Alternative Airlines adds BNPL flight payments via dLocal

dLocal has partnered with Alternative Airlines to add local buy now, pay later payment options for flight bookings in emerging markets, initially in Colombia and Brazil.

Alternative Airlines will join dLocal's BNPL Fuse service, which connects merchants to local instalment payment providers through a single integration. The travel booking company will offer Addi in Colombia and Pagaleve in Brazil, giving customers the option to spread the cost of flights and travel packages over time.

The agreement addresses a common challenge in travel retail across developing economies, where airfares are often large purchases but access to traditional credit remains limited. Under the model, Alternative Airlines receives full payment upfront while local lenders manage repayment with the traveller.

For online travel agencies, adding local deferred payment methods market by market often requires separate technical work and commercial agreements in each country. By using a single connection to BNPL Fuse, Alternative Airlines aims to expand those options without setting up individual relationships with each provider.

Brazil is a particularly important market for instalment payments. The long-established practice of parcelado, in which consumers split purchases into monthly payments, accounts for more than half of credit card spending in the country, according to the companies.

That matters because many consumers in emerging markets still do not have a credit card. Citing World Bank data, the companies said only about 10% to 15% of consumers across those markets hold one, leaving a gap between demand for higher-value purchases and access to conventional finance.

Travel bookings sit squarely in that gap. Flights and packages can be among the largest one-off household expenses, particularly for international travel, and flexible payment plans can make those purchases easier to manage.

Market reach

BNPL Fuse currently spans eight countries and reaches more than 500 million potential buyers through its network of local providers. dLocal presented the Alternative Airlines partnership as a way to broaden the use of instalment-based travel payments beyond markets where credit card use is already well established.

The companies plan to extend the set-up to additional markets, including Chile and Pakistan, as well as other countries in Asia and Africa. Those regions have seen rising outbound travel demand while credit card penetration remains comparatively low.

Alternative Airlines operates a global flight search and booking platform that works with many airlines. Flexible payment options have become increasingly important for travel sellers looking to reduce cart abandonment on expensive bookings and cater to customers who prefer to spread payments into smaller amounts.

Buy now, pay later providers have traditionally been associated with retail purchases such as fashion and consumer electronics, but travel has emerged as a notable category because of its higher average transaction values. The model also suits customers who may need to secure a fare quickly but prefer not to pay the full amount at booking.

dLocal focuses on payment infrastructure for merchants operating across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Its broader business includes payment acceptance, payouts and cross-border settlement for companies seeking access to consumers in markets where local payment systems and regulations differ significantly.

For travel businesses, that fragmentation can be especially difficult to navigate because booking platforms often sell into dozens of markets at once. Adding local payment methods can improve conversion rates, but integrating separate lenders, contracts and settlement arrangements can be costly and slow.

Sam Argyle, Managing Director, Alternative Airlines, outlined the commercial logic behind the deal.

"Making travel accessible has always meant more than just search and price; it means giving people a real way to afford the trip," Argyle said. "BNPL Fuse lets us bring that same flexibility to markets where a credit card was never part of the equation, without having to build a relationship with every local lender ourselves."

Clarice Leaman, Alternative Payments Operations Lead, dLocal, said the company sees travel as a natural use case for instalment finance in emerging economies.

"Travel is one of the clearest cases for buy now, pay later in emerging markets because the price tag is bigger and the decision takes more thought," Leaman said. "Alternative Airlines already thinks about consumer affordability the way we do. Our job is to make sure that mindset works the same way in Bogotá as it does in São Paulo, and eventually everywhere else they fly."