Like many people, I’ve begun flying again after taking a pandemic-induced break for much of 2020 and 2021. I recently flew on United Airlines and was shocked to learn that they no longer accept credit or debit cards on board.
They don’t take cash, either, but that’s not particularly surprising. Germ concerns—and other considerations such as speed, convenience, loss, theft and even a national coin shortage—have many businesses pushing their customers to use cards and mobile payments. Most major stadiums, for example, have gone cashless.
But United is taking the concept to the next level by refusing to accept cards or mobile payments for onboard purchases such as drinks and snacks. The only way to buy these items on most United flights is to preload a credit or debit card into your account. There’s also a trial program involving a PayPal QR code on select United flights.
When I checked in for my flight online, I noticed a disclaimer about this policy which encouraged me to preload a card. But the issue didn’t fully register with me until I saw a customer turned down on my flight from Newark to Phoenix because she hadn’t loaded a card in advance. In fact, I didn’t see anyone buy anything as the flight attendants made their way down the aisle. I suspect the preloading policy served as a deterrent.
What other airlines are doing
My return flight was on American Airlines and they didn’t have anything available for purchase whatsoever, card or no card. Unlike many of its rivals, American hasn’t resumed alcoholic beverage sales or paid snack/meal services on domestic Main Cabin flights.
I have taken a few JetBlue flights lately, and their in-flight services and payment methods were as I remembered them pre-pandemic. During a March flight, my family bought a couple of snack boxes and we paid with a credit card which the flight attendant inserted into a handheld reader.
I haven’t flown with Delta in a while, but I’ve read that they only take…