How Authentic Vacations saves $10k a month on FX with Airwallex

Since 2001, Authentic Vacations has been crafting customized travel experiences that go beyond the ordinary. Starting with tailor-made trips to Ireland, the company has expanded to offer handcrafted itineraries across Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Italy – all while staying true to its core mission: delivering authentic experiences with unparalleled service.

With a team of travel experts and offices in London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Santa Rosa, and Scottsdale, Authentic Vacations takes care of the research, planning, and booking – so travelers can focus on immersing themselves in unforgettable moments. Whether it’s a scenic drive through Scotland’s Highlands, a luxury stay in Italy’s countryside, or an adventure through Iceland’s dramatic landscapes, every itinerary is designed to inspire and reflect what travelers have always imagined.

But while Authentic Vacations delivers a seamless, high-end experience for its clients, managing payments behind the scenes was a different story. The company’s supplier payment processes were complex, time-consuming, and cutting into profit margins – creating operational inefficiencies that needed a smarter solution.

The challenge

With suppliers like hotels, car hire, tour, and experience providers based in Europe, Authentic Vacations had to pay suppliers by card in currencies other than their home currency, resulting in high cross-border fees. To add complexity, many suppliers require advance payment by card in Euros or GBP.

Authentic Vacation’s payment processes were manual and fragmented. To prevent disruptions for its customers and suppliers, it needed a solution that cut cross-border payment costs and reduced FX fees. The business needed to make its entire transaction process seamless – as smooth as its front-end customer experience.

Simon Russell

CEO of Authentic Vacations

“Never underestimate the complexity and cost of paying suppliers by card in currencies other than your home country’s currency. You need a solution like Airwallex; the product is fantastic, the commercials are compelling, and the team is a joy to work with.”

The solution

And that’s when Authentic Vacations found Airwallex. Speaking with Authentic Vacations CEO Simon Russell, he said that the Airwallex solution has “significantly simplified the process of using USD client receipts to pay suppliers outside the US at a much lower rate than our previous providers."

Using Airwallex’s local payment rails to replace its global bank, the company could remove the staggering 2–5 day transfer time and now send USD to NZD in just a few hours.

The administrative headaches have gone, and they have been replaced with significant cost savings, more streamlined fund management between different currencies, and a direct link to Netsuite for accounting.

The Authentic Vacations payment processes are now well-oiled and frictionless for everyone – customers, suppliers, and internal finance teams.

The result

Authentic Vacations has saved $10,000 monthly on FX, 3% per card transaction, and its bank transfers now only take a few hours instead of 2–5 days with SWIFT.

The time and cost savings can now be redistributed elsewhere in the business, and they can enjoy a more streamlined management of funds between different currencies.

Simon Russell

CEO of Authentic Vacations

“Because of Airwallex, we’re enjoying significant cost savings and a more streamlined management of funds between different currencies, which is essential for our travel agency.”