Buying ticket for someone else
 

I would buy direct from the airline. Why not just go to the local QR office and pay cash?

I presume I would need exact change?

Probably. But you can go in, get the exact price, then go to a store or bank near the QR office and get the exact change you'll need and return to the QR office to buy the ticket.

I gave up and just booked via a travel agent in the UK who I found here on Flyertalk (bazza1603). I went to the Qatar ticketing office in IAH and was told if I want to book cash I need a passport scan of uncle's passport, which I don't have. If I booked credit card the lady said I may or may not get an email to verify the credit card, and if I didn't, he may or may not be asked at check in. Just too much uncertainty so I just paid the 20 pounds and had the TA pay Qatar directly. Also they mailed the ticket to his house and have a UK phone number in case anything goes wrong.

There is no reason not to book whatever it is that he needs online.

In the event that QR requires a CC of him, you can have this taken care of at IAH or by faxing / scanning in a copy of the CC and your ID (generally to be avoided).

I would avoid booking through a TA because it is simply an added complication in the event of IRROPS, particularly for someone who is not computer literate.

My hard and fast rule is to never, ever buy from QR directly: they demand credit card validation in person, and it's a pain in the ... if you're buying for someone else.

I usually buy from an OTA (Amex Travel for preference), and have never had a problem.

Hi @slickvik, thank you for choosing to fly with Qatar Airways.

My recommendation is to visit the Qatar Airways website and purchase a ticket on his behalf. As long as the ticket is issued in his name, and the passport details are correct, your uncle will be able to check in and fly without any problems.

Did you know that as a Privilege Club member you can nominate up to 9 family members as well as guests? This means you can add them to your Privilege Club profile, store their personal details, and the next time you book a trip for them, their details are already on our systems and you save yourself time and hassle during the booking process. Check out how to do it by searching Family Account within your Privilege Club profile.

All the best, and safe journey for yourself and your uncle on Qatar Airways (goingplacestogether)

I think it depends on a variety of factors including departure country, country the card is registered in etc. I booked a ticket on the QR website for my sister a couple of months back EDI-BKK (I live in London) and didn't receive any request for credit card verification. I tweeted QR to confirm and after checking the PNR they responded that verification wasn't necessary "for this booking".

Tickets bought from a TA usually do not require cc verification. The ticket is paid by the TA, not by the pax (who pays the TA).

Can you explain why that would categorically be the case here when we hear many stories of credit card verification being required and the problems this sometimes causes? Maybe the point of sale or country of departure?

I've bought QR flights for family members on several occasions, some on the QR website and some on other sites, such as Expedia. Neither has ever been asked to show a CC.

The risk is with IROPS: the other day my wife and son were flying MEL-DOH-OTP and the MEL-DOH flight was delayed by ~5 hours, causing a misconnect in DOH. They totally botched the part about notifying us about the situation:
1. My wife got a text about the DOH-OTP flight change, which made it a ridiculous layover.
2. I called and got them to change it back to the original flight.
3. They called ME to tell me that the first flight was delayed and we had to change the connecting flight. I had to dial my wife in because they wouldn't make the change without her approval, even though it was I who bought the ticket.
4. Luckily, we knew another pax on the same flight and it was this other pax who told us that the departure time of the MEL-DOH flight had changed AGAIN. Neither my wife nor I got a message.
5. Nobody was notified of the third change to the departure time; we all found out from the airport website.

In other ways, the situation was handled well but the communication was bad. In case of IROPS you need to be on your toes.