Mastercard and Trip.com have started piloting an AI agent that can search for travel options, book them, and complete payment without handing the process back to a human, the companies announced at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai this week.
The tool builds on Trip.com's existing AI travel assistant, TripGenie, which previously could suggest trips but not finalise them. With the upgrade, the agent can now complete a booking directly, moving from recommendation to transaction in one flow.
How the pilot works
The project runs on Mastercard's Agent Suite for Merchants, a set of tools that lets merchants build AI-driven shopping features into their existing systems rather than starting from scratch. Mastercard is providing the payments network and gateway infrastructure that sits behind the booking process.
Network International, the regional payments company, is also part of the project, handling acquiring for the region. Together, the three companies are testing how an AI agent can carry a traveller from search through to a paid booking.
For now, the pilot is limited to select travel services such as attractions and add-on bookings, rather than full trip itineraries. A phased rollout is planned, with commercial launch targeted for early 2027.
Why it matters for Dubai and the UAE
The announcement in Dubai puts the UAE at the centre of a broader push by payments and travel companies to let AI systems handle transactions on a customer's behalf, not just answer questions. For Dubai's travel and tourism sector, a tool that can search, book and pay in one motion could change how visitors and residents plan add-on activities and attractions during a trip.
Mete Güney, Mastercard's Executive Vice President of Market Development for Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the collaboration was meant to demonstrate trust in the new approach: "Through our collaboration with Trip.com and Network International, we are showcasing how consumers can transact confidently with new solutions."
He added that Mastercard's aim is to smooth out the entire process around a trip. "Our role is to make the entire journey, from planning through to booking and payment, simpler, faster and more connected," Güney said.
What comes next
The companies have not detailed pricing or which markets will see the technology first beyond the initial pilot. With a commercial launch pencilled in for early 2027, the coming period is likely to focus on testing the agent's reliability on real bookings before it is offered more broadly.
For now, the collaboration signals how Mastercard, Trip.com and Network International see AI agents fitting into everyday travel spending, particularly for the smaller, incidental bookings that make up much of a traveller's spend once they arrive at a destination.
