Required To Show Credit Card At Check-In?

[Chris.B]

I am about to purchase a one way BKK-LHR ticket for my wife from a Thai Travel Agency (online) using my credit card. I am in the UK and so my wife will not have my credit card when checking-in.

I am aware some airlines demand to see the credit card that was used to purchase the ticket at check-in. However I believe this is only the case when bought online from the airline direct? As I am buying from a travel agency I don't think they will ask to see the credit card. Am I correct in thinking this?

Does anyone have any views or experiences on this?

[Pseudolus]

Yes is the answer usually; they will need to see it. However, they do accept that this is common; a person buys a ticket for someone else. I will say that it is a bit hit and miss with the carriers as some insist and other do not. However, the simple thing to do is to take a scan of it and some photo ID and sign it and send it to them if they do want to see it. I've done this a few times even going to the carriers office with the credit card as well. Which ever carrier the flight is with, call and ask them. It's no problem unless you only find it out at the airport and you are in your office with your ID / credit card at home and she misses the flight.

[Tropicalevo]

Jet Air state that if the credit card holder is not flying with the passenger, then a letter from the credit card holder should be with the ticket. The letter should state something like "I am the authorised cc holder (copy of your passport) and I authorise Mrs Chris.B, passport number (copy of passport) will be travelling on flight XY 123 from A to B on that date and the ticket was purchased with cc number (copy of cc) with my knowledge and permission" All copies to be signed. This is for on-line sales off course.

Seems a useful back-up?

Back to the question. The air-line ticket is being purchased by the agent , not you. You are paying the agent presumably, so there is no cc connection with the air-line. Your only risk is if the agent goes bust and does not pay the air-line.

Any risk on a stolen cc is with the agent, not the air-line.

[kurtmartens]

The answer is actually no. I use a travel agent 100% of the time when booking for myself or for my wife when I am not in country. The ticket is paid for by the travel agent via their system. There is no credit card check at checkin. We have done this on Thai, Emirates and Bangkok Air.

[CharlieH]

Make sure ALL her paperwork/ Visa etc is in order or they wont board her with a one way ticket.

[dddave]

The safest thing for you to do is visit a ticket office of the airline involved and show them the card used. They can then attach a statement to her reservation that the card has been verified. Don't take a chance of her being denied boarding; it has happened to me.

I do air courier work. My ticket is usually purchased by a 3rd party in another country and I run into this problem often.

I should add that this problem most frequently occurs when the ticket is purchased within 72 hours of departure.

[E1717007]

never encountered this problem in asia ^^

[RabC]

The answer is actually no. I use a travel agent 100% of the time when booking for myself or for my wife when I am not in country. The ticket is paid for by the travel agent via their system. There is no credit card check at checkin. We have done this on Thai, Emirates and Bangkok Air.

I fully agree with you, never asked to produce my credit card unless I have booked direct on the airline web site.

[Hooters]

ring the airline

[Javabear]

Some airlines also have a box on their website to tick when you purchase a ticket for someone else and it lets them know that the card holder will not be present. I did that with Gulf Air when I met my wife in Bahrain for a few days. I've seen it on other sites as well.

[sirineou]

ring the airline

The best answer^^^^^

When my then fiance got her fiance visa (many moons ago), to come to the US ,work related demands made it impossible for me to travel to Thailand and pick her up, I purchased a one way ticket for her on line, using my credit card, then I called the airline and explained the situation,They asked me to send then a letter, which I did, I also asked them to provide her with assistance finding her connecting flight, She had no problems checking in or making her connections..

[Chris.B]

Jet Air state that if the credit card holder is not flying with the passenger, then a letter from the credit card holder should be with the ticket. The letter should state something like "I am the authorised cc holder (copy of your passport) and I authorise Mrs Chris.B, passport number (copy of passport) will be travelling on flight XY 123 from A to B on that date and the ticket was purchased with cc number (copy of cc) with my knowledge and permission" All copies to be signed. This is for on-line sales off course.

Seems a useful back-up?

Back to the question. The air-line ticket is being purchased by the agent , not you. You are paying the agent presumably, so there is no cc connection with the air-line. Your only risk is if the agent goes bust and does not pay the air-line.

Any risk on a stolen cc is with the agent, not the air-line.

and that is precisely why I want to use my credit card because in this situation the credit card company would have to refund me the money.

As to Jet Air, I suspect the conditions you state relate to booking directly with them, either online or by phone?

[WilliaminBKK]

Ring the airline ask them to "ADD AN OSI message into the PNR" this will be visible to the check in agent. The airlines don't seem to apply the same rules to tickets purchased from agents as they simply charge back the agency in cases of fraud.

[Chris.B]

Ring the airline ask them to "ADD AN OSI message into the PNR" this will be visible to the check in agent. The airlines don't seem to apply the same rules to tickets purchased from agents as they simply charge back the agency in cases of fraud.

I will be paying the agent by credit card not the airline. The agency will pay the airline so why would the airline 'charge back' the agent in case of fraud?

[IMA_FARANG]

There is also a thing called a "third party ticket" with which you can purchase a ticket for another person using your credit card and have the person who you purchased the ticket for pick up that ticket at another airport .

In other words you could purchase a ticket in London using your credit card and have your wife pick up that ticket at the airport in Bangkok.

However there are some points to know.

1. You can't purchase a 3rd party ticket on-line (usually anyhow).

2, You (the purchaser) must prepay the 3rd party ticket before it is valid for your wife to pick it up (i.e. your credit card must be charged before your wife can use the ticket).

3. Normally you purchase a 3rd party ticket through an agent or the airline directly at their business office nearest you. For example, in London you would go to a British Airways ticket office to get a 3rd party ticket for your wife.

4. When you book the ticket you specify the name of the person to pick up the ticket and the location and date where the ticket will be picked up. In the example I gave before that would be your wife and the location is BKK airport.

5. Your wife would pick up the ticket at the airport business/ticket sales office at the airport...in my example the BA ticket.sales office in BKK airport.

6 Your wife will need photo I.D. for that office to issue the ticket. Her I.D. card or passport will do that. As long as it has a picture.

7. The airline may charge you an extra fee for this "service".

I used to work for a company that occasionaly sent me somewhere at short notice when a customer had problems....so I've picked up a number of 3rd party tickets at airports around the world.

[Chivas]

Make sure ALL her paperwork/ Visa etc is in order or they wont board her with a one way ticket.

Whats this got to do with the OP's question ??

[Pib]

Showing the credit card is a preferred method by some airlines if they even ask, but not a hard requirement. There is so many ways a ticket can be bought and the actual funding source like credit card XYZ can get lost in that paper trail for check-in purposes. The airlines are most concerned that the person checking in the really who they say they are.

[Chris.B]

The answer is actually no. I use a travel agent 100% of the time when booking for myself or for my wife when I am not in country. The ticket is paid for by the travel agent via their system. There is no credit card check at checkin. We have done this on Thai, Emirates and Bangkok Air.

Yes, thank you and RabC also. This is what I believe as well. In fact I was asked one or twice to show my credit card and that may have well tied in with the times that I purchased direct from the airline (Thai Airways) online.

I think the other posters failed to register the fact I said I was booking through an agency.

[jcowle]

The answer is actually no. I use a travel agent 100% of the time when booking for myself or for my wife when I am not in country. The ticket is paid for by the travel agent via their system. There is no credit card check at checkin. We have done this on Thai, Emirates and Bangkok Air.

I agree if you use a Travel Agent then you do not need to show credit card at check in, if you book direct with Airline then you do.

JC

[WilliaminBKK]

Ring the airline ask them to "ADD AN OSI message into the PNR" this will be visible to the check in agent. The airlines don't seem to apply the same rules to tickets purchased from agents as they simply charge back the agency in cases of fraud.

I will be paying the agent by credit card not the airline. The agency will pay the airline so why would the airline 'charge back' the agent in case of fraud?

The agent is acting on behalf of the airline they have a plate to issue tickets and in case of fraud the airline will issue a debit memo to the agent. Your payment is collected by the agent on behalf of the airline and when reconciled with BSP/IATA the funds are sent to the airline from the clearing house. If you purchase from the agent they can also enter an OSI message saying credit card verified and checked copy on file.

[ziaky]

Make sure ALL her paperwork/ Visa etc is in order or they wont board her with a one way ticket.

Whats this got to do with the OP's question ??

LOL

[Kwasaki]

If your worried like one post has already said ring the airline, anyway this is my only related experiance :-

Three times I have paid by credit card for my wife but it was a return flight, BKK - LHR she had her ticket and visa etc and it was fine.

I have paid couple of times before by a UK bank debit card for myself one way flight from LHR to BKK and that was the only time I have been asked personally by check in to see one of my credit cards also to se whether it was within date.

I always thought it was to check you had the means of return but they never check to see if the card was still useable, strange.

[rocketmanbkk]

I am sure it is within their rules but I don't know of anyone who has ever been asked. If unsure, contact the airline, not the people on here who don't work for the airline, as, like myself, may be giving incorrect info which may cause distress to you wife what should be an exciting time.

Where in the UK are you?

[theoldgit]

I am sure it is within their rules but I don't know of anyone who has ever been asked.

I have, with Thai, Virgin, Qatar, Emirates, Bangkok Airways and BA, to name a few - maybe I look a bit shady.

[craigt3365]

I just left Thailand a few days ago and was required to show the credit card. Not sure what would of happened if I didn't have the card.

If purchased via an agent, a different payment method is used, obviously, and you won't have to show the card. Just make sure it's a reputable agent as there was a case last year when quite a few people had problems with the agent not paying for the tickets and the travelers were left high and dry.

[Chris.B]

I just left Thailand a few days ago and was required to show the credit card. Not sure what would of happened if I didn't have the card.

If purchased via an agent, a different payment method is used, obviously, and you won't have to show the card. Just make sure it's a reputable agent as there was a case last year when quite a few people had problems with the agent not paying for the tickets and the travelers were left high and dry.

I assume you purchased your ticket direct from the airline? Not sure what you meant by "a different payment method is used", perhaps you could elaborate?

[craigt3365]

I just left Thailand a few days ago and was required to show the credit card. Not sure what would of happened if I didn't have the card.

If purchased via an agent, a different payment method is used, obviously, and you won't have to show the card. Just make sure it's a reputable agent as there was a case last year when quite a few people had problems with the agent not paying for the tickets and the travelers were left high and dry.

I assume you purchased your ticket direct from the airline? Not sure what you meant by "a different payment method is used", perhaps you could elaborate?

Yes, I bought from the airline directly. I don't know exactly how travel agents pay, but remember reading an article about it...had to do with that agent that went out of biz in pattaya and didn't pay for many customers flights. So the customers were left high and dry....even though they had the physical tickets.

[Kwasaki]

I just left Thailand a few days ago and was required to show the credit card. Not sure what would of happened if I didn't have the card.

What I find strange is they do not check to see whether it's able to be used, unpaid statements etc.

[sparebox2]

Don't know about TG.

But for SQ, card holder can go verify themself pre-flight at any SQ office world wide. They key something into the reservation system to say OK.

[attrayant]

This sounds strange. The credit card is validated at the point of sale (whether online or in person). Why does it need to be validated a second time at the airport? I don't see what is accomplished by this.

And what happens if my card expires between the time I purchase my ticket and the day of travel? Will I get grief at the airport for showing them an expired card?