amy

Bought tickets for my daughter and her friend, with my credit card. They're 19 and 22 and are flying out of an airport that is 2 hours from our home. Only when the (United!) tickets arrive do they tell us that we must present the credit card used to purchase the tickets, and I.D., at the airport. So now I have to travel the 4 hour round trip just to present my credit card at the counter.

We bought our tickets 60 days in advance, and I have already paid the credit card bill for them. Shouldn't this be sufficient? They say it is a security issue but I don't understand how this is helping to secure the plane. I guess if Osama Bid Laden bought 5 tickets with his credit card, all 5 guys wouldn't be able to fly at the same time since Osama would have to be there at the counter showing his credit card. Whatever!

Anyway, I just thought this info might help some poor soul out there. If I hadn't been so out of touch and had known this new rule, my daughter would have purchased her own darn tickets and I wouldn't have to go through this nonsense.

Ginny

That is not true of all airlines as I just flew to see my mom a few days ago and she paid for the ticket with her card by ordering it over the phone weeks ago and I didn't have to show any credit card and was never asked for a credit card but then I wasn't flying United so maybe this is a United thing?

Statia

It's also the policy of American Airlines now. It happened to my husband a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, his credit card was over 2,000 miles away. Luckily, they made an exception.

Nancy

I was just wondering about how this would work with a business that puts it's tickets on a credit card. They could have 5 people flying 5 different places at once & if the bookkeeper buys the tickets with the company card does she have to go with each of the 5 so they can board?

chuck

What! You have to be kidding me? How were these tickets purchased? Online with United or with Orbitz/Expedia etc? Maybe that is why! I have a company CC and I have never had to show it at the counter. We have a corporate in-house agency, though, that we use. Could be to stop fraud. Seems a poster here at Fodors bragged a while ago about using his credit card to buy tickets for his friends that paid in cash. Then when the charges came through, he denied them, and pocketed the cash. It was a money making scheme he had. You can thank idiots like that for ruining credit card purchases for us honest people.

Lori Bittner

I have purchased e-tickets with a credit card twice to fly my son home. One was short notice. Time did not allow for me to fax him the e-ticket itinerary. I called the airlines and they said as long as he knew the confirmation # that was sufficient, and of course had I.D. This was Continental. They were lifesavers. I would have been SOL with these rules that United are imposing upon you. He was flying from Puerto Rico to the East Coast. Good luck!!

Traveller

I have also experienced a related hassle. When checking in with an e-ticket on Continental, my minor son has no credit card to insert into the machine to get his ticket. I used to be able to retrieve all my family's tickets with my credit card, but no more. I guess this is security related. So the agent must print his ticket out, and my experience is that some agents are not familiar with how to do this

Statia

In response to Chuck:

Our ticket was purchased thru American's 800 number. Yes, he was pretty ticked about the credit card issue, as well, especially since he were not traveling on an e-ticket. He had a paper ticket that American had sent us by mail.

My husband just happend to bring along a different credit card than the one used for the ticket purchase and they darned near didn't let him on the plane.

I suppose every airline has a different policy, but it would sure pay to read the fine print these days.

chuck

Statia: Well that blows my theory out of the water. I thought if you bought from the airlines 800 you were OK.You even had a paper ticket. I have heard about Travelocity/Expedia/Orbitz etc with the CC issue, but not 800 number. That bites big time. Still wonder if Credit Card fraud doesn't have something to do with it. Guess I'll keep my corporate card with me at all times.

Jim Rosenberg

You're right, it's a dumb policy and I noted something similar with Frontier. But in the case of amy: couldn't you just have your daughter carry your credit card with her and explain the situation? Either that or get with customer service, pronto. It is ridiculous for YOU to have to show up at the airport to show a card for tickets where the payment has already cleared. This procedure contributes nothing serious to "security" in the sense that most of us think about it and they should CERTAINLY have a warning on the site PRIOR to you making the online purchase. Many people purchase tickets for others for any number of good reasons. How lame!

sue

Just another hint, it's not only the airlines that are insisting on showing the original cc, I have had hotels and amtrak do the same. It is an inconvience I agree. I have several cards and when I make a reservation (that may be 2-3 months before) it's hard to remember which card I used for what. I have been in the situation that I haven't had the right card with me and had to argue with the clerk to honor my reservation. To avoid this you can call the airline, hotel etc. before you leave and ask them to verify the cc number - I have learned that this helps reduce the number of cards I take with me.

common cents

Wouldn't it be easier just to deport all the Middle Easterners in the US on expired or fraudulent visas?

Kari

This is just crazy. My sister does not have a credit card. I always buy her ticket when she comes to visit and she pays me back. She is 1500 miles away and would not have my credit card. I am sure that there are many, many people with this same situation.

J Correa

We ran into the same think flying with United - having to show the credit card that the tickets were purchsed with. I bought the tickets through the United 800 number as well. Fortunately I have 1 credit card that I use for all travel related purchases, so I had it with me. Otherwise it would have been a problem.

kam

We just flew UA from San Jose to Chicago---weren't asked for a credit card. Purchased tickets over the phone and had an eticket faxed to us.

Tony

I have run into the same situation when I buy tickets for my daughters, including the one that is away attending college. However, it hasn't been a major problem, at least when I have used United. You merely need to go to any United ticket office (either at your local airport or elsewhere) before the flight and show them the credit card you used to purchase the ticket. Once they enter it into their computer, my daughters do not have to have the credit card with them. While it does seem kind of silly to have to do this after I bought a ticket online months in advance of a flight, it is a relatively simple solution to the problem.

Statia

Kari:

We have been in the same situation with purchasing an e-ticket for a minor to travel from a city other than where we live. That was also on American and we were told that the credit card wouldn't be an issue with her...and it wasn't. But, yet it was with my husband the day prior while using a paper ticket. It almost seems as if it depends on WHO you get at the check-in counter.

I will also agree on the credit card request being used by more than just airlines lately. I recently almost lost pre-purchased NYC Broadway show tickets for the same reason...didn't have the right credit card with me.

Chuck might be right...maybe it's a fraud prevention idea, but it sure can cause headaches. I have just learned to keep ALL my cards on me when I travel, which I don't particularly like to do.

mare

Tony, that may seem like a simple solution for YOU, but it certainly isn't a solution for the millions of Americans who don't live within 2 or 3 hours of an airport or city ticket office. I know because I happen to be one of them.

Nancy

Somehow this whole thing sounds like someone is leaving something out. My husband travels for work all the time, including a trip to London last week, and he obviously couldn't show the credit card if he wanted to since the company buys his tickets.

Suzy

I suspect that corporate purchases are exempted from this policy, and that it applies only to private purchases.

That said, it seems unworkable or at least awkward in MOST situations where the person flying is not the purchaser!