cross-posted from: https://links.hackliberty.org/post/125466

My credit card issuer apparently never gets to know what I purchased at stores, cafes, & restaurants – and rightfully so. The statement just shows the shop name, location, and amount.

Exceptionally, if I purchase airfare the bank statement reveals disclosures:

  • airline who sold the ticket
  • carrier
  • passenger name
  • ticket number
  • city pairs

So that’s a disturbing over-share. In some cases the airline is a European flag carrier, so IIUC the GDPR applies, correct? Doesn’t this violate the data minimization principle?

Airlines no longer accept cash, which is also quite disturbing (and illegal in jurisdictions where legal tender must be accepted when presented for PoS transactions).

Has anyone switched to using a travel agent just to be able to pay cash for airfare?

UPDATE

A relatively convincing theory has been suggested in this other cross-posted community:

https://links.hackliberty.org/comment/414338

Apparently it’s because credit cards offer travel insurance & airlines have incentive to have another insurer involved. Would be useful if this were documented somewhere in a less refutable form.

GDPR question still outstanding.

    •  frog 🐸   ( @frog@beehaw.org ) English
      7•1 year ago

      It’s been more than 15 years since I last travelled abroad, but I’ve now got a holiday booked next July. It genuinely hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need to tell the bank I’m going, because I actually haven’t received any advice to do so. It’s not as common knowledge as you think it is. Thankfully, I’m now aware of the need to do so, so I will. But it’s not in any of the confirmation emails for the tickets, nor on the government’s travel advice pages (which I have checked, and started organising things like updating a couple of my vaccinations.)

      Nevertheless, I agree it ought to be opt-in, rather than mandatory. Everybody should get to make the choice, even if it means occasionally they get stranded abroad with no access to money.

      •  LinkOpensChest_wav   ( @LinkOpensChest_wav@beehaw.org ) 
        1•1 year ago

        Exactly, this just tells us we need to do a better job about educating people. Many of the conveniences we enjoy come at the expense of personal autonomy and privacy, and in my opinion it’s never worth it.

        I recently traveled to Canada by road trip, and when I called my bank’s number I was surprised to learn that I don’t need to report things like this. This actually disturbs me because it shows that they must have some way of collecting sufficient data to show that I am traveling to a specific place at a specific time, and in my opinion my bank has no business knowing this unless I choose to disclose it.

        •  frog 🐸   ( @frog@beehaw.org ) English
          2•1 year ago

          I think what annoys me most is that I have been trying to educate myself on what I need to do before I travel, and so much necessary information just isn’t available in a logical place. Like why, for example, does my country’s government’s travel advice page have some information (check vaccinations are up to date) but not others (check bank knows where you’re going)? Even for a decently intelligent person who proactively tries to educate themselves, it feels like a losing battle against poorly organised information.