Cyprus has achieved a significant milestone in its efforts to join the US Visa Waiver Program, with the 2024 visa refusal rate for Cypriot citizens reported at just 2.16%. This figure, announced by the US Department of State, is well below the program’s required threshold of 3%, marking a crucial step toward visa-free travel for Cypriots.
Progress Towards Inclusion
Deputy Minister to the President, Irene Piki, highlighted the importance of this development, stating that Cyprus has met a “key prerequisite” for its inclusion in the program. She credited the progress to successful technical consultations between Cyprus and the United States over the past year.
Piki reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing Cyprus’ inclusion in the program by 2025, allowing Cypriots to travel to the US for tourism and business without the need for a visa.
Support from US Officials
US Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher, also acknowledged the milestone, describing it as a significant step forward. She expressed optimism that Cypriots would soon enjoy the benefits of visa-free travel to the US.
What’s Next?
The Cypriot government plans to continue its focused efforts to meet all remaining requirements, ensuring the process stays on track. This achievement underscores the growing cooperation between Cyprus and the US, paving the way for stronger ties and easier travel.
As Cyprus moves closer to this goal, the prospect of visa-free access to the US represents an important development for both business and leisure travellers.
payabl. Launches Click To Pay With Visa To Help Merchants Improve Checkout Conversion And Reduce Fraud
payabl. has launched Click to Pay with Visa, a new card payment experience designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey.
Click to Pay replaces manual card number entry with a token-based checkout experience. Once a customer’s card is enrolled, they can complete purchases in just a few clicks, without re-entering card details. The result is a faster checkout that mirrors the ease of contactless payments in-store, while maintaining strong security standards.
For merchants, the impact is measurable. According to Visa, Click to Pay can deliver up to a 11% uplift in authorisation rates compared to manual card entry, alongside significant fraud reduction through network tokenisation. Faster checkout also helps reduce cart abandonment, particularly on mobile, where typing card details remains a major source of friction.
“With online checkout, every extra step costs conversion,” said Breno Oliveira, Chief Product Officer at payabl.“Visa Click to Pay removes one of the biggest points of friction at the moment of purchase. It helps merchants approve more legitimate transactions, reduce fraud exposure, and give customers the experience they already expect.”
Visa Click to Pay is available through payabl. checkout, enabling merchants to activate the service without additional integration complexity. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.
“Consumers have come to expect a highly personalised, intuitive, and seamless payment experience, whether they’re buying a coffee, shopping online, or applying for a loan. Visa Click to Pay aims to meet these expectations by removing the need to manually enter card details, thus enhancing both security and the consumer experience in online card payments. With the support of network tokens, Visa Click to Pay enabled a more secure and smoother transaction process, available in many countries around the world. According to European VisaNet data, Visa Click to Pay may allow a 4.5% uplift in merchant sales, meaning a possible annual increase of €51 bn in SMB eCommerce sales in the UK and EU,” said Michael Ioannides, Country Manager, Visa Cyprus.
The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.
Checkout expectations are rising across Europe
Insights from payabl.’s State of European Checkouts report underline why frictionless checkout experiences are becoming a commercial priority. The research found that consumers cite speed (46%), convenience (44%), and security (41%) as the top reasons for choosing a payment method. More than half of consumers (53%) are open to switching to newer payment methods and nearly half (48%) are open to one-click checkouts, provided the solution is backed by a trusted brand such as Visa.
“Checkout is no longer just the final step of a transaction,” said Oliveira. “It is a critical part of the overall customer experience. Our research shows that 43% of European consumers will not return to a site after a poor checkout experience. For merchants across the UK and Europe, that translates directly into lost customers and lost revenue.”
The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.
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