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.