Riskified Study: As AI Drives a Summer Travel Boom, Clunky Security and Scam Fears Threaten Merchant Conversions

New 2026 Summer Travel Survey from Riskified finds that digital and AI tools are reshaping how trips are planned, while security and authenticity concerns continue to influence checkout decisions

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a global leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today released findings from global survey conducted ahead of the 2026 Summer Travel season, exploring consumer travel behavior, booking experiences, and trust in digital and AI-enabled travel tools.

The survey, conducted among more than 4,000 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, shows strong demand for travel heading into the summer season, alongside continued adoption of digital and AI tools in trip planning.

Key findings from the Riskified 2026 Summer Travel Survey include:

• 81% of consumers use digital platforms for travel planning, with 26% already relying on AI like ChatGPT or Gemini.
• Leisure remains the dominant purpose of travel at 63%, followed by visiting friends and family (25%), going to live events (7%), and business travel (5%).
• 47% cite payment security and 39% cite fake or invalid tickets as top concerns when buying tickets online.
• More than half of consumers (53%) say identity verification steps sometimes or often lead them to abandon a booking.
• Only 17% would trust an AI travel bot to handle payment or passport details without human oversight.
• 63% of consumers admit that massive discounts would push them to book quickly, even if they had doubts—creating a prime vulnerability for fraudsters.

While AI tools are now widely used during the travel planning process, trust declines sharply when it comes to completing bookings and sharing sensitive data such as payments or passport details.

Nearly half of consumers cite payment security (47%) as a top concern when purchasing tickets online, while 39% are also concerned about fake or invalid tickets, highlighting broader challenges around both financial safety and ticket authenticity.

Booking experiences remain uneven, with only about a third of consumers reporting a smooth booking experience, as many still encounter friction at checkout, including payment declines and identity verification steps that can interrupt or prevent booking process.

At the same time, identity verification measures designed to prevent fraud can also impact completion rates, with more than half of consumers saying such steps sometimes or often lead them to abandon a booking.

Despite these challenges, price remains a strong conversion driver, with 63% of consumers saying big discounts would still push them to book quickly even if they experience friction.

“AI is already shaping how consumers plan travel, but it hasn’t yet earned the same trust when it comes time to buy,” said Jeff Otto, Chief Marketing Officer at Riskified. “Our data shows a clear gap between inspiration and purchase. Consumers are comfortable exploring with AI, but when money, identity, and booking certainty are on the line, they still expect strong safeguards. For travel merchants, the challenge is striking the right balance: security strong enough to stop sophisticated scams, and a checkout experience smooth enough to avoid losing the 53% of shoppers who say they would abandon a burdensome purchase.”

About the Survey

Riskified conducted a global survey of 4,060 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, tracking travel planning behavior, booking experiences, and trust in AI-enabled travel tools.

About Riskified

Riskified (NYSE: RSKD) empowers businesses to unleash ecommerce growth by outsmarting risk. Many of the world’s biggest brands and publicly traded companies selling online rely on Riskified for guaranteed protection against chargebacks, to fight fraud and policy abuse at scale, and to improve customer retention. Developed and managed by the largest team of ecommerce risk analysts, data scientists, and researchers, Riskified’s AI-powered fraud and risk intelligence platform analyzes the individual behind each interaction to provide real-time decisions and robust identity-based insights. Learn more at riskified.com.