estnet

Apparently UA doesn't want to accept checks (per phone agent) for a ticket (but she said they WILL accept cash and ?covert it to a debit card). I need to be able to track the payment for a number of years and since I change credit cards often I thought it would be easier to pay with a check (since that account doesn't change)
Is the info I got really true?

WineCountryUA

See UA's Accepted forms of payment

estnet

Thanks sorry I didn't see this. First under acceptable forms of payments it says "

• Cash payment at an airport ticket office or United ticket office"

But then...."Payment transactions at airports

As part of our efforts toward creating a faster and more efficient airport experience for our customers, the United check-in counters and kiosks at some of the airports we serve no longer accept cash as a form of payment."

Almost all sites are listed under "no longer accept cash" - and there are no more city ticket offices - so cash which I thought was "legal tender" for payment in the US isn't for airline tickets - weird. further investigation led me to this:

"This statute means that all United States money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law which says otherwise."

Live and learn

thejaredhuang

Being pedantic, but I think there are at least 2 CTOs left, one in NY Penn Station and one in Honolulu at the Ala Moana Mall.

LondonElite

I don’t understand what you mean by having to trace the payment for a number of years. Isn’t it just a single payment? If you put it on a credit card, you’ll still have that payment statement.

seat38a

aacharya

A note about cash at airports: there is a machine that converts cash to a card at EWR.

jsloan

The legal tender law is often misunderstood. As you've found, there is no (US) law requiring that cash be accepted for anything besides debts; if you find a way to owe United money, they'd be required to accept cash for it.

None of that helps you with getting UA to accept a check, however, as a check isn't legal tender anyway.

You may be able to find a travel agent who's willing to sell you a ticket via check, if the fees are worth it to you.

LondonElite

I'm so tempted to ask...what is a check?

Often1

OP - Pretty much all business travelers need to track their air ticket purchases and retain those records for as long as 7 years (in the US). Many of those people will change credit cards at sometime during the time period and, even if they do not, the ability to track funds online is usually limited to far less than seven years.

If you could explain in a bit more detail what you require, you might get a bit more helpful information here.

Otherwise, you should simply either print your electronic statement or not consent to electronic delivery of your statements. You may then store those statements in whatever form you store your other records, e.g. in a paper file, as a PDF, or something else.

mikesyr18

Businesses aren't required to accept cash. They can go credit/debit/check only if they want to.

Legal tender simply refers to the ability of a merchant to refuse certain bills if they do accept cash payments. For example: a business cannot refuse your $20 bill but accept other forms of cash payment (such as $1 bills). And also, as another poster said, they're required to take cash if you owe them a debt.

oopsz

I don't understand why a check payment would be easier to keep track of than a credit card payment.

If you'd like to pay using your checking account, Paypal is an option, as is any debit card.

But if you really want to use a paper check, your best option may be an old fashioned B&M travel agent.

Or AA will still take check payments "over the counter" at airports. https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-ser...nt-options.jsp

mikesyr18

I think the real question is: why does the OP need to pay with a check? All they have to do is print the receipt and the record of the transaction from the statement and file it for 8 years... Or save it on their desktop for an electronic version.

mtftw

Uhhh...what? I assume this would only be for self-employed or 1099 work. As a W-2 employee I certainly am not keeping records for 7 years on anything.

Often1

Uhh... This. One must be prepared to provide backup for tax purposes for 7 years. If you are an employee, it goes without saying that your air ticket expenses are not taxable events to you and thus don't matter. Your employer, which does deduct those air tickets as a business expense, keeps those records.