American Express Global Business Travel has been granted a licence to sell a wider range of UK rail tickets.
The TMC now becomes a “direct UK rail retailer” after receiving the Travel Agent Licence (TAL) from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents UK train operators. The move means that Amex GBT will have responsibility for sales, refunds and customer care.
Rachel Tonge, vice president of SME client management EMEA at Amex GBT, said: “Gaining an RDG Travel Agent Licence means we can invest more in rail retailing, increase our advocacy for the industry, and better meet our customers’ needs around sustainability, well-being and rail buying strategies.”
The TMC has been with working RDG since 2021 to “support greater use” of rail within corporate travel programmes. Amex GBT is also taking part in the Green Travel Pledge, which is an initiative by RDG to provide emissions data for domestic rail journeys.
Paul Bowden, commercial director at Rail Delivery Group, added: “We believe business travel is better by rail and we welcome Amex GBT’s increased focus on rail as the most sustainable mode of travel, as well as their strong commitment to improving customer experience.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to make rail their first choice. We have significantly increased our engagement with the business travel community and value our strong relationship with Amex GBT.”