About STO Garant

An alternative to a guarantee fund

Protection for travellers has been an extremely important topic within the sector for many years now. The Package Travel Directive came into force in 1990 and was created to give travellers proper protection when buying package travel. It was therefore odd that the options for offering such protection were so very limited. The only possibility for organisations was to join a guarantee fund. A group of entrepreneurs decided there was a need for more options and, working with Certo Escrow (an escrow payment system specialist), set up an alternative guarantee scheme. And so the STO Travel Guarantee was born on 1 February 2013.

A simple, modern and affordable guarantee scheme

In opting for a simple and affordable guarantee scheme, STO Travel Guarantee chose to take a different approach to existing guarantee funds. The guarantee scheme was based on the escrow principle (the booking amount paid is released to the organisation only after the trip has come to an end), coupled with a modern solution. The benefits for members include automated receivables management, online payment solutions and an online portal. It soon became clear that STO Travel Guarantee was meeting a huge demand and growth was rapid.

A guarantee scheme for all travel and travel packages

Due to a broadening of the definition of package travel, the revised Package Travel Directive, which came into force on 1 July 2018, now also affects many businesses that are not part of the traditional travel sector. The time had come for further development so that all these organisations would have access to a guarantee scheme too. On 5 June 2018, STO Travel Guarantee launched its new name and look:

Welcome to STO Garant, the simple, low-cost guarantee scheme for all travel and travel packages!

Read through STO Garant’s guarantee scheme.

The security offered by a recognised guarantee scheme

STO Garant is a recognised guarantee scheme. All payments made to STO Garant are processed by Certo Escrow, a payment service provider registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and Currence. Certo Escrow has an extensive track record within the Dutch payment world.