Delta Airlines and the credit card you paid your ticket with

There is a discussion of it here. There have been instances of this documented in the press. If you check in online then it should be irrelevant as nowhere has there been any documentation of you need to scan your card. In any event sanity says it should be unenforceable on your return flight where they see you have already flown.

It is a thing.

https://www.delta.com/sitesearch?searchTerm=Check%20in

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.

Interesting article here https://viewfromthewing.com/its-2025-and-delta-is-still-stranding-passengers-outside-the-country-with-a-1990s-credit-card-rule/#:~:text=If%20you%27re%20going%20to,book%20direct%20%E2%80%93%20use%20an%20agency.

It says that if Delta did that in Europe and you cohort produce it, you'd still be eligible for compensation.

I fairly often buy tickets for adult daughters and most often they are flying without me. So, I'm supposed to drive to my airport and show them the credit card??

It is one of the requirements imposed at purchase, though is rarely asked for, but obviously is once in a while. Just out of good practice, whether it is an airline ticket, a hotel reservation paid ahead, rental car reserved with a card, even other advance purchases, you should have the card you used with you.

Is it an absolute and you will be stuck? no, just be potentially prepared to jump through a few more hoops to prove that you are (or a spouse) is the same person that used a credit card to buy the ticket.

Alternatives might be if you have that card loaded to your phone wallet, have access to the app for the card and can show the charge, etc. Most of the time, if the name on the ticket matches the name on the card, no questions are asked.

Don't spend any time your last days in Europe worrying about it, just enjoy.

And it’s not stories it’s one story that has made taken on a life of its own on social media. I mean, I’ve seen the same story about seven different places and it’s pretty sure from the story it’s the exact same couple and there must’ve been something that we probably haven’t seen because someone who’s flown out of LHR on Delta Very recently this was not happening

It’s actually been a practice for decades, but since social media just heard about it this week it’s brand new and exciting

I added to the last thread on this and will add here - Delta did this to us at SeaTac a few years ago.

We had bought the tickets with my partner’s credit card and he was present so it was fine.

But I thought it was weird.

Since then, if I think I might be traveling alone, I buy my ticket with my own card to avoid the issue.

Delta says it’s a fraud protection control. I say it’s ridiculous.

This happened to us last month. In January I bought tickets to Morocco for my husband and I using my Delta Skymiles Platinum AMEX. On September 28th it was time to check in and I received a message that I had to check in at the airport with my credit card.
Next day at the airport ticket counter I presented my credit card but in the intervening months the card had been hacked and I now had a new credit card number, so that was unacceptable. I offered to show them the purchase of the tickets on my AMEX statement using the AMEX app. Not acceptable. I had to call AMEX while at the ticket counter and get the agent to confirm the last 4 digits of the previous card and only then were they willing to check me in. The agent said "there are a lot of fraudulent ticket purchases to Morocco"
The whole thing really made me mad. I've been flying internationally with Delta 1-2 times yearly since 2009, have their platinum AMEX card, and have gold status. But unfortunately Delta is almost always our best or only option flying out of Detroit so we're stuck :-(

I rarely fly Delta so had not heard of this. This will make flying Delta even less likely. I have also had a card hacked and cancelled after using it for ticket purchase months earlier - and like jules, I often buy flights for my kids I am not traveling with. Having this hassle at check in is not high on my To Do list.

Just flew on Delta Seattle-Berlin/ Split-Seattle. We were not asked to show any credit card.
We didn’t even have that original card with us as it was compromised between purchase and travel.

Seems ridiculous to suggest, but if your card was hacked, and you still have possession of it after getting the replacement, keep and carry the old invalid card.

Seems ridiculous to suggest, but if your card was hacked, and you still have possession of it after getting the replacement, keep and carry the old invalid card.

Not ridiculous, I did this in Germany where, at least in 2015, showing the credit card used to buy online train tickets was a universal requirement. So I showed the old, compromised card.

Here’s a weird additional note: I’m flying Delta international tomorrow. Armed with my knowledge of the time Delta asked for our credit card at SeaTac and with the recent story, I checked my receipt for the ticket purchase to see what card I used.

And the receipt says I bought the ticket with cash. I most definitely did not use cash (or even an ACH debit or a check or anything). I paid by credit card.

Living in Canada I will likely never fly Delta, but I’m curious to know how an airline check in agent at a desk can connect your credit card number to your booking?
Is that even legal?
Does your ticket/booking have your cc number on it?

I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Sounds like a nonsense make work project….

Thanks for the interesting article.
I try to avoid WestJet, and I haven’t booked flights that connect in the u.s. for over 10 years now.

Just adding a data point. I’m currently on a Delta flight from Paris to Seattle (yes, I love the free wifi!). I was able to check in online, get my boarding passes for both of my flight segments plus do carryon only so no need to stop at the desk. I never saw a Delta staff person until my boarding pass was scanned at the gate so no one ever asked for my CC.

I DO always carry my SkyMiles Amex card when I travel. I have some unreal credit limit on that card so I figure if I’m ever in a jam it might come in handy.

@Pam - LOL - we must have crossed paths in the air somewhere over the Atlantic because I just landed;)

I checked in at SeaTac yesterday and no one asked for my credit card:)

I haven’t booked flights that connect in the u.s. for over 10 years

It’s never been convenient to do so. Not trying to be offensive but Canada has a bit of a dead center (especially between Winnipeg and Sudbury) so no obvious middle of the country hub potential.

Notice on the link below how much of the cross country flights are over the USA, and that United hubs at Chicago and especially Denver are a bit too far south to make sense.

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/WJA705/history/20251026/1040Z/CYYZ/CYVR

That’s mostly old info. Delta used to ask for the original card to prevent fraud, but now it’s rare. If you booked directly with Delta and your name matches the ticket, you’re fine. Just keep a photo or digital copy of the card if it’s expired or replaced.

I always carry the card I booked with - Delta AmEx or any other.
I used the card ti use with the airline with intention... and if I need to purchase other transport with that airline, I want the card I chose for the original booking.

"@Pam - LOL - we must have crossed paths in the air somewhere over the Atlantic because I just landed;)"

Hahahaha.....oh my! We need to coordinate our trips a bit better so we can do a Seattle airport meet up again!