A popular sign in small restaurants and stores many years ago used to say “In God We Trust,” all others pay cash. These days, however, in the travel industry, suppliers are putting their trust in credit and debit cards. It’s the cash they don’t want.
The cruise industry was the first on the “credit card only” bandwagon. While some lines will allow you put a cash deposit up front, outside of the casino, you can’t use cash on board — except for tipping, and even there the ships are trying to steer people to charging gratuities to a shipboard account.
Rental car companies will take cash for final payment, as long as you present a valid credit card upon arrival. Which to be fair, is simply to prevent stolen cars. Apparently years ago when car companies took cash deposits, a ridiculously high percentage of thefts and damage came from such rentals. Most hotels want to see a credit card upon arrival for similar reasons, although you can pay the final bill any way you want.
But even when it’s not a safety or security issue, the cashless trend has spread. Many airlines now will only accept credit or debit cards on board, even for a $3 snack bag. I actually saw a passenger without a credit card work out a deal by paying cash to his seatmate to buy for both of them.
And with some carriers, Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America, for three big examples, cash isn’t even an option for your tickets, unless you go to the airport. And even then it has to be cash, U.S currency only, and not even a certified check or money order.
JetBlue actually has a “Bill me Later” system on their website, which is a complicated procedure by which they check your credit, and give you 25 days to pay.
Otherwise, a traveler can try to use a travel agent for these airlines, but even agents need to book them through the computer system with a credit card. This means if a client comes in with cash, or a regular client wants to use a check, they are out of luck. Unless the agency wants to use their own credit card.
The odd thing here, is that the travel agency is completely on the hook for ticket payment with any cash or check payment to the legacy carriers, so if these ticketless carriers allowed such payments, the agency would still be obligated to pay them if there was a problem.
Not taking checks makes a certain amount of sense, as checks do expose the airlines to fraud and other problems, but these days many Americans are trying to keep closer control on their spending. And many financial experts recommend using cash to do that.
In addition, as has been reported widely, many card companies are tightening credit, and/or adding fees that make using plastic increasingly unattractive for many people.
One solution, for travelers who don’t want to use standard credit or debit cards, is to purchase prepaid debit cards for travel. These cards come with the added burden of remembering to make sure to use the cards and not wasting any remaining balance. And of course not losing the card — it’s like cash.
But nothing is easier to budget than cash. Of course, considering their own financial problems, perhaps it is over-optimistic to expect the airlines to do anything to encourage responsible spending.
Photo from www.cathedralwindchimes.com
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
