South African Fintech Cuts Travel Payment Fees From 8% to 1.6%

African safari lodges and tour operators offer world-class experiences, but they've been quietly losing thousands of dollars just to accept international bookings.

For years, tourism businesses across the continent have paid up to 8% in fees every time a guest from overseas books a stay. Between card processing charges, foreign exchange spreads, and cross-border costs, a meaningful chunk of revenue disappears before it reaches the businesses providing those unforgettable experiences.

TurnStay, a three-year-old South African fintech, decided that problem had gone unnoticed for too long. The startup built payment infrastructure specifically for African travel businesses, using modern digital payment rails including stablecoins to move money across borders faster and cheaper.

The result? Fees as low as 1.6%.

"The less merchants pay in fees, the more money stays in Africa," said Alon Stern, TurnStay's CEO and co-founder. "The experiences African travel businesses offer are already world-class. We think the payment infrastructure behind them should be too."

The company processed over $60 million in travel payments during the first half of 2026 alone. It now serves luxury hospitality brands including Singita, Londolozi, and Safari.com, with operations spanning South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and Mauritius.

TurnStay uses a merchant-of-record model similar to what global platforms like Airbnb employ, but brings that same infrastructure directly to individual African lodges and tour operators. A small safari company can now access the same payment advantages as a multinational corporation.

The Ripple Effect

When tourism businesses keep more of what they earn, that money circulates through local economies. Guides get paid, conservation efforts receive funding, and communities around national parks and wildlife reserves benefit from sustainable tourism that actually reaches them.

The company started with just two founders and an idea three years ago. After raising $300,000 in pre-seed funding and $2 million in seed funding, TurnStay is now preparing for Series A financing to expand across the continent.

For Stern, the rapid growth proves that African tourism operators don't need to accept higher costs as inevitable. "Three years ago there were two of us and an idea," he said. "Now we're processing over a billion rand every six months for some of the best-known names in African travel, and we have just begun."

Every percentage point saved in payment fees means more resources for the people and places that make African travel extraordinary.