I recently had an experience in which I gave up and bought a J ticket on a competing airline because the system used by TG (as well as PG and some other airlines) was extremely exasperating. This is not new, but in the past after a few attempts of entering the correct information, it used to process purchases for me. Now, the system prompts me to call my bank, which is a tedious inconvenience.

Instead, I decided to go to expedia.com to purchase tickets to SGN. Of course, the J fare TG loads into expedia is much more expensive than even the highest fare on TG’s own website.

So, I was actively trying, for about half an hour to buy two one way J tickets on TG as my preferred airline. I wanted to pay a premium over VN to fly TG. Then they made it a PITA to ticket online. So TG lost the business I was expressly trying to give to them as my preferred airline, and I ended up with VN J tickets.

I apologize for this rant, but I really think this system is ridiculous. It asks for all kinds of verification information, and then even upon completion of that process it still will not approve the ticket purchase. Does TG not realize that making this transaction difficult will drive business away from them and to their competitors or OTAs? Not too smart.

Were you trying to buy BKK/SGN return? I have never had an issue with online TG fares buying from NZ, Thailand, Malaysia or Korea.

My (NZ) credit card goes through a verification process to send me a text code to verify the transaction (Arcot systems?).

Could it be you are experiencing a different implementation of this check due to the card’s country of origin, wherever that might be?

It was a one way ticket for two pax. Until last month, my US credit card always eventually worked on TG’s website after a few attempts, and a confirmation email from the issuing bank authenticating the charge. That was a hassle, but tolerable.

Now, on this recent attempt, I was asked to call into my credit card company. I find that unduly tedious and irritating to purchase an airplane ticket, especially when I have already filled in my billing address and other authenticating information correctly.

So, I was actually trying, a considerable number of times to give TG ฿24,000~ worth of revenue for two short one way tickets. Their system irritated me to the extent that I went to expedia, on which the VN fare was a couple hundred USD cheaper than TG’s full fare.

I cannot be the only one who has been put off from purchasing a ticket due to excessive hoops to jump through. In retrospect I could have called TG and ticketed by telephone, but this time it’s just as well. I hope this problem will be rectified so that I can ticket my next trip on TG more conveniently.

A text message does not work if the credit card account does not have a mobile telephone number associated with it, or if the mobile telephone number cannot receive SMS outside of home country.

For many years this system worked simply by asking for further information, such as billing address and social security number (for US credit cards). In my opinion that was more than sufficient to reasonably authenticate a ticket purchase.

Until recently, I would get an email from my bank after one or two attempts to purchase were blocked, and once I clicked a link on that email to verify the purchase, I was told to proceed. At that point the ticket would be processed.

Those previous scenarios were irritating enough, but tolerable. But, the added step of speaking to a credit card call center to get a simple purchase approved, despite having already entered abundant verification information correctly, is unacceptably tedious as far as I am concerned.

A more intelligently designed system could let the purchase go through, and then somehow flag suspicious purchases for further scrutiny. If those tickets were subsequently found to be fraudulent, working with the credit card companies TG could rectify the situation and cancel the fraudulent tickets, all without inconveniencing the vast majority of people who are making legitimate purchases.

For one thing, if the name on the ticket is the same as on the credit card, and the passenger is advised to travel with the credit card for possible verification, that is already a very low risk profile for fraud. Especially if other identifying data has been correctly entered.

In my case I just got pissed off and TG lost the ฿24,000~ I was TRYING, multiple times, to spend to fly them as my preferred carrier.

I was booking in my own name and with my TG ROP account number. Thai decided to ask for a secondary verification, and instead of jumping through their hoops, I simply booked on a different airline. Whoever is to blame for this system, it clearly is not well designed or implemented.

All of my CCs are fine in Thailand for purchases. In future hopefully the system at least goes back to what it was, i.e. that charges would eventually go through on TG after a few repeated attempts.

Otherwise, I’ll have to ticket by telephone on TG.