30 euro extra if you pay with Flying Blue AMEX
Jun 3, 2012, 6:25 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Indonesia
Programs: Flying Blue PE, Garuda FF Gold, Shangr-La Gold, KrisFlyer SQ
Posts: 79
30 euro extra if you pay with Flying Blue AMEX
Maybe it has already come up in a previous thread , KLM charges 30 euro extra for online booking with a creditcard. I thought this used to be 10 euro. The excuse will probably be that AMEX charges KLM, but I find it rather user unfriendly if you pay so much for a transaction that does not involve a call center, and using their own company loyalty card at that.
Jun 3, 2012, 7:06 am
#2
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Rotterdam, NL
Programs: Flying Blue (AF/KL)
Posts: 4,711
I thought it was E7.50 for short/medium haul and E15 for long haul.
I totally agree with you and KLM is aware of this. Please see the summary of the meeting I had with KLM a month ago as well.
I totally agree with you and KLM is aware of this. Please see the summary of the meeting I had with KLM a month ago as well.
Jun 4, 2012, 12:57 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Indonesia
Programs: Flying Blue PE, Garuda FF Gold, Shangr-La Gold, KrisFlyer SQ
Posts: 79
It was on KLM's FB, there is even a screenshot but I dont know how to upload it in this reply. It was a guy booking a ticket AMS-BKK and it clearly shows that paying with a cc sets you back with 30 euro. Paying by IDEAL is for free, also if you pay at a KLM office, if you want to take that trouble.
Jun 8, 2012, 6:08 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AMS
Programs: DL Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 276
There's still the option of using Airfrance.ie and avoiding credit card fees. I suggest this, as I not only avoided the CC fee and booking fee, but the fare was €30 less than KLM's own site as well. As a side note, it makes me wonder how many resources AF/KL must be putting into operating all these different websites for every country. Could they not just have one combined AF/KL website where you pick a language, and be done with it?
Back on point, this fee is totally rediculous. It usually drives me to book on other websites, which costs KLM a travel agent commission. I like the convenience of booking with a credit card, but more importantly, I enjoy the protection in case of issues down the road (for example, my colleague who booked a Malev ticket with iDeal and wasn't able to recoup those costs when the airline went bankrupt, vs. those who used credit cards and could get refunds that way). I appreciate that credit card companies charge fees, but it's 2012 and KLM needs to wake up.
Back on point, this fee is totally rediculous. It usually drives me to book on other websites, which costs KLM a travel agent commission. I like the convenience of booking with a credit card, but more importantly, I enjoy the protection in case of issues down the road (for example, my colleague who booked a Malev ticket with iDeal and wasn't able to recoup those costs when the airline went bankrupt, vs. those who used credit cards and could get refunds that way). I appreciate that credit card companies charge fees, but it's 2012 and KLM needs to wake up.
Jun 9, 2012, 3:41 am
#8
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,339
Unfortunately I found that Airfrance.ie is not always a solution. For some flights it works well, but, since the POS is different...prices can be different too.
For example I have seen sales for AMS-xxx on KLM.com, while the same flights were not on sale on airfrance.ie. Or sometimes there is just a general price difference due to both sites serving different markets (at least that's the idea).
As for the sites taking up more IT resources, I think that they are actually the same site but configured differently. Basically the initial selection of location and language determines which configuration (including payment options, fees and so on) will be used. That's a guess though, but it would seem like the most logical way to implement these sites.
For example I have seen sales for AMS-xxx on KLM.com, while the same flights were not on sale on airfrance.ie. Or sometimes there is just a general price difference due to both sites serving different markets (at least that's the idea).
As for the sites taking up more IT resources, I think that they are actually the same site but configured differently. Basically the initial selection of location and language determines which configuration (including payment options, fees and so on) will be used. That's a guess though, but it would seem like the most logical way to implement these sites.