Buying airplane tickets for another?
 

Can someone please advise me with this general question. I want to surprise my parents with a trip to Vegas this May (it's their 35th anniversary). I know I can book and pay for the hotel with my credit card and still reserve the room under their name for check-in. But how do I buy airplane tickets for them? The websites indicate that the name of the passenger must be the same name as that on the credit card. Is there any way to buy tickets for my parents using my credit card?

Thanks much in advance.

Matt

Matt...what "websites"? And where are they coming from?.,....S

I bought a ticket for my mother on USAir, using my CC. No problem...

I just bought 3 tickets from Southwest for my adult children using my cc. No problem.

I've never had a problem with doing this either, but I've done it by phone. Try calling the airline directly.

You can do "3rd party bookings" over the phone & pay w/ your credit card. The airlines will simply ask if you are the person whose name appears on the credit card. They do not require you to be one of the booked passengers. This is standard procedure for "over the phone" credit card purchases. With respect to internet "3rd party bookings", one of the passengers must be the person named on the billed credit card. This is for your own protection. So, to book your parents' Vegas tickets you will have to call the airline unless somebody knows of an airline or booking agency that will accept "3rd party internet bookings" w/o the credit card holder being one of the passengers. BTW, you are a great son, Matt!!! I think you are going to make your parents very happy!! :) :)

I use Expedia to book airline tickets for co-workers all the time using a credit card other than theirs. Never a problem!

Ok, wow, I guess I was mistaken then. I could have sworn I read on Orbitz or Expedia or something that you couldn't do these 3rd-party bookings, for security reasons. I guess I was looking in the wrong place.

Thanks for the helpful advice. And thanks, "wow," for the support!

Er, the first wow in my post was a general exclamation.... the second (in quotes) was directed to the poster who said I was a good son!

On Wed, I tried to buy two netsaver tickets on American's website (I have done this many times in the past) . . . this time, it let me put the tickets on hold but would not let me purchase either my own or my friend's.

I called American and they gave me the number for websupport . . . they said I could not buy the ticket since the name on my credit card was different from my friend's name. The agent gave me a new locator number for my friend and then I could go back in and buy her ticket using her credit card. (And, I could then buy my own ticket with my card using the original locator number.)

This is some kind of a new regulation on booking on the web (so the agent said).

Sandy (in Denton)

I didn't have a problem buying them for our daughter and son-in-law, but just for a heads-up be sure to use correct names as shown on their official identification. (Plan B could always be gift certificates through the airlines.)

How odd about problems doing this with American. The beginning of December I bought a ticket for my brother to travel West Palm Beach RT Boston - he has come and gone without any problems. And he does not even own a credit card of his own - just showed driver's license as ID for his e-ticket.

I've booked numerous trips for people in my office, and just purchased an airline ticket for a friend om JetBlue without a problem. American Airlines, however has implemented a new policy where if you are traveling within 5 days of ticket purchase, the person purchasing must be the person flying, and also they will issue a paper ticket.

I have frequently purchased tickets for other family members on Expedia using my credit card. However, the Delta site would not allow me to purchase the exact same tickets for them with my card.

Just a guess but all these recent difficulties could be the result of the increased level of terrorism alert we have been under. The increase in alert levels do not effect the general public greatly but they do have impact on what security procedures airlines and public safety agencies are required to use at any given time. I also recall hearing that the lowering level of alert would not apply to all airline security procedures.