Using non U.S. credit cards?
Click here for important information
Paying with a debit card?
What you need to know...
Need to use someone else's credit card to purchase your tickets?
Click here...
More:
Using non U.S. credit cards
Please be advised that we can only accept credit cards issued by American banks. Also, the credit card holder must have a valid American billing address for verification.
For your protection (and ours) all credit card charges are validated against an American address database.
If you can not meet the above requirements, there are other possibilities for payment that can be used on a case-by-case basis. Please contact
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for details.
We can accept debit cards for payment, see the next paragraph for more on debit cards.
What is a Debit Card you ask? Well, it is an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) card that can also be used like a credit card.
Debit Cards generally have the Visa or MasterCard logo on them to identify them as Debit Cards. They act like Credit Cards when used with a vendor but they actually remove money immediately from your checking account rather then allow you to borrow the money and then pay later.
Because Debit Cards immediately remove the money from your account, your bank institutes some safeguards to protect your money. One of these safeguards is a daily limit on how much can be spent, generally this limit is $500-$700.
So why is this important? Well if you wish to purchase tickets with your Debit Card for a total amount that exceeds your daily limit, our credit card processor partners will decline the card for insufficient funds.
To get around this issue, you will have to contact your bank and ask them to temporarily remove this limit. After the bank notifies you that this has been completed, you will safely be able to order your tickets without worrying about being declined.
For more information on this subject, please contact your bank.
Using someone else's credit card
This is very easy to do, although a bit confusing. This situation happens regularly and here is this work around:
[Please note, some of our consolidators do not accept third party credit cards. If your tickets are processed by one of these consolidators, we will notify you within 2 business days that you will need to find a payment alternative.]
- Find and select the tickets you are wishing to purchase. Put in the passenger(s) names.
- Put the name of the FIRST passenger in as the credit card holder and all of the rest of the credit card information. THE PASSENGER NAME MUST BE CORRECT, IT CANNOT BE CHANGED AFTER IT IS TICKETED.
- In the order form, locate the "Email Us" link on the top of the page. Fill in all of the requested data and put the credit card holders name in the Notes Field along with any other important information. We will then inform the consolidators of the situation.
- We will then provide, either by email or fax, the credit card holder with a credit card authorization form (this says it is ok for the passengers to use the credit card).
- The credit card holder will need to fill out the credit card authorization and fax it, along with a photocopy of the credit card holder's driver license and both sides of the credit card being used to us. We'll make sure everything is ok and then fax it to the consolidator.
- The tickets get issued and sent to the credit card holder.
We rarely have problems with this. The consolidators understand that many times minors or folks without credit cards need to travel but they also must protect themselves from credit card fraud. This system protects them and gives them authorizations that they can keep on file.
What do I do if I need to cancel my flights?
If for any reason you need to cancel the flights that you purchased from us, contact us immediately, this is very important.
Call Marc Harris at 707-575-5875 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm PACIFIC STANDARD TIME or email him at
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If for some reason you can't reach us, the most important thing is:
DO NOT BE A NO-SHOW!
(This means that you did not show up for
the flight and did not cancel it with the airline)
We can't stress this enough.
Contact the airline by phone or better yet, go to the airport and speak to a customer service representative and explain your situation.
Make sure you get their name, contact information and employee identification, you may need this and it could save you a lot of money.
If you miss the flight, and can not prove that you spoke with an employee of the airline to cancel your ticket, you can, and most likely will, be out the ENTIRE AMOUNT OF THE TICKET.
If you cancel with the airline properly, you may only loose the cancellation fee that, per your original online booking, you agreed to.
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What do I do if I need to change my flights after booking?
If for any reason you need to change the flights that you purchased from us, contact us immediately, this is very important.
Call Marc Harris at 707-575-5875 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm PACIFIC STANDARD TIME or email him at
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When you booked the flight, you were presented with a schedule of what the penalties would be for changes and you accepted these at the time of purchase. These fees cannot be waived, they come from the airlines and the consolidator.
PLEASE NOTE: A change on an airline ticket, usually refers to a change in date or flight numbers, it does not refer to a change in either route or airline. So if you booked a flight from San Francisco to Rome, the change penalty does not mean that you can change the itinerary to some thing like San Francisco to Paris. You would have to cancel the flights for that, not change them.
There are penalties for cancellations as well. For more on this, see this link.
Why do you not quote prices over the phone?
Because these are tickets purchased from consolidators, not from airlines, flight availability changes constantly, we therefore have a policy to not look up prices and give you quotes because there is no guarantee of availability when you go back to book them. Sorry, but it would not be fair to quote you something that may not be available when you are ready.
Please check when you are ready to book here.
If you have problems with booking, please let us know by contacting Please contact
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What are Consolidator Fares?
Consolidators are distribution companies that negotiate with airlines to buy up unsold seats, primarily on international flights, at bargain rates. Because they buy in large volumes, consolidators can offer these tickets for substantially less than normal discount fares.
In some cases, you can even participate in frequent flier programs with your consolidator ticket purchase. Often consolidator tickets are available for flights that are shown as sold-out through the airlines.
Well, if the savings is so great, why would I not want to buy a Consolidator ticket?
- You may be unable to meet the restrictions that the consolidator imposes.
- You may feel uncomfortable not knowing initially which airline you will be flying or not having a seat assignment until the day of the flight, although most consolidators do state the airline before you buy your ticket.
- Many consolidators do have penalties for changes in travel plans.
- Many consolidators will not accept third party payment for tickets.
If you are flexible and willing to work within certain minimal restrictions, you can see the world for a lot less than even airline discount fares. Take a look and see how much you can save!
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An electronic ticket -- commonly referred to as an e-ticket -- is stored in the airline's reservation system and therefore eliminates the need for an airline ticket printed on paper. Since all of the ticketing information is stored electronically, you will only receive an email confirmation. The confirmation, which will be sent to the email address you provided during registration, will contain the round-trip details of your flights.
When traveling, please remember to bring a print-out of the purchase confirmation page (from our site) or a copy of your purchase confirmation email. At the airport, you'll need to check in with the airline with a government issued photo ID (e.g., driver's license, passport) to receive your boarding pass.
Can unaccompanied children use consolidator flights?
No. Unaccompanied children must purchase their flights directly from the airlines or from a licensed travel agency other then one that deals ONLY in consolidator flights such as bargaintravel.com
Most airlines consider a child to be between 2 and 11 years old. If you are unsure about this, please contact the airline directly.
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What’s the best way to find the cheapest flights?
The best way to find a great deal is to be somewhat flexible about your dates and times of travel. If your first search doesn't give you the results you are looking for try moving your departure and return dates by one or two days. You will also definitely be able to find better deals by traveling on weekdays rather than weekends.
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Why can't I find tickets in your system?
Many times tickets are not available because the particular itinerary you requested has been sold out through our consolidators. This does not mean that the flight(s) are sold out directly from the airlines, it just means that our consolidators have sold out of their stock of your particular itinerary.
If this should happen, please try our published fare system located here.
This happens most frequently when you are requesting a relatively short departure time, say less then two weeks.
If you are flexible on your dates, try moving the departure and/or the return flight dates to see more options. Also, if the flights are far enough in the future, you may wish to try us again and see if any of our consolidators have purchased new flights that fit your needs.
Please be advised that our system can not accept requests where the departure date is less then seven (7) days from the day you book them. This is to ensure that the consolidators can can get you your documentation on time.
Who is BargainTravel.com?
BargainTravel.com has been an online travel agency since March 2001. We specialize in international flights originating in the US. We pride ourselves on superior customer service... once you purchase from us, you will see what sets us apart from so many online booking systems. We actually answer our phones... a rarity with some web sites.
We offer hotels bookings, car rentals as well as other travel needs such as vacation packages, all with safe and convenient 24/7 online self booking.
Our California Seller of Travel license is 2057590-40 and one of our partners is a Certified Travel Agent (CTA) and IATAN member as well as a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) other employees are registered with IATAN.
Our parent company, Netporium LLC is an internet pioneer having been one of the first internet training companies on the West Coast of the United States.
Netporium LLC has been developing web sites since 1994 and has many diverse interests based on the www.
Please contact
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, use this form for any further information you may require.
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Who am I buying these tickets from?
BargainTravel.com will not be actually selling you these tickets... you will be purchasing them directly from one of the consolidators in our database.
Consolidators are distribution companies that negotiate with airlines to buy up unsold seats at bargain rates. Because they buy in large volumes, consolidators can offer these tickets for substantially less than normal discount fares.
Please note that you are not purchasing these tickets from the airlines! This is very important! You are purchasing directly from a third party that may or may not have the same terms and conditions regarding cancellations and changes as the airline.
It is very important that you review the terms and conditions BEFORE you purchase your flights, some flights are non-cancelable and/or non-changeable
Please contact
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for any further information you may require.
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What do I do if I tried to book tickets and I was told my booking was unsuccessful?
This can be caused by many things including incomplete information from the airlines or last minute changes to the itinerary by the airlines.
In many cases we are able to correct these issues with the consolidator that is attempting to issue the tickets. We can attempt to hand book these for you... please contact
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if you would like us to try.
Your credit card will not be charged until we are able to confirm the itinerary and discuss it with you.
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Why can't I find flights originating outside of the U.S.?
Our consolidator system only contains flights for US departures and US returns.
Please use this alternate system for great deals on domestic fares.
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Can I reserve flights now and pay for them later?
No. Sorry.
Because these are tickets purchased from consolidators, not from the airlines, flight availability changes constantly and tickets are first come, first served.
We also have a policy to not look up prices and give you quotes because there is no guarantee of availability when you go back to book them.
It would not be fair to quote you something that may not be available when you are ready.
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Why can't I find last minute flights?
Please be advised that our system can not accept requests where the departure date is less then seven (7) days from the day you book them.
This is to ensure that the consolidators can get you your documentation on time.
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Why does it say that the airline is "Major European Airline" or "Major US Airline"?
Certain airlines, as part of their contract with the consolidators, request that their name is not shown on the prices because it is so much lower than their published fares.
After ordering, the name is included but if you want to know before you buy, you can go to the website for any of the airports that are in the itinerary. Almost all airport websites will show arrival and departure info for flights at their airport. You can put in the flight number in that type of search engine and get the airline name.
I want to take an infant with me, what are the restrictions?
You will find that most international consolidator flights have incredibly low prices for infants. There is a reason for this. You are not purchasing a seat for the infant. You are expected to hold the infant on your lap for the entire trip.... even if it takes many, many hours.
If there are empty seats on the flight, many airlines will not have a problem with you placing the child in an empty seat.
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Why can't I book a flight with a departure date longer then 6 months from today?
The problem for the consolidator database is that your itinerary is too far in the future.
Most consolidators have 6 month contracts with the airlines, so right now we have tickets available in our database through 6 months in the future.
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