Paying Air Asia With Us Credit Card

[vagabond48]

I searched TV but did not find any reference to my inquiry.

Last year I tried to book ONLINE using my 2 US CCs but was declined. I know about using SCB account which I currently don't have so has anyone used USA CCs to book ONLINE?

[Swiss1960]

What means "declined"? What was the error message? Did you talk with your bank? There can be many reasons:

- Your bank declined as they did deem the transaction to not be genuine (i.e. possible fraud)

- your bank declined as your card details were entered incorrect

- your bank declined due to missing fund

- the airline declined as they sometimes flag credit cards from banks where they made bad experiences (too many charge-backs)

- the airline declined as they tried to do "3D Secure" transactions but your bank did not offer

So... try again, write down the error message received and then contact the call center of your bank for details...

[vagabond48]

Swiss, I was told at that time that the online system did not accept USA CCs. 2 years ago, I tried to book Air India Express online and they didn't accept USA CCs. Do you use a USA CC?

For those that use USA CCs, have you been able to book AA online using a "USA" CC.

Thanks

Edited October 13, 2011 by vagabond48

[dinger]

I have used a U S CC on several occasions with Air Asia

Edited October 13, 2011 by dinger

[gk10002000]

I have, but it was a few years ago and I was in Thailand at the time. My friends have also. He has flown around the region a lot while in Thailand on long holidays.

[Swiss1960]

Swiss, I was told at that time that the online system did not accept USA CCs. 2 years ago, I tried to book Air India Express online and they didn't accept USA CCs. Do you use a USA CC?

For those that use USA CCs, have you been able to book AA online using a "USA" CC.

Thanks

No, I don't, my cards are issued in Switzerland... but I can tell you why this happened:

First of all, US credit cards for many years lacked the basic security for e-commerce transactions that exists in the rest of the world - called 3D-Secure (actually VISA VbV or MC Secure Code). With this system, the customer entering his card details will be requested to enter a password for validation that it is really him entering the card details.

Second, the Fraud rate (rate of misuse of stolen card details mainly through phising or data theft with banks / merchants => see Sony problem) has been massively higher on US cards than on cards in Europe and Asia - and for airlines which were (and still are) the most interesting industry for misuse of stolen card details, this means that once the fraudster purchases a ticket with the airline, sells it to some stupid idiot who uses it for a "cheap" flight or cancels the ticket in exchange for cash, when the credit card owner gets his invoice, calls his bank and tells them "that was not me purchasing the airline ticket", then the bank will issue a charge back to the card and the airline and the airline will have to refund the card customer for accepting fraudulent data... thus, airlines tended to reject cards from countries / banks where they had too many bad experiences and suffered too high losses.

An example: Air France used to see massive fraud on one-way tickets to Africa... a fraudster bought a next-day ticket to an African city (return ticket without the intention to return on this ticket) and used stolen card details for the payment of the ticket.. of course, he uses fake addresses / fake passports in addition to the fake credit card... so Air France started to not any more accept credit cards from ANY country when the credit card / the bank issuing the credit card did not have the e-commerce security feature 3D-secure available.

One more (through edit): Of course, airlines can differentiate which credit cards from which banks cause them the most problems... and might decide that they accept credit cards from some US banks but not from others... it is the first 6 digits of your credit card that identifies your bank.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Swiss1960

[PattayaParent]

Does American Express count?

[tonititan]

I frequently use my credit card from the US to book AA tickets. However, I do remember that I had trouble the first time I tried to book one a few years ago. As I recall, I had to call my US bank and they were able to fix the problem. Since then, I've had no problems. Several friends have reported similar situations. I'd first try to call your bank and report the problem to them. Good luck!

[el jefe]

My Schwab card is never accepted by Air Asia.

My Capital One card always is.

Question answered.

[vagabond48]

My Schwab card is never accepted by Air Asia.

My Capital One card always is.

Question answered.

I was using the Schwab CC. I wanted that 2% cash back they were still giving. Well mystery solved. Thanks.

[FarmerJoe]

I used to use my debit card for A.A. and now it doesn't accept it. The bank has no answers for why they won't accept it. Doesn't matter now though as A.A. has priced themselves out of many of the routes I take, including Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Thai Airways is cheaper most of the time now or Bangkok Air. And, it doesn't take half an hour to book a ticket.

[elektrified]

I have not been able to use my US credit cards nor could I use my Maestro card issued in Switzerland on the Air Asia website. I was finally able to use American Express last time but I had to contact them after a failed attempt and they did something in the computer to unblock it. We finally opened a SCB account when we were at Suvarnabhumi a couple of weeks ago for the sole purpose of buying Air Asia tickets and saving the 200 Baht or whatever it is per ticket "convenience fee".

[endure]

Swiss, I was told at that time that the online system did not accept USA CCs. 2 years ago, I tried to book Air India Express online and they didn't accept USA CCs. Do you use a USA CC?

For those that use USA CCs, have you been able to book AA online using a "USA" CC.

Thanks

No, I don't, my cards are issued in Switzerland... but I can tell you why this happened:

First of all, US credit cards for many years lacked the basic security for e-commerce transactions that exists in the rest of the world - called 3D-Secure (actually VISA VbV or MC Secure Code). With this system, the customer entering his card details will be requested to enter a password for validation that it is really him entering the card details.

I've used both Visa and Mastercard CCs to buy AA and NOK tickets from the UK and have never been asked for VbV or SecureCode credentials.

[Fookhaht]

I consistently use a USA Visa card with Air Asia and other Aisan airlines. My Visa card is from a dinky little credit union, as well. No problems.

[pomchop]

My Schwab card is never accepted by Air Asia.

My Capital One card always is.

Question answered.

Have gone round and round with Chase Mileage Plus Visa for several years re charging outside of USA. Have been declined several times at hotels where i have stayed year after year and also with online charges for things as simple as my internet bill......plus they now want another 3% on all outside USA charges. Have called ahead of time to say where i will be and still have problems even though a cursory check would show them that i am outside the USA more than inside. Simply put they do NOT care and can't be bothered with fixing it so i don't have problem after problem even though have been a customer for 20+ years. They love to decline you and then tell you to CALL THEM in USA which of course can be a hassle getting put on hold then go round and round. Finally get someone and they want to "verify" that it's me? <deleted> do you recognize my voice? I could be anybody calling and if i know my mothers maiden name i can tell you on the phone or could tell you on the email. But no matter they have already declined your Air Asia flight and by the time you get it sorted out the flight deal is gone...And of course they give you the same old BS line that it is all for your protection when we know full well that I am only liable for the first $50 by law or so in any fraudlent charges so ACTUALLY the hassles are for THEIR protection.Thanks Chase.Thanks United for hooking up your TRAVEL CARD with a bank that doesn't want me to be able to use it when i TRAVEL. So finally i got a capital one card. Unlike my Chase card i have no annual fee and instead of them charging me an extra 3% and hassling me to death for overseas use i now get no hassle approvals PLUS i get cash back of 2% on my purchases.

CHASE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND when it comes to customer service. They seem only interested in nailing you with more fees and less service.

[Albacore]

I've tried many American cards with Air Asia and finally gave up. None of mine work, despite all the time I've spent on the phone with Air Asia's customer service and my bank. Air Asia told me that 85% of Bank of America credit cards won't work. I was able to use my mother's American credit card to book a flight to Yangon in June, but when she's tried to book again for me with the same card it no longer works. Pretty poor business when they won't take people's money, and I've flown with other carriers because of this issue. Despite my frustration with this problem, I've always had very nice flights with them and will open a Thai bank account soon primarily to be able to purchase tickets with them.

[vagabond48]

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Lobo4819]

This week, I went online and found an Air Asia flight from CNX to BKK for my wife's daughter for only 880 baht. It would not accept my online payment no matter which card (US or Thai) I tried. I had this happen once with another airline, and they said at least one of the tickets also had to be in my name or else I would have to make the purchase "in person". When I went to the CNX airport early the next morning to make the purchase, the widely smiling employee said it would be 2000 baht. I explained the online pricing from the evening before, but she told the truth and plead ignorance. This is my last attempt to use this airline. As other posters have stated, they are not user friendly and they have gotten pricey - AND - their bargain flights apparently don't exist.

[NanLaew]

My experience with US plastic and AA online has been mixed, mostly bad. Initially years ago no problems then mysteriously declined. Then they changed the payment processing company and they worked for a few months but then recently, all previously accepted plastic has been declined. I even called one of the US card issuing banks and they looked on their system and never even saw any charge attempt. That was the bank that explained to me that it's not necessarily the bank that is declining but AA's payment processing company who may have redundant databases on what plastic and what banks can be processed. When that happens, they throw up the standard 'contact your bank' message which is disingenuous.

Recently I have been flying Nok Air and they accept all my plastic even the ones that are not part of the 'secure code' or 'verified by' networks. Nok's webiste is notably faster and easier than AA's as well.

On the post regards AA's online prices versus their airport prices; that is well detailed in their voluminous terms and conditions. They have some excellent 7-day advance purchase fares published every Friday but they are ONLY available online.

[elektrified]

This week, I went online and found an Air Asia flight from CNX to BKK for my wife's daughter for only 880 baht.... As other posters have stated, they are not user friendly and they have gotten pricey - AND - their bargain flights apparently don't exist.

Indeed their bargain flights do exist. I flew round-trip CNX-BKK two weeks ago for 590 Baht everything included. Next year I'm flying round-trip to Phuket and again to Hat Yai for 200 Baht each. Gotta love Air Asia. Payment is difficult though but in the future I have SCB just for buying tickets, so that problem is solved.

[Gonsalviz]

Swiss, I was told at that time that the online system did not accept USA CCs. 2 years ago, I tried to book Air India Express online and they didn't accept USA CCs. Do you use a USA CC?

For those that use USA CCs, have you been able to book AA online using a "USA" CC.

Thanks

No, I don't, my cards are issued in Switzerland... but I can tell you why this happened:

First of all, US credit cards for many years lacked the basic security for e-commerce transactions that exists in the rest of the world - called 3D-Secure (actually VISA VbV or MC Secure Code). With this system, the customer entering his card details will be requested to enter a password for validation that it is really him entering the card details.

Second, the Fraud rate (rate of misuse of stolen card details mainly through phising or data theft with banks / merchants => see Sony problem) has been massively higher on US cards than on cards in Europe and Asia - and for airlines which were (and still are) the most interesting industry for misuse of stolen card details, this means that once the fraudster purchases a ticket with the airline, sells it to some stupid idiot who uses it for a "cheap" flight or cancels the ticket in exchange for cash, when the credit card owner gets his invoice, calls his bank and tells them "that was not me purchasing the airline ticket", then the bank will issue a charge back to the card and the airline and the airline will have to refund the card customer for accepting fraudulent data... thus, airlines tended to reject cards from countries / banks where they had too many bad experiences and suffered too high losses.

An example: Air France used to see massive fraud on one-way tickets to Africa... a fraudster bought a next-day ticket to an African city (return ticket without the intention to return on this ticket) and used stolen card details for the payment of the ticket.. of course, he uses fake addresses / fake passports in addition to the fake credit card... so Air France started to not any more accept credit cards from ANY country when the credit card / the bank issuing the credit card did not have the e-commerce security feature 3D-secure available.

One more (through edit): Of course, airlines can differentiate which credit cards from which banks cause them the most problems... and might decide that they accept credit cards from some US banks but not from others... it is the first 6 digits of your credit card that identifies your bank.

Untrue. I have used my US CC multiple times on AA. This how I know to not use them again. Never declined.

[marstons]

HSBC AND Bank of America always used no problem, just booked 3 flights no problem at all.

[vagabond48]

I'm surprised the OP didn't find anything when he searched TV, as this has been done to death. Yes, Air Asia doesn't like most US CCs. They will NOT admit this however, and will insist it is a problem with your bank (it's not). My US CC has not been accepted for several years, but I can still use my debit/atm card from the same bank with no issues. In fact, I recently bought several tickets for next July during their recent free seats sale.

The one time I got through to Air Asia customer service on the phone to complain about the CC issue, they of course denied it and claimed it was an issue with my bank. When I told them my bank reported no attempt to even charge the CC, they asked for my bank name. I told them, and they immediately hung up the phone.

After I wrote my message, I had an after thought that I should have included the word "recent". Of course, there are references to use of CC with AA but not that recent nor was the topic "done to death". A friend of mine told me the other day that he "thought" they now accept USA CCs. I was just trying to confirm this.

Regarding using my USA DCs, I wouldn't want to use them especially online. Unlike USA CC which protects you against loss do to some kind of problem or fraud, USA DCs do not and it's a potential invitation to raid my checking account.

Anyway, it sounds to me that the way to go is opening a SCB account to pay for online bookings.

[Ajaan]

I've been using a US-bank Visa debit card (from a little-nowhere credit union) to successfully buy tickets online from AirAsia for years. Here are the things you need to take into account:

-I have NOT been successful on AA with my US-based (PayPal) Mastercard debit card, only with my Visa

-if available to you, you should avail yourself of the "verified by Visa" online service suggested by earlier posters; it pretty much guarantees your card will be accepted on any website once you enter the additional password

-AA is tricky, both in terms of buying a seat without all the sleazy, sneaky extra charges they try to slip in "by default" on their website AND in terms of correctly (according to them) entering your location and billing info...pay careful attention to make sure you're filling in all the forms correctly.

[Albacore]

HSBC AND Bank of America always used no problem, just booked 3 flights no problem at all.

I've tried four or five Bank of America debit and credit cards...and they've all been declined. One of my mother's American visa cards worked and one of my girlfriend's Thai cards worked, but only when we paid over the phone. They should really get on top of this situation, as not giving people who want to pay a means to pay is absolutely terrible for business.

[jamles]

What is an SCB account?

[vagabond48]

What is an SCB account?

Siam Commercial Bank

[jackie45]

In order to use my US credit cards without multiple rejections, I registered with Air Asia as a member and added my

preferred credit card to my profile. No problems since.

Hope this helps, Vagabond.

[LTGTR]

I used my US cards 4x while living in Jomtien w/o an issue.I guess an alternative would be to use a travel agent that would accept your card for the transaction.

I have used a U S CC on several occasions with Air Asia

[Katmanpu]

I also ran into this problem 2 years ago and here's what I discovered.

1. Air Asia online will not accept most US based Bank of America, Citibank or Chase cards. There are various rumors as to why but I do not know the specific fact other than the denials on these date to 2009. At that time my US based Bank of America Visa credit card and debit cards, United Mileage Plus Visa and Citibank Mastercard stopped being accepted. They were all OK previously. There are VbV type security features (Verified by Visa / MC) on all of these. I have no problem using these cards at hypermarkets, restaurants, hotels and other vendors in Thailand.

2. I have had 100% success using my US based small credit union Visa card. That was what Air Asia suggested.

3. I also have 100% success with my Bangkok Bank "Be-First" Visa.

I can relate to the previous poster about the fares on Air Asia no longer being as cheap as they used to be. This is especially so when you factor in baggage charges. It is also a royal pain in the neck to make purchases even when you logged in as a member and you must have a very sharp eye out for the hidden extras they try to get you to accept as defaults such as bag fees, meals, convenience kits or insurance. The Air Asia website is buggy and often it takes several tries and you may have to re-enter information often.

Have stopped using Air Asia on the BKK-CNX sector completely and switched to Bangkok Airways, they feed you, don't hassle you with their booking process and you can use their lounge in BKK. The price is better or a very few baht more and you don't waste your time

I only buy Air Asia tickets when they have a big promo special and the tickets are dirt cheap. Just don't plan to make any changes or you get screwed and you will pay essentially twice. And now they are charging you to print a boarding pass at many airports.

To talk about the merits of why they should have better business practices is a waste of time. The market will take care of them, they are a low cost low service airline. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Time will tell, but it is a fact that they have expanded hugely in the past 6 years. People vote with their wallets and so, so many are still doing so.

I used to be a huge Air Asia fan but now I am not.

Katmanpu

Edited October 16, 2011 by Katmanpu