Book flight with virtual credit card. Airline requires me to present the physical card prior to checking
I booked a flight for myself using my virtual credit card. It is a totally legit VISA card to my name from a bank in the departure country. However, it is totally virtual.
Now, after the payment, there is a message from the airline (Laos airlines) that says that I must present the physical credit card in order to check-in. However, I do not have any physical credit card, as it is a virtual one.
I contacted the bank and they said they are sorry and they cannot provide any document to the airline proving that I am the owner of the card.
The airline said they are sorry, if I will not present the card at the counter I cannot check-in. They also refused to reimburse me the flight so that I could buy it with another card (physical).
Do you have any ideas on how to go ahead?
Best Answer
Call your credit card and have them force a refund, as you bought a ticket but will not be able to use it for travel. Then, buy it with your real credit card.
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Do you need the credit card you used to book a flight to check-in?
You are required to present the credit card used to purchase the ticket during check-in at the airport. For identification at the check-in counter, you must use a credit card with the card number and name stamped into it. You are required to input your first name and last name exactly as displayed on the credit card.Do I have to show credit card at check-in?
No, the credit card is used for the payment of the ticket only. Depending on the requirements of airport authorities, you will need to present your travel documents and a mobile boarding pass, a paper boarding pass printed out by you or a paper boarding pass picked up from the check-in desk.Do airlines accept virtual cards?
Contrary to long-held misconceptions, airlines are increasingly happy to accept virtual card payments from their travel agency partners at scale. In fact, 98.3% of virtual card payments presented to airlines by travel agencies using Amadeus' B2B Wallet solution were accepted over the past three years.Can you use your credit card before it arrives?
Yes, you can use a credit card before it arrives in the mail, but only with certain cards. If you want to use a credit card early, you must either have an American Express or Capital One credit card or one of a handful of other offers, including the Apple Card, and some store credit cards.Using Virtual Credit Card (VCC)
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Answer 2
You can print out the receipt of your E-Ticket that was sent to you by email and present it at the Check-In counter in addition to your Passport. This is a valid procedure as per the airline’s website.
You should carry your traditional paper ticket or Itinerary Receipt (or E-ticket) at all times for both international and domestic flights.
How do I use my e-tickets? Present your printed e-tickets at Check in Lao Airlines Counter at airport for each flight.
That being said – the reason the airline requires you to present the credit card is an additional safety measure to ensure you are the rightful owner of it.
Since the name on the credit card is your own you can proove ownership of this card by presenting your passport and there is no reason not to accept you for travel, unless the airline has a written policy that denies electronic credit cards. Even in this unlikely case though they would have to accept you for travel because it is not your fault if their payment system accepts a form of payment that goes against airline policy.
In sum: The airline has accepted your payment, which makes it valid. Print out your confirmation email with the E-Ticket no. on it and present it during Check-In along with your passport and you are good to go. Safe travels!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ready made, ready made, Lukas, Lukas