Location: HKT ~ Phuket Thailand & YVR Vancouver; UA1K Lightest of the 1KLite's (for'09), BD*Gold, HHonorsGold, SPGPlatinum, Fairmont Plat
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Denied Boarding ~ No Purchasing Credit card
I'd bought my ticket on the phone with TG using my AmEx card. BKK-HKT W class for 2220 Baht
Only in Bangkok for 2 nights, I didn't bring much with me. I didn't have my credit card used to buy the ticket. This wasn't a 3rd party purchase. It was my card, with my name; the ticket issued in my name as well.
TG refused to check me in or take any responsibility. I was refused any assistance, shuffled around from counter to counter for 1 1/2 hours. They would not budge. At the ticketing counter they told me they do this 100 times a day.
Needless to say, despite having a valid ticket, and passport, I was forced to by a new ticket.
The new ticket turned out to be 1920 Baht, 300 Baht cheaper than the one I was denied boarding for. I'm asking AmEx to do a chargeback.
So I guess they didnt inform you over the phone you needed to show the card? TG Australia will not process CC's over the phone anymore at all, you must present yourself at the city office, quite ridiculous really. For online purchases you certainly do need to bring the card, and it is clearly stated when you buy the ticket. But if TG phone reservations in Thailand didn't inform you of this requirement I would certainly be seeking a refund.
Sorry this happened to you but the requirement of showing your credit card is nothing new. It's been discussed here before, just last week in fact. It's a common requirement of many airlines and anyone flying much and especially any FTer active on these boards should be aware of it. I've purchased a few tickets via phone, with SQ, TG and other airlines and have always been told clearly that I will need to show my credit card at check-in. So it's definitely TG policy to inform customers on the phone of the requirement.
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Sorry to hear of your plight Sean but, as noted above, I have always been aware of the CCrd requirement either in the fine print and also by being told by TG staff. I even asked once what might happen if I forgot, and was told [insert your experience here].
In visiting in Mar, and it'd be good to get together in BKK or HKT if you'll be around.
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But come on, that may be the policy, but it's truly silly. Don't tell me about fraud either, plenty of other airlines don't need to go through these hoops.
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I find it common with Asian carriers. Presume it's fraud related, but still pretty frustrating to have to show a credit card that matches the one you used - especially when your name and the CC name match up properly.
Same story posted by someone in LY forum last week with TLV being the airport but RJ being the carrier. Common but not always enforced. No valid excuse for the requirement IMO.
So what happens if you switch to a new credit card provider before you fly?
Sometimes the carrier will match your name with the old card, sometimes they'll outright refuse boarding, sometimes they'll authorise your new credit card with the fare to ensure they have a charging mechanism if the other fare is charged back etc etc. Nothing regular or predictable.
I bought two tickets online for myself and a friend HKT-BKK, but we were travelling on different flights. I checked in first and his flight was 6 hours later. So he stayed at the hotel to relax at the pool and when I was at the airport, I showed them the cc and signed a little receipt. They put a note into his reservation showing that I had already provided the CC used for booking. It worked. They let him check-in without any problems. But, from my experience, they are really strict about this. I think it is ridiculous, but my opinion doesn't matter.
They have your name, they have a reservation number, they collected the money from your credit card account and nobody else will show up for the flight instead of you... So what's the point in enforcing this regulation? In my opinion it's pure bureaucracy. And what happens in case your creditcard gets lost or stolen? Do have to buy a new ticket - and will the other one be refunded?
Same story posted by someone in LY forum last week with TLV being the airport but RJ being the carrier. Common but not always enforced. No valid excuse for the requirement IMO.
I agree. I often pay for taxes on awards for my family members that start out in another country and never have a problem with them checking in. I have also bought many tickets for family members and never been there with the card at check in. It is very loosely enforced and not necessary in my opinion.
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I'll add BR to the list of airlines strictly enforcing this policy. I have had a couple of panics at checkin on Eva where I couldn't remember which card I used, and had to hand over a handful of cards, as they wouldn't tell me the CC #.
