Here at Ultimate Africa we do our utmost to make sure our clients trips go off without a hitch… of late it seems like there are an increasing number of potential obstacles to easy international travel – from bans on plastic bags, to stricter child travel requirements…

The latest is not new but has been happening with more frequency, especially with travelers who have purchased Delta Airlines tickets directly with the airline by credit card.

We have updated our pre-departure information to note the following:

“Please bring the credit card used for your air ticket payment with you on your trip as some airlines require you to present this upon check-in – even if the card has expired or has been cancelled. The airlines may, or may not, note this on your itinerary. It may also help to have a photo / print out of the card used to purchase your air tickets in case it becomes lost and is replaced with a new card. If you don’t have the card, or are not sure which card you used, contact the airline well in advance to try to clear any holds before you travel.”

We have heard stories of clients who booked flights using mileage however paid the taxes by credit card being denied online check-in / airport check-in as they did not have the credit card used for payment to show.

The presenting of the credit card used for payment is of special concern for family’s where one member may pay for everyone’s air tickets and they are departing from several different cities to meet up on safari.

Airlines are doing this to crack down on fraudulent air ticket charges. The best advice we can give is to contact the airlines far in advance to ensure issues are avoided.

Note: This requirement to present the card used to pay for air tickets appears to be only for travelers who have booked direct with an airline… booking through a travel agency the air ticket payment is handled differently and the airline is not at financial risk due to a fraudulent charge. Having said that we strongly advise to carry the credit card used to pay for your air tickets in all instances.

Ian Proctor
Ultimate Africa President
“I first visited Africa in the late 1980s. I came face to face with a wild elephant, and fell in love with being on safari! I made it my goal to create an African travel company that was all about authentic wildlife experiences. Many years later we are one of the top African travel companies in the Americas – known for arranging custom safaris to East and Southern Africa; personal trips, no cookie cutter stuff.”