Agoda.com, a leading Asian hotel booking site and a part of Priceline.com, today announced a partnership with Carte Bleue, offering Agoda’s French members an additional method of secure online purchase. Operated by Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB, Carte Bleue or ‘Blue Card’ is an integrated debit card system that links to the card-holder’s chosen bank accounts and allows for quick and secure purchases across multiple platforms.

A ‘smart card’ that acts like an ATM card, the micro-chipped, PIN-protected Carte Bleue is accepted almost universally across France and handles approximately 220 million international transactions a year. Carte Bleue holders can use their card to pay for everything from metro tickets to household utility bills – it’s accepted in most shops and restaurants within France, and Visa-partnered cards can be used to withdraw money from automatic tellers internationally. Thanks to this partnership with Agoda, Carte Bleue holders can now use their card to book discount room rates through the Agoda website.

CEO of Agoda, Michael Kenny, commented on the partnership: “The addition of Carte Bleue to the Agoda site is part of our commitment to maximizing convenience and security for our members. Agoda recently added PayPal and the Chinese debit card iPS to the site and will continue to add more payment options to ensure travelers from all parts of the world feel secure when they book through Agoda.com.”

Listing more than 103,000 properties worldwide, Agoda gives its members freedom of choice when it comes to booking discount room rates and continues to promote the spirit of independent travel through expanding its selection of payment methods.

For more information regarding Agoda, please access its website at http://www.agoda.com or contact the Agoda team via email at [email protected] .