R&T Football Tours: making complex group payments simpler, more reliable and easier to manage

For R&T Football Tours, payments are about far more than completing a transaction.

The specialist travel company organises football tournaments and tours for youth teams across the UK and Europe, bringing together tournament entry, accommodation and transport in complete packages for players and their families.

Behind each booking, though, can be a complicated payment journey involving large groups, multiple families, deposits, staged payments and final balances collected over several months.

As customer expectations shifted increasingly online, R&T needed a payments partner that could make that journey easier for customers while giving its own team the visibility and flexibility needed to manage it effectively.

That partner was Ecommpay.

The way customers book football tours has transformed significantly during R&T’s time in business.

“When we started, everything was handled by telephone, post and cheque,” says Mark Earnshaw of R&T Football Tours. “Customers now expect to research tournaments online, receive information quickly and manage their bookings and payments digitally.”

For R&T, that shift is particularly important because many bookings are organised by volunteer coaches and parents fitting tour administration around work and family life.

Being able to pay only during office hours is no longer enough.

“The biggest change is the demand for a convenient service that is available at any time,” Mark explains.

R&T therefore needed a payment experience that was secure, reliable and easy for customers to use whenever it suited them.

But the challenge went beyond customer convenience.

Unlike a straightforward e-commerce transaction, one R&T booking can involve payments from numerous people over an extended period.

“Our bookings often involve large groups made up of numerous families, with deposits, staged payments and final balances collected over several months,” says Mark.

That means every transaction needs to be identifiable and correctly associated with the right booking.

Group leaders also need confidence that payments are being handled properly, while individual families may want to make their own contributions against the same team booking.

“A good payment experience should be quick, secure and straightforward, with clear confirmation that the payment has been successful,” says Mark. “Group leaders already have a great deal to organise, so the payment process should reduce their workload rather than add to it.”

R&T wanted to reduce manual administration while creating a payment journey flexible enough to support both its customers and the structure of its business.

Reliability, security and ease of use were all priorities when R&T selected its payments provider. The business also needed technology capable of supporting operations in both the UK and Europe, integrating with its booking system and handling significant payment volumes during peak periods.

But there was another requirement: a partner willing to understand how R&T actually worked.

“Ecommpay offered the technology, flexibility and support we needed as our business continued to develop,” says Mark.

“What particularly stood out was the team’s willingness to understand how R&T operates and work with us on a solution suited to our booking journey.”

That relationship began during onboarding, where Ecommpay supported R&T through the technical and compliance requirements of introducing its payment services.

Since then, Mark says the relationship has developed into a collaborative partnership.

“We feel able to contact the team when we need guidance, and they take the time to understand what we are trying to achieve rather than simply providing a standard response.”

That understanding becomes particularly valuable when a business has more complex operational requirements.

A recent example was the creation of a separate payment project for R&T’s European operation, R&T Tours Transport Limited.

The structure meant ensuring transactions were allocated to the correct payment project and bank account – an important detail for a business operating across different entities.

“The Ecommpay team helped us work through the setup and testing so we could confirm that transactions were being allocated to the correct project and bank account,” says Mark.

“Their support gave us confidence that the new arrangement was operating correctly.”

For R&T, this responsiveness is one of the most important parts of the relationship.

“When something needs investigating, we can speak to people who take ownership of the issue, explain what is happening and work with us to find a solution.”

Today, customers can make secure online payments at a convenient time and receive immediate confirmation that their transaction has been successful.

For R&T’s administration team, the benefits are just as important.

Ecommpay’s payment setup has helped create a more reliable online journey while making transactions easier to trace and manage through the dashboard.

That additional visibility helps the team identify payments, keep bookings updated and respond to customer queries more efficiently.

While R&T does not currently have an audited percentage improvement it would be comfortable publishing, Mark says the business has seen a clear improvement in the overall experience.

“We have seen a positive improvement in the reliability and visibility of online transactions, together with greater confidence in the payment journey.”

That confidence becomes particularly important during the busiest parts of the year.

“During busy booking periods, we may be handling payments for many teams and hundreds of individual travellers,” says Mark.

“Having a reliable system gives our team greater confidence that payments are being processed securely and can be identified and managed correctly.”

Payments will continue to be an important part of R&T’s digital development.

The company plans to make it increasingly easy for customers to manage their bookings online, including viewing balances and making payments through its Manage My Booking system.

As more of that experience becomes automated, flexibility from its payments partner will remain essential.

For other specialist travel companies considering Ecommpay, Mark’s recommendation is simple.

“They provide more than the payment technology: they take the time to understand the business, offer responsive support and work collaboratively to find practical solutions.”

“For a specialist travel company managing complex group bookings, that level of service is extremely valuable.”