Thai Airways and credit card

Has anyone booked a flight through Thai Airways using their credit card to book for someone else? I want to book a flight for my TGF from Udon Thani to Bangkok so we can meet when I come to Thailand. Their website states that the person traveling must have the credit card used to make the booking. Has anyone done this without having to show the credit card or are they strict about this. Thanks for anyone's help.

It will be a problem if you do not do something about it before the flight.
Please read below. I have just copied some remarks here that show how you can get around the problem, normally I would have just posted the thread address, but the thread in question contained more about other airline subjects as about your specific question.

Barstool wrote:Pete,
I assume you've already purchased the ticket on-line.
If you go to the Terms and Conditions it mentions about the cardholder being present at check-in but there's a feed "see regulations" which advises going to your local Thai Airways office with booking details, card and indentity where you can fill out an authorisation form. They'll give you a further reference to be used at check-in. (Defeats the object of booking on-line somewhat!!)
This is from memory ... please verify if you have any luck.
Khun Stool

arjay wrote:Their booking conditions should alert to that situation, - the need to present your visa card when checking in.

I accidentally made the same mistake with Nok Air quite recently, - booking a flight for my wife who would be travelling on her own and paying with my credit card over the Internet. I rang them and asked their advice. They asked me to fax a copy of my credit card to them in Bangkok and told me they would pass a copy to Udon airport. All went well, - no problems.

petemcc wrote:Right, I sorted out my Thai Airways and credit card problem. I scanned in my passport and CC and filled in the form and emailed them all to the Brisbane office, which issued a new ticket which states cc verified on it.

Hopefully she will have no trouble at the airport now.

When i booked on line using c/c I had to show card at book in on first flite but not on return.

I have booked many online with Thaiair for my wife. BKK to Udon. On their website there is a section that supplies you with a form that you complete giving your authorisation for the transaction. So print and fill this in, photocopy both sides of credit card (please remeber to blank out the 3 digit security code on e reverse of your card) and fax all to number supplied to Thai Air office in Bangkok,. They send confirmation of receipt of fax. She then had no problem with getting her flight. I did supply her the same fax that I sent to Thai office but these were not needed.

I did see the form to fill out. And no, I haven't paid for the ticket yet. Thanks everyone for the info and will take your advice.

ya ought to ask her if she'll do the bus thing.I do it it's not to bad.I know some thai airlines want ya to show them the credit card that you used to book the flight with when you go to get your boarding pass.

I have always been asked for the credit card used to book the flight on Thai Air, except when I flew back to Udon from BKK on Nov. 10. When I presented my card to the girl at check-in she said, "not needed." Wonder why? TIT.

^ That's been my experience too on the last couple of local flights; they don't want to see the plastic I used online. Maybe they have updated their arcane online ticketing and payment system?

Last time I used Thai Airways to fly from BKK to Udon was in July and they asked me for the CC then. If this is not a requirement anymore can somebody let me know for sure. Thanks

I think that it is required, especially when booking from outside Thailand - I had to on 1st. August.
Can see that it is not needed on the return portion of a ticket, as the holder would have been checked on the first leg.
Not sure about tickets produced on the internet in Thailand, but I guess that will not be your case anyway Dermot??l

Hey Bob, in July I booked on the Thai Airways website from Ireland and then they did clearly state, while going through the pages to book, that I would have to produce the CC i booked with.

My mother will be coming to Visit me in Udon in March 2011 and she doesnt have a cc. I will be doing all the booking of tickets for her. Hence you can see my dilemma!

Umm that is a tough one Dermot.
I think, in all honesty I would actually go to Bangkok & meet her off the plane & travel together back to Udon....but I realise that is an extra expense & might not fit in with your plans anyway.
The other way is actually to go to Thai at the airport & ask for their help. Maybe you can pay for the ticket there & they can have it waiting at the Thai Desk in Bangkok for your mother to pick up there?? You could then pay by cash rather than CC.
Alternatively don't pre-buy a ticket & get your mum to bring a few thousand baht over with her & buy at Bangkok when she arrives - although I know that does leave the terrible risk that it is the last plane for the day & full & then what does she do??
Air Asia let you order via the phone & pay at any 7/11 but you will probably need Thai help talking to their centre.

Not easy at all....

Dermot,

Another option is to have your mother get bring travellers cheques and then cash them at the airport or bring in Euros and change at the desk. Make sure she arrives in Bangkok on the Noon flight and then she will have ample flights and opportunities to make the connection. You could send over an activated thai sim card so when she arrives she can contact you and or a thai speaker if need be.

I will have a similar problem in a couple of months. Let us know how you get round the problem.

B52

While it is dangerous to generalise – as has been said before, the card should only be needed for the outbound leg, not the return.

The card check is primarily from a financial fraud prevention perspective; actual possession of the card significantly reduces (but does not wholly eliminate) the chance that the card number has been used fraudulently to purchase the ticket.

The check is for the validity of the whole ticket and, as such should only need to be done once when you first check in for the first leg on the ticket.

So far I have never needed to produce my card for a return leg, but I would hesitate to say that is guaranteed; as has been seen on other threads, local interpretations of rules in different countries have been known to vary and do also appear to vary from airline to airline.

I understand that the requirement comes from the insurance companies and relates to a condition of cover that the airlines must take all reasonable steps to prevent fraudulent transactions in order that the insurance companies will indemnify the airlines on the occasions that they are victims of fraud.

I have heard from people in the industry that airline card fraud losses had been growing very rapidly and this was one of a number of measures introduced to reduce the problem to a more manageable level.

It is up to you to check the rules – once you click on that box to say you have read and agree with all the terms and conditions..........

It may help to contact customer service staff well before a trip to see if there is any advice that they can give, in my view this must be a fairly common problem where there are a range of problems and solutions well beyond those quoted on the website.

As I said earlier, this is mainly a fraud prevention requirement, and booking well in advance would reduce the possibilities of fraud as the transaction should be fully processed and paid for and should also give time perhaps for something like a letter from customer services at the airline covering your own set of circumstances

Thanks Guys,

I was thinking it may be nice to go and meet her in BKK. Me and the tgf could go down the night before and have a nite out in BKK and then met her in the morning. The airline I want her to go with arrives in BKK around 6.30am so ill have to be up early but we will see what happens. My mum is getting on so as i say it wold be nice to go down and help her with bags etc. Ill solve it but if i do find a way around it Ill let you you guys know!