No Paper only Plastic Starting 12/1
 

http://blog.delta.com/2009/11/09/pur...lease/#respond

Thats crazy, you know how many times they have not had a working credit card processing machine onboard...plus I noticed people paying with cash hold up the fa less than when the FA has to process a credit card.

Much easier revenue management. Darn and there goes me trading a drink coupon for a snack box (FA could take the $7 for someone in Y's drink and give me a snack box).

UA already has this policy.

Count me as one who likes the transition. I haven't yet been on a flight where the CC machine wasn't working, and I have actually seen far more delays when pax pay with cash...like when everybody wants to make a $5 expenditure with a $20 bill, and the FA quickly runs out of change. I also suspect it's an additional burden on the FAs, having to reconcile the products that were used up vs. the cash on hand.

Guess we'll see in a few weeks....

I don't carry cash I always pay with cards, but there have been 4 times where I was starving and didn't eat anything at the gate because I like the chicken sandwish on the EATS menu. When they come around the credit card machine didn't work. That happened twice the other two times my card wouldn't swipe for some reason and she did everything manually.

3 of the times I did get the sandwish free though.

Also AA

I wonder if this will be the same on DL connection partners. I've never seen a CC swiper on my Comair flights and they refuse to take the Canadian currency I always have left over from my trips :rolleyes:

Also AS.

It works very well on AS. Because you are dealing with such small amounts of $ the buyer is not required to sign a receipt. The FA simply swipes the card and gives it back to you.

-RM

Delta Connection flights will still accept cash only.

Works well on Southwest. But, knowing Delta's storied tradition for poor technology implementation, I am sure it will be a complete disaster

Wow, great angle...thanks for the idea. I guess I have a few weeks to give it a shot for the (8) DL drink certs I have valid until 12/31.

Unless, of course, someone is wanting to work a trade for them (yes, I know this is the wrong forum. call me lazy). Hint hint.

We were thinking about giving it a try on our JFK-ATL flight yesterday...

Policy should be if the machine doesn't work then you get it for free.

Then we got distracted. :D

Personally, I usually don't carry much cash with me, let alone "exact change". So I am happy I will finally be able to pay with a CC on NW flights.

C'mon, this is FT... if someone sitting next to you has cash-only, offer to pay with our CC, and take the cash. Miles are miles... :)

+1

On board purchases often come with lots of bonus miles, too, e.g. 10 miles/$ when I bought my cognacs on a UA TATL a couple months ago.

I like this change. Handling cash just slows the FAs down. I have never seen the cc machine not work. When it does happen, I am sure they will have a back-up plan.

I always pay with a credit card, since that simplifies my expense reports.

Works well on YX too. I never travel with cash, so this is a welcome transition. Have never been on a flight where the machine wasn't working either. Often find the cash transactions (FA - "Does anyone have change for a $20") take much longer than the cc transactions.

What about the $2 headsets? Will those be credit card only as well?

Now that's the FT spirit! Take it a step further and loudly announce that you'll charge meals/drinks in exchange for cash for the entire plane. Kachingg!^

+1 more

Yeah...I would.

I don't use cash much when I travel anyway. I prefer using plastic.

As to machines --

I bought stuff duty free on board (cause I had only 30 min in ATL to change planes), and had no prob.

What's the big deal? I am in favor of this. As pointed out above, to much hassel making change.

As to paper voucers for drinks (which I think any elite sans upgrade should get 2 per flight) the FA would just drop it in with the rest of the paper work.

Dave

Cashless is easier for everyone. Especially the poor flight attendant who was looking for change for a 20 on my LGA-IND flight yesterday who needed help from three people for change.

I think that this really ridiculous. Why all CCs?

There are some people (like myself) that are under 18, and do not have a credit card.

Well I might be getting a debit card soon so it won't be bad.

Well on one my recent flights I got a free drink because "we only have one machine working so it's slow" So IMHO Delta this could cost you!

To say nothing of the miles we'll get for using "their" credit card -- but lets see, 25,000 / 7 === lots of on board purchases to get a free tickee !!!.



Bob H

But it is also quite possibly the most fun way to earn a free airline ticket (especially if the charges go to the corporate card) :D

Last time I was on jetBlue, I charged at least 3 drinks to my card while in air. I watched the gentleman swipe my card each time and it approve it. They never hit my account. :D

Cashless could be niiice...

My 14 year old has a debit card.

I know of a person whose card the machine would not read on AS (they have a cashless policy).

That person got a free meal and drink...my guess is this is SOP. Nothing wrong with his card, works elsewhere, just a ghost in the machine.

The immoral lesson behind the story, randomize the magnetics on your stripe and drink free.

Dunno how to do that...microwave? bulk tape eraser? boil in water for 20 mins?

In practice, the view is not worth the climb, but perhaps it offers insight on how the process works (or is supposed to work).

I have a food purchase from a July flight on DL that never hit my credit card.

Also, FL has been CC only for many years.

I will be very impressed if they transition all DL flights to this policy in time for the cut off. That being all of the DL connection and former NWA metal flights. Let's see what happens. Either way is good for me.

Anyone know if they process the transactions in real time? Or once they land?

My guess is upon landing. The fee/overhead for realtime handshakes would out pace the loss from cards that have valid number check sums/expiry dates yet have been cutoff in the system (severe over limits, closed accounts, stolen reports, etc).

They are selling $7 drinks that probably cost 3$, so their loss would be $20 per flight if you assume 5 or so folks in a flight suffering the above.

Airlines moving to a only CC policy will facilitate charging for gate-checked luggage, when the airlines decide they can get away with this.:rolleyes:

I was on AA a week ago and the FA said that taking plastic only made their job easier. @:-) DL is simply joining the others with this policy.

I was on a flight in Y when the CC machine stopped working and had ordered a sandwich. I handed my card to the FA, at which point the FA gave me the sandwich on the house and explained the "machines were acting up". I then pulled some $$ out of my wallet and offered it in lieu of the card, but FA wouldn't accept it.

I personally prefer to use plastic as it gets me an itemized receipt / proof of payment.

I'm quite happy with the EATS program when flying in Y (especially when compared to some other airline Buy on Board programs) --- I only wish they would update the menu more often or have a couple more selections ... when in the back of the bus, the menu tends to get old quick.

It seems to be upon landing.

I believe the machine simply makes sure the card is valid (i.e. follows an algorithm) and stores the sale in a batch, which is then transmitted once on the ground. I would suspect the number of bad cards they get is minimal.

For some reason my Korean Air SKYPASS Visa regularly fails when using it on DL flights for purchases. I prefer to use my Chase Visa in any case since the online banking is better, but it's still weird that one type of card will work when another will not.

One of the meals I purchased onboard a Delta flight never showed up on the credit card. But it was the corporate credit card, so the oversight did not benefit me personally. In fact, it was a pain to keep track of the little receipt (which I would need for the expense report just in case it ever did hit). Eventually, the writing on the receipt becomes illegible, since they use the thermal paper in the cc machines.