How do these devices work? I assume they can't actually connect to the credit card companies to check the balance.

My assumption was that they'd approve any transaction that had a correct PIN, and then upload the transactions when on the ground.

I hate it when people reply withot quoting a post - it can be difficult to keep track of who's replying to what in a busy thread.

Twitter is going mad with complaints:
- The flight from Athens was mentioned
- An Italian guy was pissed. He was on a flight from Italy and they didn't make it past row 3 from ET
- On another flight, no CE meals were loaded. M&S was available to ET though
- Another has complained about no cash payments
- And of course the usual rant about BA turning into an expensive budget airline

Very amusing I have to say. Next week will be my turn to try the new concept from BRU to LHR and then the downgraded LH offering to JFK. I think they might be my last this year.

I can understand cash payments not been an option to pay for things as it would be a pain having to have the correct notes and change available and also the responsibility of having the cash on board the aircraft in the first place.

So, my experience today BCN-LHR...

1. The purser described the service just as if it was the norm - she didn't say it was a new thing.

2. The menus were handed out just after the climb and I have to say they look very professional.

3. Most passengers seemed to be aware of the change - I certainly didn't hear any complaints from where I was - there were clearly a few conversations with the crew about the change but it all seemed to be quite constructive.

4. Quite a few people bought - there were 7 rows of ET ahead of me and I would estimate that there was about 1 transaction per row.

5. A guy in front of me was the first to try to pay by Avios using the BA App - they said that the barcode scanning isn't happening yet so they just keyed the BAEC number and last name instead into the machine. They did the same thing when I passed them my phone. They give you a receipt from a little printer which is attached to the handheld POS device

6. The coffee was nice - it's ground coffee with a clever gauze in the lid which stops the grounds getting through.

7. It did seem to take quite a while to take payment. I was expecting that it would all be contactless but some cards needed PINs, some needed signatures so it was quite a slow process. Not an issue for a 2-hour flight but not ideal for a short hop. But it was the crew's first go at it and I think they did pretty well.

8. The choice is actually pretty good and definitely a step up from the old freebies. I just think that if they provided tea, coffee and juice for free then the whole thing would overall be a benefit. With the Mobile App they could also provide some flex for different cardholder types if they choose. One passenger asked for water and it was provided in a plastic cup without any issue.

I have to say it all generally worked better than I had expected and I think it will bed in OK - but I'd still like my cup of tea to be free... :D

Can I get clarification on this, since the question has been asked elsewhere:
- contactless works?
- PIN works?
- and implied in your reply, signature instead of PIN is OK.

Thanks for the feedback too, and to the others who have reported on their experiences today.

So 1 in 3 ? (Or 1 in 6 ?)

I'm not sure I'd call that a roaring success...

Your assumption is absolutely correct. They have no facility at 28000ft to connect to the the companies so are never declined in that respect.The career criminals and fraudsters are well up on this and is big business......usually on high ticket duty free items.

Back on topic! only one solitary bottle of water was sold on the 1332 LHR-NCL today;payment equipment failure apparently.

Good report by ThaT1Feeling ^

Agree 100% re FOC drinks - even if just non-alcoholic ones.

So if someone had someone elses card or number what is to stop avios fraud ? did they ask to see the passengers ID as well?

I guess the risk is fairly limited unless the fraudster decides to buy the whole plane a drink! And even then it sounds like there wouldn't be enough stock loaded!

i don't know what percentage of BA short haul flights are to Eurozone countries? I imagine it is well over 50% so would it really hurt BA to offer payment in Euros?

also, what about passengers returning to the UK wanting to get rid of their loose change?

just who are these idiots in Waterside Towers? Are they being bribed by a competitor to drive BA in to the ground?

that will be one use for bag tags, A variation if ID theft the G&T Con or GTC for short.

No ID requested - but it was only 300 Avios or so - I don't know if there is a validation check on the machine to ensure that the number is valid. I guess you're less likely to have someone else's account on your phone but yes, you could always use someone else's card - but then the airline knows who was sitting in the seat if it ever got queried by the true card-holder.

I didn't actually see contactless work. I saw / heard Chip & PIN and signature..

Well, it was a mid-afternoon flight, so not a peak time for eating. I think it was about 1 in 6 who bought anything..

I thought about this one. Maybe it's a small risk to take. You get a receipt that quotes the flight number. So if you are charged incorrectly, I guess if you say to BA, I wasn't on that flight, how did I make a purchase, they say, ok, we see you weren't.

I suppose two people on the same flight might get around this. Also, domestics with no ID check might be a problem.