Thai Airways and credit card

The problem can be resolved by using a Visa/MasterCard Debit Card linked to the funds in your Bank Account. Essentially it is a cash transaction when purchasing online flight tickets. No need to show a Credit Card ... tickets are all payed for and the deal is done. The drawback, if any, is that you are using your own funds rather than credit. Many Credit Cards also offer inclusive travel insurance such as Amex, whereas a Debit Card is less likely too.

I have done this on many occasions for my mother (who also does not have a Credit or Debit Card), extended Thai family members who have 'maxed out' on credit limit ... and for myself when required as in the case of Thai Airways.

Works a treat .... get yerself a Debit Card and pay no interest on credit!

Banjo wrote:...... Many Credit Cards also offer inclusive travel insurance such as Amex, whereas a Debit Card is less likely too......

An important point, I use my cards to ensure I am fully covered when travelling,

Over the years I have had occasion to use the travel insurance on my AMEX card twice, once for delayed bags and the other for emergency medical treatment – the service from AMEX was excellent (but you do pay for it in the annual fee).

CAVEAT – before relying on the insurance cover from any card check that the conditions do give appropriate cover for your trip – years ago, I had to take out additional cover for winter sports (not a Thailand trip) which were not included on the card I booked with; hidden away in the small print (which I had failed to check before booking) winter sports were excluded

In recent years I have booked all my flights and accommodation with AMEX because they give me the greatest range of travel cover for my trips – other cards may be more appropriate for other people.

Banjo,

I used my Debit Visa Card in July and I nwas asked for it at checkin in BKK. That was July this year

DermotC wrote:Banjo,

I used my Debit Visa Card in July and I nwas asked for it at checkin in BKK. That was July this year

Tell the philistines at Thai Airways it's a Debit Card .... so it's CASH! It is not a Credit Card ... maybe someone with an ounce of grey matter will realise you have paid in full using your Debit Card. Good luck Dermot .... hope yer have the luck of the Irish .... though in current financial matters maybe not

So Banjo, I presume like myself you tried it?

If you havnt tried it why would you suggest i would do it?

DermotC wrote:So Banjo, I presume like myself you tried it?

If you havnt tried it why would you suggest i would do it?

I shall reiterate ........

I have done this on many occasions for my mother (who also does not have a Credit or Debit Card), extended Thai family members who have 'maxed out' on credit limit ... and for myself when required as in the case of Thai Airways.

Yes ... I have had the need to make use of it on numerous occasions, for myself and other people, without problem. I prefer to use my Amex Credit Card to purchase travel tickets for the included benefits but I believe it would be prone to error with a Thai Airways transaction. Certainly it is wise to differentiate between a Credit Card and Debit Card and although Thai Airways have tended to engineer a rather difficult purchasing process, it may be a simple issue of the purchaser gaining a 'financial rating' with the airline. One is not to know their internal business systems.

My proposal is for you to talk to and alert Thai Airways of your current dilemma and the need to resolve it. The organisation will (hopefully) want your business so should rectify the matter .... air travel is a very competitive business.

Anyway .... give it a go and call them. Good luck.

As has been already pointed out the airlines have a couple of valid reason for making the production of the payment card when booking in a reasonable request.
One is fraud & the other is an anti international crime/terrorism stance.
While using debit cards does eliminate the possibility of fraud it does nothing about the second cause.
Becoming a frequent flyer with an airline certainly will eliminate the need to produce the card, because they already have a far better method of ensuring that you are who you say you are.
However, & this is the important bit, if you purchase a ticket for a third party with either a debit or a credit card then that third party will need some method of showing that the transaction is valid & legal. The airlines know that people do this for perfectly valid reasons & that is why they have procedures to get around it - reading the start of this thread will show that. Hoping that it will not be an issue & doing nothing about it beforehand will end in tears...

Dermot going to Bangkok to meet your mother would be the method I would first use to get around the problem. Not that it is the only solution, but I think it not only resolves the card/ticket issue but will also ease your mother into Thailand with the least hassle.

Banjo wrote:The problem can be resolved by using a Visa/MasterCard Debit Card linked to the funds in your Bank Account. Essentially it is a cash transaction when purchasing online flight tickets. No need to show a Credit Card ... tickets are all payed for and the deal is done

Just to confuse the matter a bit more, I've always used a DEBIT card, but have Always been asked to produce it on checkin - maybe I just look dodgy !
The down side of using a debit card is that you are not covered if anything goes wrong (i.e. the booking agent/airline goes bust). I checked my cover with my bank (Lloyds TSB in the UK) and was told that in the event of something going wrong I would probably loose my money, and they told me to use a Credit card instead. Crazy bloody world, I use my money in my account and they will not cover me, but if I use their money - pay back at once to avoid charges, which costs them admin fees - then they will cover me