Things are never as easy as they seem, are they? This time last year I booked tickets home from Singapore to Melbourne, paid with my Australian credit card and that was that. Fast forward to March this year and I had trouble doing the same. I found myself unable to book online because of a name discrepancy I have between my passport and my credit card. One is in my 'real me' name and the other is in my married name.
When you book online now, the two names must match - all in the name of security. It doesn't matter that I am the same person in both. It didn't matter last year, but this year, a mere 6 months later, it does. And that makes it impossible for me to book my ticket home and hence get out of the country.
The security measures are put in place to stop the scum-bags of the world ripping the rest of us of. And yet the innocents have to pay for the inconvenience. If I book online, I get tickets for SGD2192. If I book the same flight over the phone, the price is SGD2692!!! Because of the stupid rule that the names must match (the person booking must be the same as the person travelling) i need to pay more - and not just a little more. It works out to AUD400 more. What a bitch!
What happens if your father wants to buy you a present and decides to get you a ticket somewhere? Can't do that because you have to pay yourself first. No surprise there. What if you need to go somewhere and you don't have a credit card, but a friend does and offers to help you out? No can do, so sorry. Fuck.
What is this world coming to where we have to put up with bullshit like this because other people have decided to make their living from ripping people's credit cards off.
I could get a card in my married name - I've never needed to before but now I have to. I don't qualify for one here because I'm a foreigner. I could get one back home if the bank would like to take a chance on me, a low income earner (according to my tax stats) who spends lots of time out of the country. I could change my name on an exisiting card if I'm prepared to go through a tonne of paperwork. I don't want to do that because I'm so over calling myself (married name) and anyway, it's too late, I need one now.
So what am I supposed to do. I'm going to have to go to a travel agent and book tickets at full price and just bite it.
Or, and I am going to do this, I'm going to ask my best friend, who has offered to help me financially before by way of opening up a joint bank account with me, to see if they will get a supplementary credit card for me, in my name. We did this when we first got here with ex's brother. I gave the card back in 07 when I returned home and wanted nothing to do with them. The card would be for this purpose only and I will be very careful with it. I will pay by withdrawing money from my Australian bank account at the ATM here (I can do that) and then either giving them the money or going to the bank to pay it myself. I've asked them and also told them that they can say no and I will understand. I don't even know if it's a good idea or what other implications there are, or even how to go about it. I just know I need a card like that, just for this purpose.
If not this, then I'll just have to phone for my tickets and cop the increase. Bastard!!
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