Why can I pay by card on the plane using my mobile phone without internet?
If you're flying, depending on the airline, you'll most likely be able to buy food. In some cases, airlines also sell a variety of products such as electronics (chargers, headphones, etc.), toiletries, and more. You can usually pay with cash or a credit card. However, some airlines only accept credit cards. But what if there's no internet connection during the flight?
We'll explain that in this article. We'll show you how in-flight card payments work and what you need to keep in mind. Even if you're flying over the Atlantic Ocean, on a flight between Africa and America, thousands of kilometers from land, you can still pay this way.
How do card payments work on board the aircraft?
The key difference is that the payment process isn't instantaneous, as it is in traditional stores. For example, if you go to a supermarket and pay by card, the amount due will appear on the point-of-sale (POS) terminal. You then swipe the card, the terminal connects to the network, and the payment is verified. If there's a connection problem, the payment won't go through.
You may have gone to pay at some point and found the cashier had raised or moved the point-of-sale device to improve signal reception. While this isn't common nowadays, it has happened and might still happen in some places. But it doesn't work that way on airplanes.
During the flight, the point-of-sale (POS) device does not connect to the internet to verify the payment. It does not activate the transaction immediately; instead, it remains pending confirmation. This can be considered a type of offline payment. You do not need your mobile phone or card to connect to the network, nor do you need the POS device used by the flight crew.
The secret lies in limiting
When purchasing anything on an airplane, the amount is usually small. We're talking about a meal, a drink, or simple items that cost no more than $20 or $30. For this to be possible, the airline inevitably assumes some risk, as you might buy something, and when the money is deducted from your card, your balance might not be sufficient.
Bank acceptance of this type of payment is also necessary. Banks typically pre-authorize these payments up to a certain amount; most operate this way. Although there are limits, they are rarely exceeded when purchasing onboard.
When in-flight internet service becomes available, which may take a few days, you will request your bank to deduct the amount of your purchase, just like any other payment. However, the important point is that this process is not instantaneous.
Recently, I traveled on a flight between Spain and Turkey and paid around 10 euros for a small sandwich. I was waiting for the money to arrive, and it took a little over 24 hours. I paid one afternoon, around 7 pm, and the money appeared in my account the following day, around 10 pm.
In short, you can pay by card during your trip, even without an internet connection. As you've seen, this process differs slightly from paying in traditional stores where internet access is available.