Faster bookings. Less payment friction.
How SANI SIXT solves for payments challenges in the car rental space, with Stitch
Results
Automated pre-authorisation releases
SANI SIXT can now trigger hold releases as soon as a rental closes, replacing a manual, multi-system process with an automated flow. Customers receive faster access to their funds and operators gain clear visibility over the status of every release.
A unified payments ecosystem across online and in-person channels
All teams across SANI SIXT's national network operate within a single payments system. Reconciliation and reporting are consolidated, and the consistency of the payment experience is maintained regardless of location or channel.
Operational efficiency across a national footprint
Standardised payment processes across all airports and branches reduce training complexity, lower error risk and support compliance. In high-volume counter environments, reliable payment infrastructure translates directly to throughput and customer experience.
Overview
SANI SIXT is the largest independently owned car rental fleet in South Africa and part of the SIXT global mobility network. Operating since 1997, the business serves leisure travellers, tourists and corporate clients across major airports and branches nationwide. Managing payments across that national footprint means handling some of the most layered transaction flows in any consumer-facing industry: online bookings, counter transactions, security deposit holds, potential incidental charges and, at the end of every rental, the release of pre-authorised funds.
SANI SIXT partnered with Stitch to automate that payment lifecycle across both online payments and in-person payments, replacing a manual, multi-system process with a consolidated, automated payments ecosystem.
Challenge
Pre-authorisations are standard practice in car rental. When a customer collects a vehicle, the provider places a hold on their card to cover the rental period and any potential additional charges. The problem was in what happened next.
“Historically, the biggest pain point was managing pre-authorisations and, more importantly, releasing those funds once a rental was complete,” says Bertus Floor, Group Digital Officer at SANI SIXT. “The process of releasing those funds was often handled through multiple systems and could involve manual intervention, making it difficult for both customers and rental providers to track the status of the release.”
For customers, this created real uncertainty about money they knew was tied up but had no visibility over. For SANI SIXT's operations teams, it introduced manual overhead and limited control across a high-volume, time-sensitive environment.
Consistency across locations added further complexity. With customers collecting and returning vehicles at airports and branches throughout South Africa, any variation in payment processes increased training burden, error risk and the difficulty of maintaining compliance and internal controls.
SANI SIXT recognised that payment technology had advanced enough to address these challenges. What they needed was a partner willing to build a solution rather than hand over a standard product. “We weren't simply looking for a payment processor. We were looking for a technology partner that shared our commitment to innovation and customer experience,” says Floor.
Solution
Stitch worked closely with the SANI SIXT team to automate and streamline the payment lifecycle end to end. The scope spans both online and in-person channels, with all teams operating within a single consolidated payments ecosystem.
The centrepiece of the collaboration is an automated pre-authorisation release flow. When a rental closes and all obligations are met, the hold release is triggered immediately, without manual intervention. “The rental provider can now ensure the release is actioned promptly once the rental is closed, improving visibility for customers and reducing uncertainty around the end-of-rental payment process,” says Floor.
For corporate clients, Stitch supports structured account-based payment processes with the reporting and flexibility their programmes require. For individual travellers, the experience is transparent at every stage of the rental journey. “Stitch effectively bridged the gap we identified for leisure customers who need access to their pre-auth funds as soon as the rental is completed,” says Floor.
Having a single provider across both channels has also changed how the business operates day to day. “Having a single payment partner across both channels provides a unified view of transactions throughout the business,” says Floor. “Beyond simplifying reconciliation and reporting, it has improved efficiency by enabling all teams to work within a consolidated, automated payments ecosystem.”