Showing credit/debit cards when checking in

I think some airlines pick a few passengers at random to ‘fraud check’, If you book the day before you’re pretty certain to get asked. If you book a few days in advance through a third party you’re pretty certain to get asked. BA ask a lot, and it tends to be weighted towards the States and Dubai for whatever reason. They tend not to be overly strict though.

Book direct with any airline quoting your frequent flyer number, and they know who you are so chances are slim.

The headache for me personally is TAP. A fraud check involves a phone call to Lisbon and they are strict, if the card isn’t there then they expect you to buy another ticket. With a big percentage of passengers heading to Brazil that isn’t cheap.

Interesting to hear other points of view on this, including that of check-in staff.

I was just checking my Lufthansa ticket – I note the following at the bottom:

“You will receive the ticket and the boarding pass at the Quick Check-in machine with any card uniquely identifying yourself with your name on the
magnetic stripe. Alternatively the passenger will receive the documents upon presentation of a valid identification card at the Check-In counter.
In case you booked a special fare please note that it can be subject to restrictions. Should you have further questions please call your Lufthansa
contact.”

So it looks like it’s OK for them, but that’s not what I read when I saw the booking confirmation. I just checked a BA e-ticket, it does state that you must present you card on both an upcoming ticket, but also on my past e-tickets and I have not been asked before…so perhaps this policy is just one of those that is there in writing to cover the airlines back, but not necessarily enforced? How can it be verified when you check in online?

Interesting fact about fradulent cards to buy airline tickets; I would never have thought that would be the case. Ultimately though, if there is a tickbox to say that the cardholder is not travelling…isn’t that an easy workaround for the fraudster?

I bet loads of people suffer from this, and the airlines will be laughing all the way to the bank when genuine people make a genuine oversight and realise too late – fraud or not they get their money twice right?

Check in can work around it if a new card has been issued, if you produce the new card then it’s obvious you won’t have the old one.

If you are buying a ticket for someone else you should have the chance to check a box to let the airline know the person travelling won’t have the card with them.

Apparently airline tickets are one of the most commonly purchased items with fraudulent card details.

On a full 737 / 319 / 320 I’ll probably ask to see 3-6 cards, but be warned if a flight is oversold you’ll be lucky to get on standby without the card present.

True, but my point is that some (probably most) people will not put the two and two together if they have booked the flight say two or three months in advance, then get a new card a couple of weeks before their flight having completely forgotten about the need to take the payment card to the airport. They may not remember until told at check-in.

I’d expect this to happen since it’s still quite an unusual requirement and not something people easily remember they need to take for a flight. After all, some people even forget to bring their passport for a flight as shown regularly on the TV program ‘Airline’!

Of course, it would be the passenger’s fault for forgetting but the rule is creating a situation which makes it too easy for people to make a simple mistake that will result in them loosing their money and missing their flight.

I agree Luke, but a simple call to BA solves the change of card detail problems… 🙂

I can’t understand the need to show the payment card either.. It’s sure to cause problems for passengers.

For example, what about the thousands of HSBC customers in the UK who are all in the process of being sent Visa debit cards to replace their old Maestro debit cards? The Visa debit card numbers are completely different to each person’s old Maestro card so if a passenger has paid for a flight with their old card, then get the new card before flying it won’t be recognised at check-in. And most people will probably forget about the need to keep the old card for their flight and destroy it when they get the new visa card (as per HSBC instructions).

Airlines enforcing this policy should at least have a secondary method for processing passengers who don’t bring their payment card with them, even if it involves charging a small ‘administration fee’ for not complying with the airline’s instructions. Giving pax only the options of paying again or not flying is unacceptable! 😮

Chris i assume your flying from NCL?

The self service Kiosks sometimes ask for credit card verification but the staff on the check in desk shouldn’t need it!

For the BA flight I am yeah. For Lufthansa it’s from Heathrow.

I don’t quite get it though. I flew BA just a few months ago and didn’t need to show anything then.

Is it due to the fact that i’ve booked far in advance, or perhaps that I’ve used a debit card on this occasion where ususally it’s a credit card?

I don’t get the point of needing to verify the card. Is it supposed to prevent someone booking flights on a stolen card (would anybody be that stupid?)

Let’s just hope I don’t lose it on some drunken night out :p

here its mandatory to show the same credit/debit card you used to book the tickets. Otherwise you can’t board.

Chris i assume your flying from NCL?

The self service Kiosks sometimes ask for credit card verification but the staff on the check in desk shouldn’t need it!

Ive also come across this policy before when flying with Singapore Airlines, but i have only been asked to show my credit card when departing the UK with them. Im not sure of the process if someone else books your ticket, but if you lost or damaged your card im sure a phone call to customer services before the flight would sort it somehow?

Hi,

This has happened to me before with BA, but that was in 2007, it didn’t happen when I flew with them last year (same route).

I think the booking (which the card was required) was paid for by a fellow traveling passenger – but i’ll try and confirm that later today.

I think if someone has booked the flight, but aren’t traveling they need to ring the airline… (Maybe the card details required at check-in are changed to someone traveling.)