Calum

I cannot be the only one here that semi-regularly books one-ways that end up being priced on BA.com in USD/CAD/EUR/CHF/HKD and so on, then they have a stupid tool that tells you what that price is in the currency you want to pay in but doesn't actually let you pay in that currency? I don't count myself as someone with great knowledge when it comes with processing payments but how hard can it be to offer a way to pay in GBP as well as the currency of where the flights are starting.

(Yes I have a 0% FX credit card but I couldn't find it today so I phoned up)

Andriyko

In some countries the law dictates in which currency prices must be advertised and payments taken. And it makes it easier for an airline to take payment in the local currency (or in whatever currency the fares are set for that market) for accounting purposes and for the purposes of calculating change fees, fare differences, refunds etc. If BA were to introduce such a service it would have to be a third party one (for a fee, I would imagine), but banks already provide that service anyway. Even though I myself once or twice needed to pay in a different currency than ba.com wanted me to, I think the demand for such an option is not that high.

WorldLux

The currency converters offered by many e-shops aren't exactly great. Unless you have prohibitively high FX fees on your card (in which case changing the card may be the best option), it generally makes little sense to use them.

LCY8737

Calum

You can pay in any currency over the phone, so I doubt it would take much effort to put it online, if anything it would save BA as so many people wouldn't need to phone up and waste call agents time.

ahmetdouas

Calum

I was under the impression BA and all airline members of IATA use the daily rate from IATA but I could be wrong. Whenever I booked a trip in GBP that was originally in another currency, the price has always been bang on the market rate.

NickB

It is not really a "functionality" issue. If you phone, your ticket will be issued by the BA in the country in which you phone and will therefore use the local currency there, regardless of the origin of the ticket. So, if you phone BA in the UK to book a PEK-MAD ticket, it will be priced in GBP. If you phone BA in Hong Kong to do that, it will be priced in HKD, etc...It is not as if you can phone any BA office and pay in any currency. So there is no "functionality" to pay in a different currency by phone (for instance, you cannot call BA in France and ask to pay in Indian rupees). It is just that there is a different way of allocating the sale if you phone versus doing it online.

If you book online, the ticket will be issued by the BA in the country of origin and will use the local currency there. So, it is not just a functionality issue but it has accounting implications within BA as to where the sale is deemed to be made, etc...

Amil

i prefer to pay in local currency. if you leave the exchange up to the merchant they'll usually give themself some extra wiggle room

Jagboi

Yes you can, I've done it. I booked a one way from LIN-LHR and paid in CAD. BA are happy to price it in whatever currency you want if you phone in.

RGS5526

Does phoning up to pay in GBP rather than in, say, euros work for ex-EU fares? Are you charged the phone supplement, or is it waived since you cannot book using the "wrong" currency using ba.com?

Calum

Yes it works for ex-eu bookings, there is a booking fee of £15 I think but I just say to them that every time I try online it doesn't work, so they don't charge a fee. I know it's a lie but if they added the same functions to the website, I wouldn't need to call up, so the ball is in their court.

Virazuno

You lie that you can't book at all? Or that you can't "select" the currency you want?

HIDDY

Tickets booked ex EZE always have to be paid in US$ although I've never tried phoning to see if they'll take pesos.

Andriyko

I don't think it's the same. If I buy a ticket online from KBP it would be quoted in USD and issued by the Kiev office, but if I want to pay in GBP and call the UK the ticket would be issued by the UK office. Buying online always redirects to the website of the originating country. Calling a specific office would produce a quote in the currency of that country (I believe the UK office can switch between USD and GBP) regardless where the caller's starting point is.