Dining_Caper

This forum seemed the closest fit for my question, although not a perfect fit. Does anyone know how I can buy a ticket from Philippine Airlines while in the USA to go from Manila to Cebu? Whether booking online or over the phone, my charge never processes.

I called my credit card (Merrill+ Rewards Visa) and the CSR said she lifted a restriction that, by default, restricts foreign transactions. However, I since tried twice (both online and via telephone) and the charge still won't go through.

Over the phone the PA CSR said that, as far as she could tell, everything was fine I would receive an email confirmation. When I hadn't received one two days later, I called my credit card company and it said that no charge or authorization request was ever made in connection with that ticket. Merrill also verified that there no restriction on my account to prevent such a charge.

I'm stumped. I was hoping PA had a way to provide currencies in USD which would indicate to the system a different process for USA-based CC authorizations. However, I can find no option to view prices or purchase in USD.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I hate to pay about $1,100 more (for two passengers) for a 20ish-minute flight by changing my Delta ticket. Why can't I purchase a ticket on PA? Any insights would be appreciated!

jabez

Welcome to FT1
i'm moving this to the appropriate airline forum. Good luck

Mabuk dan gila

I have this problem as well. Last purchase with a Chase card, I called Chase customer service several times and they assured me the hold was being removed, yet it was still being blocked. I literally had to make the purchase on-line while I was live on the phone to a fraud agent at Chase who manually authorized it in real time. Absolutely ridiculous if you ask me.

Also be aware that charges on philipineair.com clear in the Philippines which on many credit cards these days triggers a 3% fabricated ripoff surcharge by many of the more corrupt credit card issuers. (Chase, Citi, B of A et al)

Since then I have found travel agents who can generally beat any price I find on philipineair.com anyway so I have more or less abandoned the web site.

The agents below have been good for booking PR flights from the US.
City Tours and Travel (213) 487 1227
Leisure Life Travel Agency (619) 295-2444
Happy Sun Travel & Tours (866) 923-3588

Akiestar

If this was a direct PAL itinerary (US-Cebu via Manila), you may not be running into this problem, and you can get a quotation easily on PR and pay for it as well. However, since you have made note that you're flying DL into Manila, it may get a little trickier. The websites of Philippine airlines (PAL and Cebu Pacific had their fair share of problems with foreign credit cards) are not always the best with respect to foreign cards, though people have tried and gotten their transactions through without a sweat in certain instances.

I can give three suggestions:

*You can call PAL and make a reservation for MNL-CEB. Depending on the fare class, reservations can last for as long as one week, if memory serves me right, or even longer. When you arrive in Manila, you can pay for and claim your MNL-CEB ticket at any PAL ticket office: if you're flying to Cebu the next day, there's a ticket office at NAIA-2. I'm not sure though if this will work, but you may also be able to pay at the PAL ticket office in your area, if you're near one.
*You can use a third-party website, like Expedia. Travel websites usually have domestic PAL flights in their inventory, though not all websites do: for example, Travelocity doesn't allow bookings from the Philippines, but their affiliate Zuji does (prices quoted in Singapore dollars).
*You can standby for MNL-CEB.

Just a fair warning: because you're flying Delta into Manila and purchasing a PAL ticket separately, your baggage allowance does not carry over to your PAL flight. Again, depending on the fare class, your baggage allowance can either be 15 or 20 kilograms in Fiesta Class and 30 kilograms in Mabuhay Class. Any amount over the limit will warrant baggage fees, though some counter agents are lenient with bags, particularly if the flight is not full. This is more likely to happen if your flight is on a widebody (A330, 744 or 77W) than on a narrowbody (A320, sometimes A319).

Hopefully you enjoy your PAL flight.

----

Update for people who visit the PAL website: you can now choose your seat while booking! ^

jrpaguia

As someone who goes to Cebu at least once a year, I'd say skip PAL and all the attendant complexities/inconveniences.

Make your life simpler by taking either Cathay or Asiana...either one will have an alliance partner who ought to get you from MSP(?) to CEB with minimum hassle.

Or you can even take Southwest from MSP to LAX and catch either CX or OZ from there.

Akiestar

If you read the original post, the OP already said he has a booked itinerary on Delta to Manila. He/She needs a ticket from Manila to Cebu, and it just so happened that he/she chose PAL. If we were talking about other airlines from MSP to CEB, if ever, KE is the best bet. MSP is a SkyTeam hub, after all.

And besides, FASAP can't strike as long as the DOLE is arbitrating their case.

jrpaguia

Touche.

jtn

I had this problem when I was trying to purchase directly from PA website for a trip from PVG to MNL.

My Capital One Visa wouldn't get processed. And calling PA didn't help. PA just said my credit card was declined. Capital One said that it was not a problem on their end. Everything looks fine.

It turns out that the credit card processing from PA requires the "Verified by Visa". This is an extra security step from Visa that requires you to put in a password that you set up.

My Capital One card doesn't participate in this program. So if I shop from any site that requires this extra verification, I can't use the CapOne card.

I ended up using my BankofAmerica card, which does have this feature. Everything went through fine. Although I had to pay the 3% international usage charge.

The same thing appllies when shopping on Singapore Air website. Their CC processing requires Verified by Visa.

tosteve

I had similar issued with my Visa and while the website seemed to be telling me it's because they wanted Verified by Visa, I have a feeling it's the PAL payment system. I've used Verified by Visa with vendors online, including in the Philippines without a problem.

Like another poster, I ended up using another card.