Hello all! I finally plan to have my fiance fly into the US on January 20th.

I wanted to know what is the best way for her to purchase a ticket? Online is out of the question. I was planning on sending her the money at the end of December to purchase this ticket.

Also, it would help if anyone could quote the price they paid for the method they chose.

She's flying from the Philippines to Tennessee.

Thanks!

Hi try www.vayama.com they have cheapest tickets. I flew with northwest airlines.

Goodluck

Thank you for that website!

Let me ask you something, though--since I'm in America and purchasing HER one-way ticket for her to fly here, will there be any special requirements?

Someone on this forum a few weeks ago told me that if the American purchases his fiance's ticket online then that fiance flying from Philippines to America is required to show the credit card used to purchase the ticket at the airports. Is this true or not for this particular website you referred me to?

If that's true, I can't do it. :/

Please let me know.

Thank you.

What city in the Philippines? I always did the Cebu thingy because I didn't like Manila so Cathay Pacific was always my choice. My ex-friend just came home on China but he usually flew Northwestern.

It's Manila.

I would really much prefer to just buy her ticket for her from a website but someone told me a while back that they would request the credit card used for purchase from her at the airport, which would make this an impossibility. :/

They don't need the credit card that was used for the purchase. All they need is ID verifying her identity before they will issue the tickets/boarding passes.

I found this information on Philippine Airlines website:

IMPORTANT NOTICE
To protect the true credit card owner, we require presentation of the credit card used in purchasing tickets from this website at the ticket collection point or upon check-in. If the credit card owner is not part of the travelling party and is unable to present the credit card, clear photocopies of the front of the credit card and the valid PHOTO ID of the credit card owner shall be required from the passengers at the ticket collection point or at check-in. It shall be the responsibility of the credit card owner to ensure that the passenger(s) comply with this requirement otherwise the passenger(s) shall be denied boarding.

Note: You may want to check the policy of each airline. I sent the funds to my Fiance to purchase her ticket with a travel agency in Iloilo. SHe is flying Northwest Airlines to Denver. I have read some postings that if the ticket is purchased outside of the Philippines the taxes may not be included in the fare and your Fiance would have to pay them at the airport prior to her departure.

When my fiance? hubby now purchased our ticket he used northwest airlines it is cheaper and they only asked for the receipt online which he printed as well.

This is true and it's for a good reason and security. Although you know it is a legit transaction, the vendor or the credit card company may decline the credit card used without proper identification.

Many of the online places will not sell ticket originating outside the US. You would be much better of just sending her the money and have her going to a travel agent. Claudeth bought her own ticket and got it for $150 less than anything my travel agent could find.

I agree to that.

This varies by airline. I was asked for my credit card flying on EVA Air. Northwest on the other hand, didn't ask to see the credit card, even though I paid for both with a card.

Thanks for the info, guys!

If anyone else has any info to add, please do.

Has anyone purchased a ticket for their fiance for Northwest or anything else and have they asked for any sort of identification?

I'm just looking for an array of responses before I make my decision. Anyone who has been through a similar experience I would appreciate your input, please. Thank you!

Hello Vann,

Good day! Here's something I can share and hope this will help you.

With Philippine Airlines, yes, the credit card is needed upon ticket confirmation at the airport but that is before boarding. Just two weeks ago my USC fiance visited me here in Cebu. I was the one who purchased our ticket, the round trip ticket from Cebu to Manila using my credit card. At the Cebu airport (on my way to Manila), I asked for our printed Ticket Itinerary (the round trip), using the e-ticket Itinerary which PAL had sent to me through email. If what you have on hand is the e-ticket Itinerary, they will still ask for the credit card being used to purchased that but if you already have the printed Ticket Itinerary from the airlines, there's no need for the credit card. I know coz my fiance was by himself on his trip from Cebu to Manila - Manila - US. He just showed the printed Ticket Itinerary.

For international flight, I believe it is still safe to purchase ticket online. With my fiance's visit early this year, he got his ticket from Northwest Airlines. It was pretty easy coz you can do boarding online and print your boarding pass online too, even choose your seat number, and that's 24 hours before your scheduled flight. It is pretty convenient on my fiance's side, made his flight easy and less hassle. He purchase his ticket online too. But I will ask my fiance if he was asked to present his credit card after already having his boarding pass which he printed online.

I think that even if you'll purchase the ticket online, it would just be okay. If it is from Manila to the US. Choose Northwest or Cathay Pacific. Well, among the two, I would prefer Northwest coz my fiance had a good and easy flight with NWA. They have easy boarding instructions which you can do online and your fiance can just print it out. And it is cheaper also. We actually "monkeyed" the online boarding thing together and it was just easy.

And just for the worst case scenario, you can send your fiance a photocopy of your credit card, back to back, and a letter saying that you are the one who purchase the ticket, plus her ID. Airlines accept that, PAL do.

Hope this will help.
Good luck...:-)

Sha&Scott

So, you're saying that if I were to purchase her ticket online and have her print up her itinerary from online and if she presented my photocopied pics of my credit card, photo, and a letter along with the itinerary, they should let her pass in the airports?

I got my one way ticket from an agent in Manila. It was way cheaper than anything we could find online at the time. I flew by Korean Air, from Manila to JFK (NY) with a layover in Korea. It was a great airport (6 hour layover, but I was able to chat with my now-hubby in their internet cafe lobby). I paid something like 600-700 dollars, when the cheapest I could find online was almost a thousand. I think it was peak season for flights to the US then..

I don't remember the phone number, but it was Sans Travel and Tours, in West Ave. Q.C. I had to pay cash, though. It wasn't a problem, as I had the cash on-hand, so now-hubby didn't have to pay money transfer fees.

I used PAL from Manila to LA and Delta LA to Jacksonville Fl and paid $895 plus Php1620 last April 29. Paid Cash to my travel agent in the Philippines. I agree with Jasman its cheaper if you let her buy her ticket in the Philippines thru travel agent. Just passport and Visa plus the e-ticket before boarding.

Lily

Thanks everyone! My fiance mentioned being worried about trying to find travel agents in the Philippines, for some reason, which is what prompted me to ask about the e-tickets in the first place.

If someone could explain more about the agent process and how it goes I would feel a lot better and I'm sure she would, too.

Thanks!

Here are several different site you can look at. Also you might want to get an Asians of Fillipina Newspaper. They will list several different travel agent. Often time they can get a discount flight on Philippine Airline for you fiance. It might be better you purchase the ticke for her. Here are those sites;
http://travel.asia.com/Engine/Itinerary.asp?SesnID=373519257
http://www.skyauction.com/action/searchPag...=3&OFFSET=0
http://www.bt-store.com/default.asp?CatID=...p;GeoAreaID=0_2
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/SearchAirfa...60/Default.aspx
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...igrant+discount

Good luck and check everything out. There is a alot of good deals out there.

No special requirements...my husband buy me a ticket online and he send the confirmation to my email...i dont experienced any problems with e-ticket.

Its not true to show any credit card...

She must bring the etenirary to check in if she cant print the boarding pass

Goodluck

i was asked for the credit card i used when i presented the e-ticket itinerary. based on my experiences, tickets online are much cheaper than travel agencies.

call celestial travel in manila, philippines. P1245 roundtrip pal ticket valid for one yr.

Which airline did you go through, if you don't mind my asking? I heard that Northwest doesn't request credit card.

in my case, philippine airlines.

I booked a flight for my hubby- Cathay Pacific, all they are asking from me is a copy of the visa. I booked my flight through a good friend of mine who owns a travel agency.

Hello! You mean a photocopy?

I was thinking of making a photocopy as well as a statement from my bank that confirms I was the one who made the purchase. I was even thinking of sending her a copy of my bank statement that shows the transaction on my list. I don't know if all of that is overkill or not.

So, by copy you meant photocopy?

Yes, photocopy.

just checked on the price quotes i got from my travel agency (from MNL to JFK-NY)~ need to include travel tax of P1620

Northwest less than USD800
China Airlines less than USD600
Cathay Pacific USD600

*proof of 1st time immigrant required e.g. visa other docs
*travel before December 10th

Her name is Cheryl at travelguruventures@gmail.com

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, my fiance is travelling on January 20th. :/

I love Nortwest on flew it on my first trip to see my baby over a year ago. It's very reliable and worth the extra money, in my opinion. They also have very comfy planes.

Thank you for that info! I'm thinking of buying her one-way ticket for her on Vayama.jsp. They have plenty of tickets on there that have good connecting flight areas. Many of the tickets are around the prices you quoted me.

I will just fedex her e-itinerary to her along with photocopies of my Visa/Debit card and a copy of a statement from my bank verifying the card was charged by me.

Hi i flew with northwest airlines...

Goodluck

Claire

Thanks! I'll try Northwest. They never let me down when *I* flew to my fiance's country so I'm sure she will be in good hands flying to my country.

Goodluck but remember she is paying on the airport departure tax 36$ (she can pay in peso also) if i am not mistaken and terminal fee 750. Because the travel tax is not included on the ticket...

Although, I've never personally had to show the original credit card when checking in at an airport,
I absolutely did not want my Fiancée to have this problem.
So, I went to the airline ticket counter and told them that I wanted to buy a one way flight with an E-ticket for a third party.
No problem.

I'm flying to Manila from Cincinnati at about the same time and was able to get the cheapest tickets on United this time. You should compare their prices also.

Thanks for all your help, guys! I plan on buying her ticket from Vayama.com which mostly hosts NWA flights for her trip.

I will just call NWA during the time I purchase the e-tickets and ask them about their rules on this, just in case.

I am also going to have my credit card photocopied as well as send copies of my driver's license and passport as forms of ID in the event they request any of these from her.