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Virgin Blue - no way not to pay credit card fee for internet bookings?



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 16th, 2005, 05:06 PM
Mouse Anony
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Default Virgin Blue - no way not to pay credit card fee for internet bookings?

I've been looking at Virgin Blue for Aussie domestic and best as I can
tell like Qantas, they don't appear to have any alternative payment
methods for internet bookings so you can either use the airport which
means they'll charge you $10 more (which is more then the CC fee) or a
travel agent, who has alternative payment methods but is liable to
charge you something extra since they don't get commisions and thsi
extra is probably going to be more then the $2 CC fee I suspect. Am I
right or is there something I missed? I can't seem to find any direct
debit option unlike JetStar :-(

Thanks all
  #2  
Old March 18th, 2005, 12:34 PM
Jack
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Default


"Mouse Anony" wrote in message
om...
I've been looking at Virgin Blue for Aussie domestic and best as I can
tell like Qantas, they don't appear to have any alternative payment
methods for internet bookings so you can either use the airport which
means they'll charge you $10 more (which is more then the CC fee) or a
travel agent, who has alternative payment methods but is liable to
charge you something extra since they don't get commisions and thsi
extra is probably going to be more then the $2 CC fee I suspect. Am I
right or is there something I missed? I can't seem to find any direct
debit option unlike JetStar :-(

Thanks all


Credit cards are not free for the business - you are either informed of the
cost or otherwise it is absorbed into the cost of the product or service.

Walking is free, Oh, but it might wear your shoes out. Best still don't go,
you'll even save the airfare that way.


  #3  
Old March 20th, 2005, 04:00 PM
Mouse Anony
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Posts: n/a
Default

John L wrote in message . ..
On 16 Mar 2005 08:06:42 -0800, (Mouse Anony)
wrote:

I've been looking at Virgin Blue for Aussie domestic and best as I can
tell like Qantas, they don't appear to have any alternative payment
methods for internet bookings so you can either use the airport which
means they'll charge you $10 more (which is more then the CC fee) or a
travel agent, who has alternative payment methods but is liable to
charge you something extra since they don't get commisions and thsi
extra is probably going to be more then the $2 CC fee I suspect. Am I
right or is there something I missed? I can't seem to find any direct
debit option unlike JetStar :-(

Thanks all


You've probably spent more than $2.00 farting around just to avoid
this piddling amount. Do you also drive 50km to save 1cent per litre
on fuel?

You don't spend $2.00 farting. You don't spend anything. Well maybe in
Aussie you do, I don't know, you guys are crazy when it comes to this
kind of thing but most people don't have to pay for farting

If you're really that desperate to save money don't fly Jetstar to
Melbourne or you'll find yourself paying an $80.00 taxi fare to get
there from the airport.


That depends where I would start from and how i'm getting there innit?
I never said I'll be starting from the Melbourne CBD. Maybe I plan to
walk to the airport. Maybe I'm walking from Cairns to Melbourne to
catch the plane. How do you know given I didn't say? I'm well aware
JetStar uses a different airport but that's hardly the point. I wasn't
arguing the merits of lack thereof of JetStar vs Virgin. I was simply
quering whether I had somehow missed something or whether this charge
was indeed compulsory or I missed something.

I didn't even really go into the merits of the policy either however,
I think it's stupid to not include another option to pay. I also think
a bit deceptive to say you pay $10 more for an agent one. For many, it
will be $8 more as they won't use CC. A better way may be quote WITH
the CC charge for online and to mentioned it's $8 more for offline
bookings + $2 if you have a CC but.

I'm also not debating the idea of charging $2.00 for the CC although
as others have pointed out in previous threads, there's something
seriously wrong with Virgin (and Qantas) if they haven't negotiated a
less then 1% CC rate for such transactions and given that the average
fare bought from Virgin with a CC is probably below $200 this suggest
it isn't just covering the CC transaction cost. However I don't really
care that much.

Perhaps it's usual in Australia to get worked up about a simple
question but in most countries it isn't. If you know the answer,
answer the question (which you didn't do) and if you don't sod off.
I'm sure you're going to get worked up about this post as well which
is good for you but as I'm sodding off from this thread, it'll do you
no good as I won't be reading it.
  #4  
Old March 20th, 2005, 04:19 PM
Mouse Anony
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Jack" wrote in message ...
"Mouse Anony" wrote in message
om...
I've been looking at Virgin Blue for Aussie domestic and best as I can
tell like Qantas, they don't appear to have any alternative payment
methods for internet bookings so you can either use the airport which
means they'll charge you $10 more (which is more then the CC fee) or a
travel agent, who has alternative payment methods but is liable to
charge you something extra since they don't get commisions and thsi
extra is probably going to be more then the $2 CC fee I suspect. Am I
right or is there something I missed? I can't seem to find any direct
debit option unlike JetStar :-(

Thanks all


Credit cards are not free for the business - you are either informed of the
cost or otherwise it is absorbed into the cost of the product or service.


So I never said it wasn't? Did you read my question. My question was
whether there was another option to pay not whether it's wise for them
to charge the fee. I have nothing wrong with business charging a fee
for CC transaction in fact I think it's good they do rather then
getting those who don't use CC to pay but that's hardly the point. I
was simply asking whether there was another option for a normal
customer which I assume there isn't since it wasn't mentioned at there
site and no one here has said there was. I also expressed a mild
disappointment at their policy of not having another option to pay and
I repeat it again. I think it's silly to not have another option
although that is up to them of course. I also do think it's somewhat
deceptive to pretend a online fee is $10 cheaper when CC is compulsary
for online but not for offline therefore I do think it's more accurate
to say $8 or maybe to say $10 (but do note that use of CC is the only
option for online payments which carries a $2.00 charge). Personally,
I think for online fees they should also include the CC charge in the
initial price since there is no way around it. You may try to argue
tax etc should also be included but I don't totally agree. Tax is
seperate from the fee and not something they are charging. The $2.00
fee is something they're charging and although it may mostly go to the
bank/CC transaction company it is something which is normally
avoidable but is not if they require you to pay CC. Or put it this
way, since you can only pay by CC, you should just include the price
with the CC charge. This may confuse matters a bit with offline issue
but simply say $8 cheaper (but do note that you would also have to pay
$2.00 if you choose to pay by CC which is already included in the
online fare) or say $10 (with a $2.00 discount if you don't pay by
CC).

In the end, I don't really care that much about this and it's not
somethink I would write to the paper about nor would I even make a
post about if you hadn't brought this totally offtopic issue up in the
thread.

BTW, I should also point out as others have mentioned Virgin (and
Qantas) should have negoiated a CC transaction fee a lot lower then 1%
by now unless they're a totally f-ed up company which I assume they
aren't. As their average fare is probably less then $200, this implies
they are charging a rate over 1% so clearly it isn't just covering the
transaction fee.

Walking is free, Oh, but it might wear your shoes out. Best still don't go,
you'll even save the airfare that way.


So what? As I said in another post, I could be walking from Cairns to
Melbourne to catch the flight. Who gives a damn? I wasn't debating
whether the $2.00 had merits nor was I debating whether the $2 fare is
a big difference nor was I saying the $2.00 is a lot to me. I was
simply asking a question. AND when the f- did I ever say I was the one
going anywhere? Maybe it was for me, may it was a secret surprise for
you, maybe it was for Howard, maybe it was for Branson. Who gives a f?
This is hardly relevant to my question.

Which brings me to a point I brought up in another thread. Perhaps
it's usual in Australia to get worked up about a simple question but
in most countries it isn't. If you know the answer, answer the
question (which you didn't do) and if you don't sod off. I'm sure
you're going to get worked up about this post as well which is good
for you but as I'm sodding off from this thread, it'll do you no good
as I won't be reading it.
 




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