I purchased a one-way flight on Bangkok Airways about 6 months ago. A few weeks back a credit card I have was reissued with a new number due to some fraudulent activity. The original card was destroyed per instructions of the card issuer. I just realized it was the same credit card used to pay for the Bangkok Airways flight, and given their policy (below), does this mean I will be denied boarding for failure to present the original card? Should I be worried?


At the airport during your check-in formality, Bangkok Airways performs a random check on your credit card used for online payment. Failure to present the card or proof of payment, passengers are required to make a new payment for your entire journey. All transactions by any type of corporate and commercial cards are required to verify your purchase by presenting the card to our check-in personnel. Passengers will be denied on board if found traveling with fraudulent card.

IME PG will ask for the credit card. Last year when the exact same thing happened to me, I ignored the request to destroy my credit card and put it in my travel wallet. Sure enough, at check-in I was asked to produce the now invalid and useless credit card that I had originally purchased the ticket with. Had I not had the card I would have had to buy a new ticket at check-in.

I would call or e-mail PG and see how this can be dealt with in advance.

This is great information. I will contact PG in advance. Really appreciate it.

Can you not bypass this by checking-in online?

It's really annoying that some airlines do this -- it really negates the benefit to the consumer of an "electronic" ticket: Instead of keeping track of a paper document for fear of having to repurchase, which you will presumably at least be able to store safely in your home until it's time to travel, you have to ensure that the card that you carry around every day isn't lost/stolen/replaced in the interim.

There really should be a better way to validate that a given credit card number is really valid for this customer than this.

Very common in areas where cc fraud is rampant. IME, most Asian airlines do this for online booking done directly with the airline. Note that if you book through one of the following methods, there usually is no requirement to produce the card at check-in:
--a third party travel agent (either traditional bricks and mortar, or online). Risk of fraud is shouldered by the agent, not the airline.
--in advance with the airline, in person at a staffed counter. Risk of fraud shouldered by airline but minimized since credit card and travel document (passport, ID) is presented simultaneously at transaction point.

Legal protections for buyer and merchant after the transaction takes place, are not the same elsewhere in the world as in North America or Europe, so vendors tend to be more cautious.

Usually not, and particularly if the flight is international which requires fronting up to an agent for a passport/visa check.

I know EK do this when purchasing from their website and departing from CMB. Must show the creditcard. Got my father in some hot water where he had to get transferred to a new flight and incur costs. (The flight was paid for by his wife on her credit card.)
When you online checkin you are told to recieve boarding card you must go to the Online Checkin Desk and produce the card. Fraud alerts.

I am often, but not always, asked for the card at checkin so you'll need something. A copy of your statement might suffice.

PG does not allow international flights to check in online.

Just a follow-up...

I spoke with PG and they confirmed the original credit card would be required to check-in. They graciously offered to refund the ticket price on the original card that no longer exists and book a new ticket at a higher fare for the exact same flight.

I agreed to book a new ticket and did so on another airline. Planning to dispute this charge with the card issuer rather than waste any more time on this.

Not sure if it works in your bank, but a guy at my check in a couple of weeks ago had the exact same problem. He had a statement from his bank with the card transfer (old number, new number, all info etc.) which declared he just switched cards.
He had at least 10 papers. Kudos on the guy, as lots of people just ignore this little line when booking a ticket.

As for the online check-in: won't work. On some airlines you can check-in, but can not issue the boarding card so you still need to present yourself at the counter. Else, what would be the point of doing CC checks?

Departing NH from BKK I can check in online and never present myself at the counter having used a CC to purchase my fare online. Conversely I can purchase my international PG tix at an office or at the airport counter, to avoid the CC check, and I'm still not allowed to check in online.

It is simply PG's policy not to allow international pax to check in online. It has nothing to do with showing your CC.

About time this airline got with the times, they are so not customer friendly when it comes to anything that involves talking to them or even thinking about future business

They are with the times more and more airlines are insisting on seeing the credit card at check in if you booked on line. It is pressure from the credit card companies because there is so much credit card fraud on flights booked over the internet

I slightly disagree. There is a lot of fraud in the UK and consumer protection is very high - often at the expense of the merchant. Even if a cardholder is negligent, they are not responsible for transactions they didn't carry out. Chargebacks are much more likely. Yet UK LCCs never ask for CCs at check-in.

I think there is a cultural element. European carriers balance a level of lost revenue against service to customers. If Easyjet/Ryanair started asking for CCs at check-in, it would increase costs (labour being more costly in the UK) and there would be endless disputes with people who had lost their cards/forgotten them etc.

I feel Asian carriers struggle with the concept of risk assessment. They don't like any risk when it comes to not receiving money that is due. A bad debt is very visible. The "lost" business through a strict approach is intangible and doesn't show up in figures. Also, I feel Asian customers are just generally more accepting of bureaucratic procedures put upon them. They are used to getting stuff endlessly stamped, authorised, endorsed etc. A more suspicious attitude prevails.

Apologies for the stereotyping!

I was not talking about PG in specific, I clearly mentioned 'some'