Traveloka to shut down bill payment, top-up services in October

Traveloka app / Photo credit: Traveloka

Traveloka, the Indonesia-based online travel giant, will stop offering bill payment and top-up services in October this year. This includes payments for phone credits, utilities, and electricity tokens.

Tech in Asia has reached out to Traveloka for comment.

Closure announcement for bill payment and top-up services / Photo credit: Screenshot from Traveloka’s app

Some services, such as payments for housing taxes and other property-related bills, will be phased out starting August 11, according to a notification on the app. The housing tax feature was the result of Traveloka’s collaboration with the Indonesian government, which was announced in September 2019.

At the time, the company said that it aimed to facilitate payment access for the country’s unbanked population.

Bill payment and top-up features are common among Indonesia’s top tech players as a way to encourage users to transact on their platforms regularly. Aside from Traveloka, peers like Tokopedia, Bukalapak, and Gojek offer this feature.

However, the travel industry’s post-pandemic resurgence appears to have led Traveloka to reprioritize its business and focus on its core travel vertical. Late last year, the company shut down its food delivery, logistics, and e-grocery services.

That was followed by a US$300 million funding round from BlackRock and the Indonesian government. Earlier this year, however, the unicorn also laid off some of its employees across different markets, many of whom were from its fintech division.

In addition to Indonesia, Traveloka currently operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

See also: ‘Silent’ layoffs at Traveloka following COO’s departure