I’ve never done this before, but I’m about to for the first time. Just wanted to know if you typically get charged right when you order, or when you pick up the ticket? Maybe I didn’t look hard enough(highly likely), but I couldn’t find the information on the sites I’ve used, and I don’t have enough currently to cover the ticket price.
Thanks for your time.
In my experience with with airlines in australia (YMMV) is that you pay when you place the order. I pay by credit card, I guess there are other methods. You don’t necessarily pick up a paper ticket at all. You will be able to print out a receipt when you order, or write down a receipt number if you don’t have a printer. You can also print your itinerary. Then you just turn up to the check in counter before the flight, as you normally would, and show photo ID. If there’s a problem you have the receipt number for confirmation that you bought a ticket (I’ve never had a problem, and do it regularly).
As I say, that’s my experience in australia, other airlines elsewhere may require that you go and pick up a ticket from somewhere. It may also depend on whether you are ordering direct from the airline or ordering from a travel agent. All of my ordering has been direct from the airline.
Whenever I’ve ordered tickets online (through Expedia and Travelocity), the ticket had to be paid for in full when I placed the order. Unless you’re getting an E-ticket, the ticket would then sent to you via FedEx/DHL/whatever.
It may sound risky, but it’s a lot better than having a paper ticket. Paper tickets can get lost or stolen and no-one can board on your ticket unless they are you.
In my experience with the major sites, you pay right then and cancellation/changing things may cost a steep penalty.
You get charged before the flight. Keep in mind that most tickets are non-refundable, so when you book, you’re committed. Refundable tickets are waaay too expensive. You can always change your itinerary, but there’s usually a ridiculous service charge. And you’ll be buying an e-ticket. All you need to do is show up at the airport with id.
Depends on the airline, and on the Internet service through which you’re doing the buying. Buying directly from Northwest, I’ve got an e-ticket. Buying directly from bmi, they mailed me a paper ticket. Buying through expedia.com, I usually get a paper ticket.
It also depends on the departure airport - flying out of Heathrow with BMI (one of their hubs) it was an e-ticket, but out of Manchester (where they have a contractor deal with the flight) it was a paper one.
In the US it’s almost all e-ticket anymore. If you request an actual paper ticket it almost throws a wrench in the works. You can still get them, but it demands more lead time and there is no advantage to having one.
Every once in a while, there is an airline that will charge your card days after your purchase. For example, I bought a ticket on SAS about two months ago, and there was a five-day delay between buying the ticket and having my card charged.
Unless this delay in payment is specifically noted (ie, the SAS website clearly said, ‘your card will be charged on June 7’), count on the charge going through immediately.
The advantage of a paper ticket is that if your flight is cancelled at the last minute, you can take the ticket to another airline and ask them to honor it for a similar flight. Chances are they will.
If you have an e-ticket, you have to rely on the issuing carrier to book you on another of their flights or another airline’s. And every other person on your flight will be pestering the agents to get them onto the next best flight.
But the airlines are making getting a paper ticket a real pain in the butt. The ones I’ve dealt with in the last few years charge extra for paper and insist on sending it by FedEx (at an extra $25-50) even if the flight is months or weeks away, and regular mail would do fine.
An extra $25-50 is kind of excessive, but I don’t mind paying for express delivery - then at least the ticket can be tracked. It always made me nervous as hell to have the travel agent drop my ticket in the regular mail; I worried too much about the ticket getting lost or stolen en route.
By the way, has anyone been able to get an e-ticket for an international flight when booking online? I was under the impression that international flights required a paper ticket, but I don’t know if that’s actually the case.
I buy my airline tickets online all the time, usually directly from the airline. I’ve never had a problem with it. In most cases, you don’t get a paper ticket at all. You will get a confirmation e-mail that contains an e-ticket confirmation/receipt which you can print out. You are charged at the time you make the reservation. Some airlines allow you to save the itinerary, but that does not guaranty you the flights. You used to be able to actually save a reservation for up to 24 hours without paying for it, but I think most, if not all, airlines have stopped that now.
The good part about e-tickets is that you can usually pick your seats at time of purchase, check-in online up to 30 hours before departure and print out your boarding passes. If you are unable to check-in online, you can use the electronic kiosks at the airport to check in and get your boarding passes using the same credit card you used to purchase your ticket. No more waiting in line.
So why can’t the travel agent send it via US Postal service Priority Mail registered and certified? It’s quite a bit cheaper and just as safe.
I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it has something to do with travel agent’s own convenience in terms of dealing with billing, handling time and mail pickup.
Probably true - to send something registered and/or certified, you generally have to go to the post office and stand in line, which makes it a poor option for most businesses.
Wow, thanks for all the replies! I hadn’t checked the thread since the first couple came in.
I ordered my tickets from priceline a couple days ago, and was billed instantly. So, I’m glad I had the moneyt and the advice from you all. Thanks again.