BSP (Billing & Settlement Plan)

The IATA system through which agency ticket sales are settled with airlines (ARC is the US equivalent). It centralises the reporting and financial settlement between travel agencies and airlines, so agencies don't need a separate billing relationship with every carrier they sell. Any agency or TMC that issues air tickets typically needs BSP (or ARC) accreditation to do so.

BSP works as a financial clearing house between accredited agencies and participating airlines. Instead of paying each airline separately, an agency reports all tickets it has issued during a reporting period, BSP calculates the amounts due, and the agency makes a single payment that BSP then distributes to the relevant carriers. The same system handles refunds, exchanges and adjustments through standard documents, which makes the process transparent and easy to audit for both sides.

To join BSP, an agency must meet IATA accreditation requirements, including financial standards and guarantees, qualified staff and compliance with ticketing rules. For a company choosing a travel provider, accreditation is an important sign of reliability: an accredited agency or TMC can issue tickets on many airlines directly, process refunds and exchanges through established channels and is subject to regular financial checks. It is worth confirming this status as part of any supplier review.

For Tumodo's clients, all of this happens in the background. As an IATA-certified company, Tumodo issues airline tickets on behalf of its clients, and the company pays one provider rather than dealing with each airline separately — either in advance or on a postpayment basis. Invoices, acceptance certificates and accounting reports are generated automatically and can be downloaded in PDF or XLS format, while refunds are requested in one click and confirmed with a refund certificate.