Wednesday, 16 September 2026 01:18 PM
Product Announcements
Hold My Seat Now is building its travel platform around a simple idea: Give travelers more flexibility between deciding to take a trip and paying the full cost of airfare.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / September 16, 2026 / Vacations, family visits, destination weddings and international trips are often planned months in advance. Paying for the flight, however, can require hundreds of dollars at once.
That gap between planning a trip and being financially ready to purchase the airfare is one of the problems Atlanta-based travel technology company Hold My Seat Now is seeking to address.
The company, which officially launched its platform this month, allows eligible travelers to select qualifying flights and repay an eligible portion of the ticket cost through scheduled installments.
The idea is straightforward: Instead of treating airfare as a purchase that must always be paid in full on the day a traveler finds a flight, Hold My Seat Now has built a service specifically around advance travel planning.
"We believe people should have more flexibility when planning something as important as travel," said Giscard Borgard, founder and CEO of Hold My Seat Now. "Finding the right flight and being financially ready to pay the entire amount do not always happen on the same day. We built Hold My Seat Now around that reality."
Why Timing Matters When Planning Air Travel
Airfare is different from many everyday purchases because travelers are often shopping for something they will not use for weeks or months.
A traveler may know about a December family trip in September. Someone attending a wedding may know the destination six months ahead. Families planning summer vacations can begin searching even earlier.
Hold My Seat Now allows customers to search for flights scheduled as far as 364 days from the booking date. For eligible bookings, the company purchases a refundable ticket in the traveler's name after the required initial payment is received and verified.
The company's current platform provides access to flights across more than 120 airlines.
The installment structure applies to up to $999 of an eligible ticket price. When a ticket costs more than $999, the amount above that limit is included in the customer's initial payment. The specific payment schedule, service fee and other applicable amounts are disclosed during checkout.
A Model Built Specifically Around Flights
The growing availability of installment payments has changed how consumers think about paying for many types of purchases. Hold My Seat Now is taking a travel-specific approach.
Under the company's published terms, Hold My Seat Now operates as a fee-based flight reservation and installment repayment service rather than a traditional lender. The company says it does not charge interest on installment repayments and does not require a traditional credit check or Social Security number for its payment plans. Customers instead pay a service fee that is disclosed before completing checkout.
Those distinctions are important because flexible payments do not eliminate the customer's financial responsibility.
Customers are still responsible for making their scheduled payments, maintaining a valid payment method and reviewing the cancellation and refund conditions associated with their booking. The initial payment is generally nonrefundable under the company's current terms, except when Hold My Seat Now declines or is unable to complete the requested booking.
The company also generally purchases refundable fares as part of its model. However, a refundable airline ticket does not mean every payment made to Hold My Seat Now is refundable; the company's terms specify separate rules for initial payments, later installments and cancellations.
Giving Travelers Another Way to Plan
For Hold My Seat Now, the larger opportunity is not simply introducing another payment option. The company is trying to change when travelers feel comfortable beginning the booking process.
Someone planning a trip months ahead may be able to search for an itinerary based on schedule and destination rather than waiting until the entire ticket price is available.
That can give travelers another option when organizing trips around paydays, household budgets and other financial commitments.
Hold My Seat Now's platform currently supports flight searches for one-way and round-trip itineraries and includes filtering options based on price, trip duration, number of stops and cabin class.
As the startup moves beyond its initial launch, the company says its focus will include improving the booking experience, expanding customer adoption and developing relationships across the travel industry.
"We want the experience to feel like it was designed for travelers from the beginning," Borgard said. "Our goal is to make planning a flight more manageable while being clear with customers about what they are paying, when payments are due and what the terms of their booking are."
About Hold My Seat Now
Hold My Seat Now, Inc. is an Atlanta-based travel technology company offering a flight reservation and installment repayment platform. Eligible customers can search qualifying flights, make an initial payment and repay an eligible portion of the ticket cost according to the payment schedule presented at checkout.
The company currently provides access to flights across more than 120 airlines. Payment-plan availability, service fees, refund eligibility and other conditions are subject to the company's terms and the individual booking.
For more information, visit https://www.holdmyseatnow.com/
Media Contact
Hold My Seat Now, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
[email protected]
SOURCE: Hold My Seat Now