flyingbrick

Is it just me, or is this a new Delta policy?

My last few flights (all intl, all DL metal/codes) DL has required me to show my credit card used for purchase in order to check in. It's a pain because A) I can't remember what card I used to purchase a ticket months ago and B) it completely prohibits online and kiosk check in.

No one I've contacted at DL has provided a coherent explanation.

Happening to others?

Italy98

IIRC one needs to present the cc only if the ticket is purchased within 24 hours of departure.

howl0007

I've had this happen to me for a few international bookings and the tickets were purchased about 1 month out. I couldn't ever figure out the criteria for when this happens.

Spent_All_My_Miles

On tickets to Africa, I've been told I need to have the credit card at check in.
These happened to be award tickets, so the credit card was only used for <$200 of taxes! At check-in, alas, no credit card was needed.

Not sure where else in the world this occurs. Probably anywhere where actual or feared fraud is high.

Asmara

Edited.... sorry

Asmara

Edited

Asmara

Yes! This is definitely happening with increased frequency. It happened to me three times since November, two times overseas. Once at checkin here in the USA, on a ticket booked 8 days out. Also in Johannesburg in November and in Cairo just two weeks ago. All cases were Delta metal, Delta check-in staff. I was allowed to board anyway, without card, maybe due to DM status.

On a related note, I was not allowed to board Ethiopian Airlines CAI-ADD for this reason! I had to purchase a new ticket on the spot. ET absolutely refused to hear my logic that this was a corporate travel purchase and I don't own the card! They cited security. Despite local assurances I'm still wrestling with them on the refund.

Concerning Delta, they have an unwritten policy that requires credit card be presented for travel originating in certain countries. I flew some employees to the USA this year and had to go in person to the airport counter to add notes to their files that card was physically presented. I only learned of the "policy" when I could not book travel originating in Africa online on delta.com.

The "policy" is supposed to affect only travel on tickets with travel originating in suspect countries, but is instead being misconstrued by staff to include all flights, even return legs. It's definitely a new risk, particularly to/from developing countries.

Dovster

I have never, with any airline, been asked to show my credit card at check in.

MAMOHT

Curious how this would work for a card that technically does not exist. I book all travel using company's centralized Amex and I do not even know the number.

Orange County Commuter

Ran into this on a flight to the Dominican Republic. I didn't have the credit card as it had been replaced and basically told the agent "too bad" He checked my ID and I got on the plane

hopke85

Had this happen on an MR to Lima earlier this year, as well as flying with a group of 8 to SDQ in the Dominican Republic. On the SDQ trip I had canceled the credit card I used, and at check-in the agent told me first that I'd need to purchase walk-up fares for everyone there to fly because "the system wouldn't let her check us in without the credit card". I told her that wasn't acceptable, and asked to speak to the station manager. Surprise, surprise- at 4:30a when we were checking in the TA I was speaking with was the most senior agent there. She wouldn't budge, or try anything to work around it, though she did suggest I could take it up with corporate for refunds later. Called SMS while standing at the counter and the SMS agent got a specialist who walked the TA through overriding it, which on her own she had been unwilling to attempt. Also funny: before she would use my cell-phone, she gave me a wet-nap and told me to disinfect it. Anyway- moral is that apparently when the system asks for the original cc at check-in, it's pretty difficult to override, but can be done.

mot29

I also had this happen on my STL-LIM run earlier this year. The agent at checkin told me it was because I hadn't used the card (the USBank FlexPerks card) with DL before. In the end it worked out well because I ended up with an upgrade on the ATL-LIM flight.

MFMeow

Me too. Nine out of ten of my trips are booked the same way, and I don't even do it myself. I pick the flights I want, then they are booked by our corporate travel coordinator using corporate Amex account on "American Express Business Travel".

I couldn't come up with the card if my life depended on it, it's not mine. Wonder if there is some sort of allowance/discretion for that case?

DeltaFirst

It's happened to me to, it's not Delta it's your credit card company that's requesting Delta verify that's it's your credit card and not someone posing as you. I'm not sure what they'd say if I left that credit card at home?

alanh

If it's billed as a centralized account, the reservation probably also shows as being booked by a travel agent or corporate travel department, which will waive the credit card requirement.

What they're trying to avoid is the scam where a stolen card is used to book tickets. If the tickets are for flights a short time after booking, there may not be time for the fraud to be detected and the chargeback to work its way back to the airline before the flight.

Typically the person stealing the card isn't using the tickets, he's pitching discount tickets to other people. They pay the thief cash, at much less than face value. That's also why "3rd party" tickets (flyer is not purchaser) get extra scrutiny.