Facesbyjay

Hello,

I'm really in panick mode because I can't seem to get the right answers regarding my upcoming trip. The ticket was booked over 3 weeks ago as a birthday gift to go to Central Africa. The person who bought this ticket for me online, does not have access to the Airlines counter as there are none there.

What at should I do? Ask him to send me a copy of his credit card with photo ID and a letter stating he bought the ticket for me?

what if for personal reasons he doesn't want me to have a copy of his credit card, then, what should I do?

Please help me out!

Thanks,

Moomba

As this is not a trip report I shall move it over to the Delta forum.

Moomba
Moderator: Trip Reports

Facesbyjay

My apologies, thank you.

ty97

If the ticket was fully ticketed in your name, who purchased it should not matter AFAIK. Is there a specific reason you are concerned? Can you provide more details?

Facesbyjay

Yes, the ticket is under my name. I've been reading that they ask for the original credit card upon check in. Just want to have all the documents when I go. So, I was wondering if anybody was in the same situation as I'm right now.

anon2k2

I've never had this issue with Delta, but a couple of different times while my daughter was in her study-abroad year, she was asked to present the original credit card that purchased her ticket at check-in.

Both times it was at NRT, once on Asiana, and again on Xiamen Air. Since I purchased both tickets from afar, it was a bit of an issue, but ultimately she was allowed on both flights.

rucksack

I've only ever heard of airport kiosks asking for a credit card (read: not necessarily the credit card used to make the purchase) as a method of quickly inputting a passenger's name in order to look up their PNR (passenger name record) and ticket.

If you have the record locator, you can check-in online. Otherwise, you can check-in at the counter with a photo ID that matches the name as it appears on the ticket.

BenA

This is tricky, because they do say they reserve the right to demand credit card at checkin. But there are plenty of legitimate reasons someone else would buy a ticket on an inaccessible credit card - an employer buying a recruitee a ticket to visit for an interview, for example.

I was in a situation where I had bought a ticket for a destination wedding guest who would otherwise have been unable to attend for financial reasons. I went to an airport agent and asked them to ensure the other person would be able to check in, and they verified there was no block on the reservation.

Apparently, this is an anti fraud measure they only institute when they believe a high risk transaction is occurring. In the vast majority of cases, the card is never necessary. If they do flag tour trip, I believe online checkin would be blocked, so you'd have 24 hours advance warning to get the other person to contact Delta and resolve their concerns.

Long story short, you're likely to be able to check in fine. But it's entirely possible that a third party international itinerary to Central Africa could trigger their fraud logic. It wouldn't hurt to have the gift giver call Delta, explain the ticket is a gift, and have the agent ensure there are no fraud blocks that would prevent you from checking in on the departure day.

Facesbyjay

Ok thank you all for the answers.

WidgetKid

There are some instances where a ticket is flagged (for whatever reason - sometimes fraud prevention, sometimes other things) and the person traveling is required to present to an agent the original credit card which was used to purchase the ticket in order to check in. It's hard to say exactly what causes it in some cases, but I could definitely see this ticket as being one where the card is required to be presented. I doubt a photocopy would be considered sufficient, but I suspect Widgets would be able to chime in on that account.

As was mentioned above, you would be blocked from checking in anywhere except with an agent at the airport, so you would likely have some time to rectify it should you find yourself in this situation.

Should the OP not be able to present the physical card, the OP can give another credit card to the agent and then that credit card would be charged for the ticket.

Facesbyjay

Ok yes, I told him to give Delta a call so I think I should be fine. Had me worried there for a second. Thank you!

tkey75

As the OP though, having a photocopy of the card, ID and the letter is about all that can be done (aside from buying a new ticket).

Not too likely to be challenged on it, though.

Facesbyjay

Hopefully that will not be the issue.

Thank you.

Facesbyjay

Yes I read that a couple times. Hopefully with a copy it won't be an issue.

Thank you for your feedback

Widgets

Delta ticket counter employees are trained to refuse that. They require the physical card when the reservation requires showing it, not a copy. Contracted staff could be more willing to look the other way depending on the airport.