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Can you pay cash for airplane tickets?

Admiral Beez

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Can you pay cash for airplane tickets? You'd still need to show ID when boarding the plane, so I don't see why you must only pay via credit card. Could you walk up to the desk at Pearson and pay for a flight with a stack of $50s? Can you pay with your debit card? What do those without credit cards do, such as the recently bankrupt or students?

I'm not planning this, but am curious if cash is still considered legal tender for air travel.
 
I dunno about airfrares, but cash is not allowed for onboard purchases in most airlines now..

So if you want that sandwhich or that beer, it's gotta go on a credit card.

Seems quite hard to live life these days without one...
 
Yes i'm sure you can. You could also go to a travel agent to get the ticket and pay cash for it. As airplane dude pointed out, cash is useless on airplanes now a days.
 
One of the things that people like CSIS and the CIA/FBI look out for are people who buy (particularly one-way) tickets at the last minute and those who pay in cash. I am sure you can pay cash but it may cause you problems later on!
 
One of the things that people like CSIS and the CIA/FBI look out for are people who buy (particularly one-way) tickets at the last minute and those who pay in cash. I am sure you can pay cash but it may cause you problems later on!

I'm aware of this but why is it the case anyway? Did some spook determine that potential terrorists are all invariably unable to manage their finances, have rotten FICO scores or are all just unemployed and unable to get a card? Or do the banks just omit everyone they figure could be a terrorist from their credit card offer mailing lists?
 
Even the young and the recently bankrupt can get a prepaid credit card.

When people refuse to get a card these days I assume they are survivalists.
 
Perhaps I can answer this better than anyone since I worked as a check-in agent. Yes, you can pay in cash (or at least you should be able to. Maybe some airlines won't but I'm sure the 3 major Canadian airlines will). It won't be CSIS or the FBI who will be suspicious of you. The idea that either of them would know you paid in cash is absurd. The airline will be a bit suspicious and they could view it as 1. potential terrorist (unlikely obviously but still when you're an airline you take this seriously. Much harder to trace cash than it is a credit card) or 2. counterfeiting, especially if you're paying with large bills like 50s and 100s or 3. something drug related or 4. nothing.

To give an idea of why such an event would raise some eyebrows, in the 2 years i was in the position I only had one person ever come up to me and pay for a ticket with cash without a reservation. Usually for last minute tickets you're talking upwards of $1000, so for someone to have that much cash on them is a bit strange. I guess we view airline travel as something that involves planning and the idea that someone would just show up at an airport expecting to be on the next flight out and be fine with paying 3 or 4 times for a flight just doesn't make a lot of sense.
 
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of course you can.
every time I call my ticket agent, I was quoted two prices: cash/debit card price and credit card price. the former is a bit cheaper.
I don't think there is anything you can't buy with real cash - it is the currency authorized by the central bank, right?
 
I'm aware of this but why is it the case anyway? Did some spook determine that potential terrorists are all invariably unable to manage their finances, have rotten FICO scores or are all just unemployed and unable to get a card? Or do the banks just omit everyone they figure could be a terrorist from their credit card offer mailing lists?

Managing finances and credit scores has nothing to do with it. Professional criminals do not wanna leave a paper trail with any of their activities. By paying cash instead of using cards they are able to reduce the trail. I was always under the assumption everyone was aware of that.

No, not every airline accepts cash. Certain airlines do not want to carry cash in their drawers for what ever reason.
I've also never heard that you can get a cheaper ticket by paying cash. You're not buying something from Kensington market or some shady car dealer.
 

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