My trip to Germany via East Asia came about at the very last-minute and I put things together as I went along. One gap was getting from Manilla to Bankgok and it was in MNL Airport that I ran into a roadblock trying to purchase a ticket with AirAsia without cash.
AirAsia: Cash Only At Airport Ticket Counter
Before taking off for Manila, I planned to purchase an AirAsia ticket from Manila (MNL) to Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). I had to get to Bangkok to catch my SAS flight to Copenhagen (CPH) and AirAsia tickets were far cheaper than Philippine Airlines or Thai Airways to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
However, I waited too long and by the time I finally got around to purchasing the flight, it was sold out. That was a bummer because I ended up paying $150 more for a ticket on Thai Airways. I booked the Thai ticket onboard my United flight to Manila and booked it on Orbitz so that I would have 24 hours to cancel it. My plan was to book the AirAsia ticket at the counter when I arrived in Manila or online if a seat opened up.
After arriving in Manila, I approached the AirAisa counter and asked if I could buy a ticket to Bangkok for the flight departing in about 90 minutes. The answer was yes…though at a price that was much higher than what I had seen online a day before.
I pulled out my credit card, but the agent said, “Oh sir, cash only.”
What?
“We only accept cash at the counter.”
That was a problem because I had left my bank card at home. In fact, I left my wallet at home. In my rush to leave the previous night, I left it in my car.
I always carry cash in my bag and had $200, but that was not enough.
So I flew Thai…at least it gave me time to go into town for coffee.
CONCLUSION
The obvious takeaway is that we should not forget our wallet, but also that you might want to carry more cash when you travel since ATM machines can be unreliable. I missed out on an opportunity to arrive in Bangkok earlier because I did not have enough cash. You might think that cash-only would not exist in 2023, but it does…so plan accordingly.
I’d be interested to see if your wallet is still there when you get back.
You could probably have booked the flight using United or other Star carrier miles instead.
I checked. Would have used Aeroplan or LifeMiles, but was not available. In fact, good thing I got the Thai ticket when I did because it sold out and so did all the PR flights.
Traveling internationally with a trivial amount of cash? Rookie move.
what?! how much time and money do you waste on currency exchange? get a schwab high yield investor checking or other credit union debit card which charges no foreign atm fee and reimburses all atm fees and call it a day. most countries these days, for most transactions, no cash needed. some will outright refuse (go to stockholm sometime and try to pay for anything with cash lol). of course there are some countries, mostly in africa and asia where cash is still required for a good many transactions.
and then there’s civil asset forfeiture which is sadly all to common and not just limited to your american cops. say bye to all that cash you carry through airports with little recourse to recoup it and certainly not in a timely manner.
unless there is a very specific reason, your take is the worst advice for an international traveller.
Ben Sloppy apparently travels with zero cash and gets upset when the help charges him for the ride to the ATM (check out Ben Sloppy’s story of how to be complete moron in Jeddah). He didn’t even know there were other currencies than the US dollar, it’s bonkers.
At least Matt travels with *some* cash.
I am surprised that you don’t have a backup wallet in your carry on bag, though I do recall that you had said something about having faced some issues with credit cards etc.
Yes, I have only two credit cards right now.
My guess is they only accept cash at the counter because they charge a booking fee online, and to justify this they have to offer a way to pay without the booking fee, i.e., at the airport, but they to make this as difficult as possible so that just about everybody pays the booking fee.
That’s probably quite right.
Cash is king in the PH. I’m actually surprised the coffee shop took your card.
Not just PH. In many of E/SE Asia, cash = king. Even we would had more trouble in “high-tech” Seoul 1 mo ago if we had no cash
Not true in Ph anymore. Can use credit cards at all restaurants pretty much.
Also that coffee shop was a trendy place. They definitely would take a credit card.
The Ph has really advanced in the past five years. Not backwards anymore.
Dreading hearing about how much cash the Thai ticket cost last-minute…
$234.10. Not too bad.
Yea, not bad at all for last minute. Safe Travels!
Do you plan for your trips? I have travel backpack that has almost everything I need to travel. All the things I need are duplicated so I have them to use on a regular day staying home but I have them also inside a travel backpack. Those include all cables I need to charge my devices, international adapters for electric outlets, sunglasses, etc… Passports, international DL, small notebook and pens, toiletries bag with everything I need. The only things I can’t duplicate are my wallet and cell phone but those go inside my backpack before I leave the house so there is never a chance they will stay in my car. I don’t understand how someone that travels so much leaves his wallet behind in his car.
And im surprised why you did not downloaded airasia app and purchase the ticket there with credit card. I admit sometimes they have issue but i did that before. Also ypu could have tried cebu pacific flies to Bkk instead Dmk and i think even cheaper then air asia.
Believe me I tired, but it showed sold out. But available at the counter for quite a premium. Cash only. Makes you wonder…
Cebu timing didn’t work. I really wanted to try it for this blog.
All these travel bloggers are not familiar with traditional travel. They are experts in miles and points but extremely oblivious in traditional travel which emphasizes the destinations, cash transactions, cultures, traditions and people of the host countries. In Taiwan, nobody accepts cash. I always carry hard copies of reservations accommodations and flights, due to IT crash or power failure. Even in South Korea, when you book a train ticket online, it still requires you to present a hard copy, not a digital copy, at the train station. I always hire a tour guide on an overseas trip, except in Europe where I have no plan to visit this decade, and stay in local hotel, not a chain hotel, because I want to learn more about the host country from the guide. Most of them are surprised at my knowledge of their countries: Not a typical description of Americans who are notoriously ignorant about world geography, cultures and traditions.
Well, I’ve been to 140 countries but am still learning…
Never fly AirAsia!!
Death trap of a airline!!
They cut corners all over the place.
AirAsia has a brilliant name for a airline. They are the Asia Airline. But they are crap. Worse budget airline then easyJet, Ryanair and wizzair.
In the Ph fly Cebu Pacific. They have newer planes. They are owned by one of the big conglomerates in the Ph so they have a lot of resources. The CEO is a smart British guy who is a veteran of the airline business and former British Airways pilot.
Airasia airlines crap?? I think the only crappy thing here are your misinformed and ignorant comments against a very good budget airline.
I fly Airasia regularly at least six times a year, and rarely if ever have a problem. And their prices are extremely low, especially if you book well ahead of time.
On the other hand, I have found Cebu Pacific notoriously bad for cancelling flights, especially on the Jakarta ( CGK ) direct flight to Manila, MNL which I have used, or at least tried to in the past. In fact, their low 1 or 2* online rating often reflects this.
Btw, I’m just curious. Is your negative rant against Airasia based on actual experience with them, or is it based on hearsay?
I love AirAsia and fly them all the time. As for the “cash only” issue, Asian banks are very advanced and people frequently pay “cash” by simply scanning AirAsia’s QR code using their bank’s app. I have AirAsis’s credit card issued by Bangkok Bank and have used the points for several free flights.
Try Trip.Com or Air Paz. It will search flights for you and even give a lower price as to booking direct with the airlines you choose. Buying at the counter with the respective airline is definitely more pricer.
Whatever extra you paid not to fly Air Asia was worth it. Good chance even though the flight was in 90 minutes it could still be cancelled. The refund for your cancelled flight would take 3 months or maybe never.
Exactly my experience! Never flying airasia ever! Still waiting on a refund 3 months later!!
A similar thing happened to me once in Beirut.I had missed a Cyprus Airways Beirut to Larnaka flight and needed to change the ticket but the office only took cash and only US $ too!So I had to go around various cash machines in the airport getting the money in Lebanese Pounds then go to a bank and change them into $!
Maybe also try and get the spelling of both cities correct next time?
Bali straight after Covid had tap and go at almost every bar and restaurant we frequented. Now they have almost all, retured to cash only. Cash is King, especially in outback Australia.
I am surprised that you were able to board a flight to the Philippines without having a ticket to exit the country within 30 days. It is a stupid rule with easy workarounds, but UA clearly failed to enforce rules that they are required to enforce. As a non-Filipino citizen, you need to show proof of your ticket leaving the Philippines within the validity period of the visa you have or will 9btain on arrival. The rule means no online checkin for most flights when your final destination is the Philippines
Your headline suggests you’re going to rant how Air Asia was to blame for your predicament.
But I didn’t, did I?
They are Bums. Dont fly with them.
We went to Japan via Air Asia from Manila and the service is good. But going back from Kansai, Osaka airport the check in counter has a very long line. Unfortunately we were the last passenger to check in and the check in counter employee is very rude to us.
He keep on telling us to hurry up. It’s not out fault to be the last to check in since we were on the line 3hours before departure.
Sadly, it seems that your only and real and true intent was to post something negative??? When all this was brought about by your poor and and irresponsible planning??? You could’ve simply avoided lambasting the airline and it’s cash only policy (their RIGHT), by RESPONSIBLY planning your trip ahead of time. I find it ironic too that you had a credit card and not your wallet!!!