COMING TO TERMS

I came across a clause relating to Royal Jordanian’s online ticketing practices that I think is worth warning fellow travellers about.

According to their terms: “The Payment Card holder must be travelling with the passenger and should present the card used to purchase the ticket(s) (purchased from rj.com) at the checkin counter for verification. Royal Jordanian reserves the right to deny boarding to any passenger who fails to present the payment card used to purchase his ticket (purchased from rj.com).

“If the cardholder is not travelling with the passenger then the passenger has to present the original payment card used to purchase the ticket(s) (purchased from rj.com) and a copy of the card holder’s passport/national ID at the check-in counter for verification to be able to travel. Royal Jordanian reserves the right to deny boarding to any passenger who fails to comply. In case of an expired/stolen payment card before departure date, a formal letter should be provided from the issuer bank which proves identity, all required information of the card holder and the previous stolen/expired card number, which is mandatory to be sent to ibesupport@rj.com prior to departure date, as it is not acceptable to be provided at the airport.

“If you are using a virtual payment card to purchase online then you will have to present your virtual card certificate, supplied by your bank as part of the use of a virtual card process, before we can accept you onboard.

“The above rules shall not apply to PayPal, Giropay, UnionPay and Ideal.”

Is this not extraordinary, and potentially a big problem for passengers? But Royal Jordanian really means it: I could not check in online because my ticket had been purchased by credit card. At the airport I was indeed asked for my credit card, which fortunately I had with me, but imagine if it had been lost that day – how would it be possible to get a letter from the issuing bank in time to “prove identity” (which, of course, a credit card does not prove). Just imagine the frustration of not being able to travel with a valid ticket when Royal Jordanian has already got your money.

Even odder is exempting PayPal (which is essentially a credit card with an extra fee to PayPal) and UnionPay (which is a credit card no different from Visa, Amex or Mastercard). I have no idea what a “virtual payment card” may be.

This is an interesting example of not considering the practical needs of the customer. John Cannon, Hong Kong