Can I book flight for someone else?

[dulcieM]

I need to book a flight for a family member who doesn’t have a credit card. Will it be possible for him to check in even though it’s been paid for by me and I won’t be there? It’s Ryanair.

Of course you will, as long as they have their passport when they go to fly and have checked in correctly. Credit cards are nothing to do with it.

Make sure you book the flight with the name EXACTLY as it is printed in their passport and you’ll be fine. From memory you need their DOB as well.

Yes of course, I do it for work most days!

He could also pay with his debit card, assuming he has one of those.

He can check in using his last name and booking reference, possibly also date of birth.

Check with him exactly what he wants in terms of bags, seats etc as it can affect the cost significantly.

Is it safe to pay by debit card?

Credit card gives more protection if things go wrong.

With flights, the main protection would be if Ryanair went bust, and he needed another, more expensive flight at short notice, which is unlikely. The flight would have to cost over £100, which it may not.

If the the is seriously delayed or cancelled he's protected by other statutory regulations.

The credit card company won't be interested if he's simply unhappy with the Ryanair experience.

If he doesn't trust Ryanair or 'the Internet' with his debit card then is there a reason why he doesn't have his own credit card or does he need to involve someone else every time he wants to buy something online?

Thanks that’s really helpful. He’s got a debit card (but I thought credit cards were supposed to be used for flights) so he can use that.

I always pay by debit card (don't have a credit card).

I've never had problems. You can also get an account with the ability to generate new virtual cards which you can then destroy or ones which self-destruct after use. Revolut do them; probably some other app-y banks as well. It means your card details can't be reused, but it doesn't work on services which try to check your card first, as this triggers the self-destruction.

I regularly book a Ryanair flight for an elderly relative who doesn't have a computer or smartphone.

I manage the booking (in her name and with her details) then when it comes to payment she reads me her card details and I enter them. I do the check in on line and post her a hard copy of the check in details.
It's a bit of a faff, but worth it as we both enjoy her visits.