Now we’re handling over 25,000 monthly transactions across 42 currencies,” said Berg. “Throughout this growth period, the system has scaled flawlessly, and Orchestra’s support team has been incredibly responsive.”
The partnership has also enabled ConnectTravel to introduce innovative payment features. They recently launched a multi-currency wallet that allows travelers to load funds in their home currency and spend in local currencies without conversion fees.
When asked to describe Orchestra Solutions in one sentence, Berg replied, “It provides the flexibility and global reach we need without the complexity that typically comes with it.”
As ConnectTravel continues to expand its global footprint, Orchestra Solutions remains a critical enabler of their growth strategy. “Payment processing used to be a limitation for us—now it’s a competitive advantage,” concluded Berg. “Orchestra has helped us turn a technical challenge into a business opportunity.”
* Company and executive names have been masked for privacy
