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We have used my 241 voucher to book flights next year and paid the tax with a BA Premium Amex card (my wife’s) as I had cancelled my card that generated the voucher in the first place. Looking through the Forum advice and the 241 articles this may have been strictly against BA’s T’s & C’s (and I had to cross my fingers when unexpectedly asked if the card was in my name ….) but I think the collective wisdom is, “‘keep your head down’ and you will be fine because this rule is not generally enforced by BA”.
We have just received our e-ticket receipt and at the top it states “If the payment cardholder is travelling, you must bring the card used to pay for this booking to the airport with you, for verification, before you travel”. If we produce my wife’s BA Amex card at check-in will the ‘game be up’ or is this just just the same standard wording that has always been used and we will be fine to show my wife’s card?
Also, does this mean that everyone has to keep (and pay for their BA Amex card) until they have taken their 241 flights or are you ok to cancel your card if you want to?
Thanks
There can be no definitive answer to this question. While the historic practice has been to allow any old Amex card, the rules say otherwise and if anyone elects to flout them, there may be a certain risk.
@Rob post of 23 Feb in the article re 241 vouchers suggested that the matter is under review by BA/Amex. If you stick to the rules as the vast majority do, you will have no concerns.Has anyone ever been asked to show a credit card to check in? lol
Has anyone ever been asked to show a credit card to check in? lol
Yes! Turkish Airlines would not let me board from EDI because the payment card was not under my name but of my brothers, and were refusing to check me in, i had to beg them to let me through. It is rarely enforced but they can ask.
Admittedly years ago, but I very nearly missed an Iberia flight because my payment card
had expired so the one I showed them had a different number…Has anyone ever been asked to show a credit card to check in? lol
Yes, by lots of airlines. On BA never heard of it.
Admittedly years ago, but I very nearly missed an Iberia flight because my payment card
had expired so the one I showed them had a different number…My only actual experience of being asked myself was with IB as well.
BA might not ask at check in, but they have an annoying tendency of asking details about the CC when doing anything about the booking over the phone. Which is a PIA if the booking was made months ago, if you don’t have the card with you, etc.
They only ask for the last 4 digits when you phone/chat IME – find your confirmation email prior to calling, it’s on there!
I’ve been asked by BA at LHR for my card. It was a lesson learnt as my Mum had paid for ticket, now I make sure to tick the box is the person paying travelling etc when I book Son’s tickets. I’ve also been asked by Thai airways for card.
I was asked by BA to show my BAPP card at LGW about 10 years ago. So it is rare but it does happen. But to OP, you’ve booked and paid and have an e-ticket and a confirmed reservation. Assuming your wife is flying with you I’d just check in as normal. I doubt you will be asked to show the card but if they do just show the card you used (assuming you haven’t cancelled it in the interim).
Going forward I assume that BA and Amex will tighten up on this. The benefits extended to flying Iberia and Aer Lingus metal may well result in those airlines checking (or may not, who knows?). I think the restrictions on earning SUBs have come about because of people taking advantage of the rules that was not foreseen or intended by BA and Amex.
Likewise I think applying for new cards will get more difficult. People assume they’re entitled to any credit card but that is for the credit card provider to decide.
Two different things being confused here. First the specific 242 requirement to pay with the card that earned the voucher, never enforced so far. Second, the requirement for any ticket to produce the payment card, if requested, if the box ticked on booking that payee is traveling
Some airlines ask to see the card used at check in – I’ve had it on Sri Lankan and one other, possibly TAP. Never heard of BA doing it, but to reduce the risk of fraud they retain the right to do so, and possibly do in some countries with higher risks of card fraud.
Checking the card is aimed at stopping people who have used stolen cards and that sort of thing – it is not aimed at companion vouchers at all. If you have the card with you, and your wife is on the booking, then you will be absolutely fine in the extremely unlikely event of you being asked for the card.
Even if Amex do decide to clamp down on upgrading/downgrading BA cards (eg by following Barclaycard and re-setting the spend when you change) they will struggle to insist you keep the card for up to 3 years to use your reward from year 1. Not something to worry about any time soon.
Has anyone ever been asked to show a credit card to check in? lol
Only once and it was a BA flight at LGW (almost 20 years ago). Took me by surprise as I couldn’t even remember which card I paid with. I did find the card in question as I carried all my cards back in those days.
But the physical verification is more to combat fraud/crime and it’s a standard statement. I can see it on my regular BA booking so I don’t think it’s to catch you out on your 2-4-1 booking -> surely if they wanted to, they could check this as time of booking.
So if you present your wife’s card it will match the details on the booking and you will be checked-in.
I’ve been asked a couple of times for the card on BA but if it’s your wifes then that’ll be fine as you’ll have it with you. They just swiped it into the terminal and all was well the time I did have it.
The time I didn’t have it as I was travelling on a ticket paid for by work (we must not have picked the correct option when booking) she just managed to mess around with the system until it went away.
I have heard of them wanting to refund the booking and then making you pay again using a card you do have with you but they wouldn’t be able to process that at the airport if it were an Avios booking so I don’t know what would actually happen then. But since I’ve never seen a report here on FT in many years of someone being denied travel on BA for not having the CC with them I suspect they have ways to get around it if they’re satisfied it isn’t fraud.
Other airlines are strict on this – Turkish being one of them as @BajiNahid says
With respect to the 2-4-1, simply check in online .. I do this twice a year with the voucher.
With respect to the 2-4-1, simply check in online .. I do this twice a year with the voucher.
This is not always possible, especially if you have a domestic connection. Also if you had luggage to check they want to see passports/boarding passes so might ask questions at that point.
So, out of interest, what happens if you still have the BAPP card ending xxxx 1234 – albeit that it has been cancelled.
If you show them the card, with your name on it – and they swipe it and it doesn’t work – what’s the problem?
(I can see you have an issue if you use someone else’s card….)
What would they actually be swiping it for? Surely it’s just to confirm your identity, so it would match one of the passport holders?
I’m having a really difficult time getting a refund from easyJet at the moment and the difficulties have been exacerbated by the fact that I got rid of the card I used to make the original booking after cancelling it and now seemingly nobody has the full number of that card, not even Amex! So I have actually started hanging onto expired/cancelled cards as they don’t exactly take up a lot of room in a drawer!
Has anyone ever been asked to show a credit card to check in? lol
Yes it’s one thing airlines have been reported to start asking for when they’ve overbooked and are looking for people to offload. A lot of people for all sorts of reasons might not be carrying the card they booked with. So if the requirement to potentially have to show the same card is buried somewhere in the terms and conditions then they can deny boarding at no cost.
TAP portugal (at booking) asks you if the cardholder will be travelling. I’ve done this many times and never had an issue
@LL – that is a bit sneaky. I tend to just take 2/3 cards which should cover all eventualities but might start making sure one of them is the one I booked with in future! Though that’s more than likely to be one of our BAPPs.
I booked a Qatar ticket through BA, will BA pass the card information to QR?
Thank you for all of the helpful comments.
While I guess it’s possible it seems realistically no.
Considering how far in advance you booked it is quite possible that since then the card was lost/stolen or had fraud on it which meant it was replaced by Amex and thus has a new number etc.
Would probably be wise to have a supplementary card with your name on it so you can at least produce a BA Amex, but realistically the ticket isn’t going to be flagged for document check at Heathrow and you will be able to online checkin, bag drop ans thru security. If no checked luggage you would just checkin and go security.
So, out of interest, what happens if you still have the BAPP card ending xxxx 1234 – albeit that it has been cancelled.
If you show them the card, with your name on it – and they swipe it and it doesn’t work – what’s the problem?
Exactly. The wording is show/bring the card. They aren’t going to charge anything to it and there’s nothing to say that it still needs to be active.
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