Travel warning after Delta credit card policy nearly strands couple | Action News Troubleshooters

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — We have an important alert for airline travelers.

Besides your Real ID or passport, there is something you need to take with you to avoid problems.

It was brought to our attention by Herb Weisbaum, a contributor to Consumers’ Checkbook who goes by the moniker, the Consumer Man, after a personal experience.

Weisbaum told the Troubleshooters that he and his wife traveled to London, and their trip was terrific until it was time to come home.

“And we got to Heathrow Airport the morning of our flight, tried to check in at the kiosk, and the only way to start the process was to put in the credit card with which you had purchased the ticket,” he said.

Weisbaum said they couldn’t scan their passports or enter their confirmation number.

And a Delta supervisor told the Weisbaums that without the credit card, their tickets couldn’t be issued, so they’d have to stay in London or buy new tickets.

“Or you could have somebody get into your house, get the credit card and take a picture of it and text us a picture,” he said.

“Thank goodness for your intrepid neighbor,” replied Action News’ Nydia Han.

“I told him how to get through the garage door and then turn the security system off,” he said.

There are other airlines, particularly those in Asia and the Middle East, that also require passengers to present their original credit cards in some instances.

And complaints similar to Weisbaum’s are posted online, particularly from parents who bought airline tickets for their children or from business travelers whose companies had paid for their airfare.

“It was totally insane,” he said. “My wife was shaking. She was afraid. She thought we’d get trapped in London. The really big gripe I have with Delta is if this is required, why not clearly disclose it and let me know?”

Delta pointed Weisbaum and the Troubleshooters to the fine print on its website:

“To safeguard against credit/debit card fraud, the purchaser may have to show us the credit/debit card along with a valid photo ID. The time varies based on the billing address of the credit/debit card or the country of travel. If the purchaser is not traveling, they can show us their credit/debit card and ID at an airport ticket counter or another ticket office location, whichever is most convenient.”

Delta also told the Troubleshooters, “Most customers in most instances will not have to show the card used to purchase their booking,” and “The time varies based on the billing address of the credit or debit card, or the country of travel.”

But it is still befuddling since Herb says this was not a new card, and he’s lived at the same billing address since 1986.