Air Canada credit card verification policy leaves woman stranded in Thailand

[sandmike]

I fly a middle east airline and buy tickets online. Its clearly mentioned as you go through the purchase process that the credit card has to be available at checkin, or there is a validation process to follow for my wife to fly alone.

Having said that, neither one of us has ever been asked to show the card.

YMMV.

SM

Edited June 16, 2016 by sandmike

[JimGant]

The companies can put all kinds of documents and disclaimers, but that does not make them valid in the court of law.

Who cares about the court of law? It's all about money -- and who absorbs the fraud cost. If an airline doesn't do "due diligence" to ascertain that the credit card purchase was legitimate, it pays the loss. Also, as explained above, "due diligence" can get the airline off the hook for reimbursement of "friendly fraud" scenarios. Today, in the US as of Oct, the fraud shift game is in full play -- with merchants who haven't upgraded their POS machines to chip readers, shouldering any fraud costs experienced by consumers with chip cards.

Yeah, courts will come into play to settle some murky areas, especially as this new "who's responsible for the fraud" criteria settles in. But, overall, it should be cut and dried -- especially if merchants, like the airlines, over react to establish their "due diligence."

[swerver]

Can't wait for a cashless society. It is going to be smooth.

Credit Card is CASHLESS and that is what you want to go to TOTALLY??? Sure like to see you stuck CASHLESS with your credit card in hand at an airport halfway around the world and being refused an airline ticket home.

LOL

[humqdpf]

So ''Man doesn't read airline policy'' is now news. I don't see why Air Canada apologised: this is pretty standard (albeit annoying). Same thing happened to my little cousin: uncle paid for ticket but didn't complete verification procedure (Never made that mistake again)

I can't figure out if this is some weird paid for advertisement for Air Canada or whether it really is just a slow news day

I have had this problem in the past even when I was the person flying. In each case, the airline was acting illegally.

I don't see why everyone should have the required PhD in legalese to read through many pages involved.

I took a quick look at Air Canada website - there is no mention of these rules in the FAQs. Nor can you find it in the first number of pages when you google Air Canada Credit Card policy.

There are many large companies that have policies for everything but many of those policies are actually illegal in a variety of ways but mainly against the consumer protection laws of the state or country. The cause of many annoyances for airline passengers and other consumers of products and services are that the provider has actually done something illegal but gets away with it because individual consumers do not have the financial wherewithal to sue the company in question in open court. As in this case, they refund the extra ticket and provide $500 even though this does not by a long shot cover all the expenses.

The only thing that these companies worry about is their revenue - that is why this guy and his wife are absolutely right to bring the case straight to the media and maybe one of these stupid policies will be changed.

[Jonmarleesco]

Can't wait for a cashless society. It is going to be smooth.

You don't think a CC is cashless?

[JLCrab]

... And I'll say it one more time and then I'm outa here: If the guy had made himself reasonably available and had the intention of wishing his wife a pleasant flight before embarking on a 3-leg 20+ hour flight, there wouldn't have been any problem as the ANA agent at BKK would have been able to verify the credit card purchase which it seems she/he for 2+ hours was diligently trying to do.

Promise, only one more time?.....'cause it's obvious this guy missed the fine print about validating his credit card bonafides. The fact that the credit card charge had gone through -- with no call from his bank asking for verification -- would be enough for the average, first time booking his wife with his credit card, joe that everything was kosher. No possible way, with this scenario, would one expect him to hang around for a possible "please verify" phone call. Now, was Air Canada's fine print too fine for the average joe to diciper? Maybe. If not, then the guy fouled up. But without the hindsight of TV hotshots to steer him straight, making himself "reasonably available" doesn't fly (no pun intended - maybe).

From the CBC linked article":

'No justification' for the headache, passenger rights advocate says

Dr. Gabor Lukacs is a passenger rights advocate based out of Halifax who deals with Canadian airline complaints. He says Air Canada's policy to check last minute tickets for valid credit information creates an avoidable inconvenience for passengers

"In my view, there's no justification for this," Lukacs said. "This is unreasonable and twisting the rules where it makes no sense. ... I'm calling on the government to step in and direct the CTA to enforce the existing rules."

So if you don't like it, SUE. And I didn't say that he should hang around for a credit card verification phone call. All I said was that if the guy was to planning to give his wife a bon voyage phone call and see that she got to the airport and checked in OK, they would have been able to make contact with him in due time.

Edited June 16, 2016 by JLCrab

[Sydebolle]

You can pre-verify the debit by calling the credit card issuer and mark it as verified; it is the issuer who can verify only - and ultimately it is in the interest of the credit card holder. Happened to my neighbour, his Missus insisted and the credit card issuer called him in the middle of the night.

[darhut]

Same story for Thai airways when travelling with Thai airways to Australia.

Been flying with Thai airways for more years that I car to count and never have a problem and all my flights are booked against my Thai Amex ROP linked card.

Many times it's a phone booking, and occasionally an online booking.

Read ticket conditions,its there in black and white.

[Bigstef]

My next trip is with ANA and the card i use to pay the tickets,i shred it last weekend because i change for another one,considering my fligth is in november am i in a black zone?

[jethro69]

Same story for Thai airways when travelling with Thai airways to Australia.

To every destination, as I usually booked for quite a few family members. I know the process pretty well, could however also arranged by phone or internet. Book the same plane, via expedia, or another platform and no verification required anymore.....makes sense

[Shatian]

Normal procedure with most airlines. Be happy they try to protect you against fraud.

Nonsense.

They protect themselves. You are already protected through your credit card company.

Personally, I think what airlines are doing borders on criminal.

If your payment went through and the money was taken off your account, there is nothing else you should be doing. This is how it works with the rest of the things you buy with your credit card.

Why is airline making an exception to this rule?

Because the money is taken from your card but sometimes the money doesn't go to the airline but the passenger boards the plane. Those last minutes purchases, especially by some Africans the money hardly goes to the airline but the passengers board the plane. So that verification is very very necessary by the airlines to have assurance double sure.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Normal procedure with most airlines. Be happy they try to protect you against fraud.

Nonsense.

They protect themselves. You are already protected through your credit card company.

Personally, I think what airlines are doing borders on criminal.

If your payment went through and the money was taken off your account, there is nothing else you should be doing. This is how it works with the rest of the things you buy with your credit card.

Why is airline making an exception to this rule?

Because the money is taken from your card but sometimes the money doesn't go to the airline but the passenger boards the plane. Those last minutes purchases, especially by some Africans the money hardly goes to the airline but the passengers board the plane. So that verification is very very necessary by the airlines to have assurance double sure.

Not my problem. Cost of doing business.

Ask any online business how much are they losing to scammers, yet every time I pay for something and the payment goes through I am never asked to prove the ownership of my credit card.

[whaleboneman]

Just happened to me for the first time. Purchased a ticket with Nok Air for gf to go home from Bangkok. I was returning to Canada. They wouldn't let her on the flight until she bought a new ticket. I had purchased her ticket two days prior with credit card and it was confirmed and we had eticket. Seat also selected. They have informed me that in this case they will refund my original purchase (6-8 weeks). However, it is their policy apparently, that she must have the credit card to fly. I informed them that we would not fly Nok Air again.

In the past I have purchased and she has used tickets with Lion Air, Air Asia, and Nok Air. I guess the rules are changing. Best call airline to confirm before purchasing a ticket for even cheap flights.

[Colabamumbai]

Can't wait for a cashless society. It is going to be smooth.

This article shows the opposite. It will never be smooth. Cash is the smoothest.

[Moonmoon]

Dont blame the airline. It is always mentioned and stated in when on most airline websites you are required to verified your credit card details if you book a flight when you go to the airport.

This is for your own safety. Don't blame the airline for having a fraud security feature for trying to protect you. What if credit card fraud really occurs? and the airline didn't check or simply bowed under pressure? you be blaming the airline for allowing it to happen.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Dont blame the airline. It is always mentioned and stated in when on most airline websites you are required to verified your credit card details if you book a flight when you go to the airport.

This is for your own safety. Don't blame the airline for having a fraud security feature for trying to protect you. What if credit card fraud really occurs? and the airline didn't check or simply bowed under pressure? you be blaming the airline for allowing it to happen.

[whaleboneman]

Dont blame the airline. It is always mentioned and stated in when on most airline websites you are required to verified your credit card details if you book a flight when you go to the airport.

This is for your own safety. Don't blame the airline for having a fraud security feature for trying to protect you. What if credit card fraud really occurs? and the airline didn't check or simply bowed under pressure? you be blaming the airline for allowing it to happen.

I have been flying all over the world for years purchasing tickets on line and NEVER once have I shown my credit card. And the policy you have dreamed up does not exist on the airlines I have been using. As I have used Nok Air many times without a problem, and as they have many records of me purchasing tickets for my girlfriend, it seems odd that they would refuse her boarding don't you think???