What to Do When Cashless Cabins Go Awry

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Welcome to the Today in Travel Question of the Week. As always, you can submit a query below or via email

In response to news that Delta will switch to credit-card-only purchases onboard, several readers wrote in with questions about how the new system will work. I got in touch with Delta spokesperson Paul Skrbec, who was happy to clear up some grey areas.

For the first question, reader Ruby asked, “In August this year on a Delta flight to Atlanta on a B767, the computer system malfunctioned and the credit card reader was not available. In a “no-cash” system what will be the answer in this situation?”

According to Skrbec, the answer is simple: cash. “In the rare situation when credit card readers are not available,” Skrbec wrote, “our flight attendants have procedures that allow for the acceptance of cash.” No shock here. Just because the credit cards readers go on the fritz doesn’t mean your snack is free, and certainly doesn’t mean it’s no longer for sale. Cold, hard cash will do the trick.

Our second question comes from reader AirBodie, who asks, “What about the coupons good for a free drink or headset? Will they accept them and will they become a thing of the past?”

No way, says Skrbec. “Delta will continue to accept coupons. The ability to accept coupons is not impacted.”

So there you have it.

Now, many have also wondered, “What about travelers without credit or debit cards?” Quite frankly, these passengers are simply out of luck on cashless airlines. The airlines are making these switches to streamline the process and encourage more purchases. And the prevalence of plastic in people’s wallets makes for a pretty compelling argument. For those among you who don’t carry or use credit or debit cards, there’s no harm in trying to persuade your flight attendant to accept cash, but don’t expect much.

Readers, do you have any other questions about cashless cabins? Or any travel-related questions in general? Leave a comment below or submit your question via email.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.