Travel payments glossary

KYC (Know Your Customer)

The process of verifying the identity of a customer to meet anti-money-laundering rules.

Plain-English definition

KYC is the process of verifying the identity of a customer — and, where relevant, the beneficial owner behind a business customer — to meet anti-money-laundering and financial-crime rules. It typically involves identity documents, address verification, watchlist screening and ongoing monitoring. Different regulators set different thresholds and acceptable evidence.

Why it matters in travel

KYC obligations apply at different points in travel: at merchant onboarding with the acquirer, at agent or partner onboarding for B2B flows, sometimes at the customer level for higher-risk products such as multi-currency cards and prepaid travel money. Missing KYC creates real financial-crime risk for the business.

KYC requirements in travel are unevenly applied: a customer paying for a holiday rarely faces KYC, but a partner being paid a six-figure commission absolutely should. Travel businesses that grow internationally pick up KYC obligations they did not have before, and the speed of compliance can determine whether a new market is a fast-launch or a multi-month negotiation.

The travel businesses that handle KYC well build it into onboarding as a routine step, with evidence stored against the partner or customer record alongside the booking and payment context. The businesses that defer it accept regulatory risk and operational lag every time a counterparty changes ownership, jurisdiction or product mix.

How felloh helps

felloh helps travel businesses keep KYC evidence linked to the supplier, partner or customer record it relates to, so the trail is available when a bank, acquirer or regulator needs it.

Connect the dots.

See how payments, settlement, refunds and reporting evidence connect around every booking.