Life hack. How to book flights without paying. How to book a plane ticket? Booking air tickets online without payment

Dear readers, this article was written in January 2015, all information was up-to-date at the time of its publication. Unfortunately, some services have changed the interface (checkmytrip.com), thereby complicating the process of printing tickets.

In this article, we will talk about booking and printing unpaid air tickets. It's no secret that travelers are required to return air tickets when applying for visas, sometimes they ask about a return ticket right at the airport, etc.

Who needs a ticket and why?

To obtain a visa. One of the reasons for making fictitious reservations (air tickets, hotels, transfers, etc.) is the strict visa requirements of some countries that probably live in the Stone Age and insistently require you to have all the necessary pieces of paper (air tickets, hotel reservations, transfers, etc. .).

There are a number of travelers who prefer to catch cheap air tickets (last minute deals) with visas on hand, and as soon as the coveted ticket at a reasonable price appears, they immediately buy it. Such travelers first receive a visa (of course, without paid tickets), and then they are already looking for tickets.

For presentation at airports. Return flights you may also be required to enter those countries that allow tourists to arrive in their country without a visa, Thailand as an example. When traveling to Thailand, a traveler may be required to have a return ticket even before the flight, and if it is not available, they may not be allowed to board the flight.

In addition to air tickets, you can check the availability of insurance, hotel reservations, etc. Each country has its own requirements for tourists, you can find out in advance about the requirements of the country you are heading to using the Timatic service, details about it here.

If they refuse a visa. Free booking of air tickets is also convenient in cases where you are not sure whether you will be issued a visa or not, and the correctness of filling out the documents does not play any role here. Especially if there were previously visa violations - overstays, unpaid fines and other violations that you have already forgotten about. In such a situation, not many tourists want to sit with a paid air ticket in their hands, if there is no certainty in obtaining a visa, and booking without payment allows you to somehow calm your nerves.

It is especially important to have an air ticket reservation when submitting documents to the consulates of countries that often refuse to issue visas (USA, England, etc.).

How to book a plane ticket without paying

Let's analyze in detail how to book a ticket without payment, in most cases it is booked for consulates and to minimize unnecessary questions at airports.

There are a few important points when booking flights without payment, which you should know:

  • there is no guarantee that the flight reservation will last long. Sometimes airlines remove unpaid booked flights, but this happens in cases where there is little time left before departure and there are those who wish to purchase a booked but unpaid ticket;
  • in most cases they will give you a visa, but if you found a ticket at a good price and didn’t buy it, then closer to the date of your trip there may not be such prices, so if you see good price for an air ticket, it is worth buying it.

So, let's proceed to the very booking of the ticket without payment. There are several simple steps, after completing which you will have a real ticket reservation in your hands.

Search for an air ticket for booking without payment

To search for a ticket in the direction you need, go here, the search form and filters will help you find a ticket for the required dates, if you are doing this for the first time, then read the article about searching for tickets, it will help you save a lot when buying tickets.

We select any offer and proceed to fill in the data on the website of the agency / airline, to which we will be transferred by a search engine for air tickets. As mentioned earlier, some airlines allow you to book tickets via the Internet, and pay at their offices, thereby giving us time to go to Visa Center with active booking of tickets, other airlines keep the booking for a long time, which is the same for us. The booking conditions provided by airlines sometimes change, so be careful.

The main task of all these manipulations is to get the so-called PNR code (Booking Code). IN Lately, many online ticket sales services try not to show this data too much, but we will be smarter.

After filling in the standard data for the purchase of air tickets, we will have a reservation number - this is a short set of characters consisting of Latin letters and numbers, the reservation number should be remembered or written down.

Sometimes an e-mail comes with a booking number, sometimes the ticket booking number is indicated directly on the site page, this is not so important, we will only need it once.

How to print flight reservations without payment

The next step is to print out the air ticket reservation without payment. We go to one of the sites for checking air tickets and calmly print out our air ticket reservation.

There are several sites for printing out an air ticket reservation (viewtrip.com, virtuallythere.com, myairlines.ru, etc.). For example, I use the site checkmytrip.com, it has a simple interface and it always works properly.

In the form that opens, enter the reservation number, the last name for which the ticket was booked and click on the button. Next, you will be able to print or save the itinerary receipt.

Video on how to print an unpaid air ticket reservation

My friend (Anton Pushkarev), made short video clip, which tells in great detail about the printout of unpaid reservations. The video is three minutes long, be sure to watch and like if it helped you.

That's all, now you have a real (legal) air ticket reservation, which can become your air ticket if paid on time.

Flight booking

Booking air tickets occurs every time in the process of buying a plane ticket via the Internet, in most cases people do not even think about it.

In order to understand why the booking of air tickets occurs without our knowledge, you need to understand how most of the sites of aggregators for booking air tickets work.

In fact, everything is very simple. When you are looking for a flight ticket, aggregator sites provide a selection from many ticket sites and airline sites. After choosing an air ticket (by price, time, etc.), the aggregator site redirects you to the airline's website, but not everyone does this, some sites offer to purchase an air ticket directly on their website, this is what agent ru does

It is at this moment that the booking of an air ticket takes place, which can turn into a purchase or remain a reservation. Thus, any air ticket purchased online goes through a stage online booking, the difference is only in the time that this reservation is kept.

Where to book flights

For booking and buying tickets, there are several convenient ways about which I

  • metasearch engines (airsale, skyscanner, etc.) - search for flights on many sites and provide you with the search result in a readable form (be sure to use the calendar low prices and a subscription to a price reduction);
  • ticket sites (agent ru, euroavia ru, etc.) - you can make a reservation directly on their website without going to the airline's website;
  • air ticket exchanges (turdom ru and others) - as a rule, you can buy air tickets here at a very good price, but you need to catch them;
  • airline sites - sometimes these sites can have very inconvenient navigation or lack of Russian, so you need to know English.

Booking times for different airlines

The terms of booking air tickets depend on the conditions of the airline, and not on the site on which you book the ticket. Various factors can influence the lifetime of your air ticket reservation (time before departure, availability of free tickets for this flight etc.).

The approximate time for which airlines hold a reservation can be seen in this list:

  • Qatar holds reservations up to 10 days;
  • Aeroflot keeps the reservation for no more than 2 days;
  • Turkish Airlines holds the reservation up to 10 days;
  • KLM keeps the reservation for no more than 1 day;
  • UIA holds the reservation up to 10 days;
  • AlItalia keeps the reservation for no more than 1 day;
  • AirBaltic keep booking up to 3 days;
  • SAS holds the reservation up to 2 days;
  • AirBerlin holds the reservation up to 4 days;
  • AirFrance holds the reservation up to 4 days;
  • Lufthansa keeps bookings up to 2 days;
  • EuropeAir holds the booking up to 7 days.

Some airlines allow you not to pay booked tickets if you book on their websites and you can pay at their office. In any case, please read the text carefully. small print» under the condition of cancellation of the reservation. For example, Lufthansa will charge you a cancellation fee for a guaranteed booking.

How to check a ticket

Checking a ticket by booking number and last name is very simple, now I’ll tell you about it in more detail. As I said earlier, all tickets purchased via the Internet are somehow booked through one of the global booking systems, and thus each ticket (whether it is paid or not) has a unique reservation number.

Check flight ticket through global booking sites

I know several global booking systems used by airlines and all those who sell air tickets: Sirena, Galileo, Saber, Amadeus. Any tourist can access these systems, but not directly, but through the relevant information sites.

  • Sirena - www.myairlines.ru
  • Sabre-

Here it should be taken into account next nuance, depending on the airline, the booking system with which this airline works (Siren, Galileo, Saber, Amadeus) will also depend, so you should know on which site to check your ticket. Sometimes, information about the booking system is indicated on air tickets, but for greater certainty, you can enter the reservation number and last name on all the sites presented.

Check the purchased ticket by number and surname

Major ticket agencies (for example, onetwotrip) provide their customers with a number of options (print an e-ticket, issue a refund, select the type of food on board, etc.), including checking the purchased ticket by number and surname (by order or payment number). and email address or mobile phone number).

In order to check the ticket purchased on onetwotrip by number and last name, you should indicate the ticket number on this page (namely, the ticket number, not the reservation number) and the last name that was specified during checkout.

In what cases to book a plane ticket without payment

Booking a plane ticket without payment, as I wrote above, is required in the following situations:

  • booking air tickets for a visa - it is done in cases where the country of issuing a visa is very meticulous and there is no guarantee in issuing a visa;
  • delayed purchase of an air ticket - if you have found a good price for an air ticket, but have not yet decided to go or not, then the reservation helps out and you can think about your trip in a relaxed atmosphere;
  • lack of money to buy an air ticket - you found a plane ticket at the best price, but this moment there is not enough money to buy it (everything happens in life, salary was delayed, payment for bank card etc.), in this case, make a reservation and pay a little later;
  • there is a high probability of a visa refusal - you know exactly for what reasons you can be denied a visa and do not want to have a paid air ticket in your hands.

Flight booking for visa

To obtain a visa, in one sense or another, there are several ways to prove to consular workers that you have air tickets. Here are the most legal ones.

Return air tickets

The most reliable way to obtain a flight reservation for a visa is to buy return air tickets. You will have real air tickets (paid), suitable for obtaining a visa. With such air tickets, there should be no unnecessary questions from consular workers to you.

After obtaining a visa, return tickets can be returned with the loss of part of the money. It is not entirely clear why you need a visa then (probably you will travel by land, and not by plane), but many make reservations in this way - it is reliable and less nerve-wracking.

Booking flights without payment

A more risky and less predictable type of obtaining a visa is to take an unpaid air ticket reservation to the consulate, there can be anything from automatic cancellation of the reservation by the airline, to a call from a consular employee to the airline.

Friends, it should be remembered that not fools work in consulates (at least not more stupid than you and me) and they understand everything perfectly, and if they want to find a reason not to issue a visa, they will definitely find it. I strongly do not recommend booking a ticket in Photoshop - this is pure water fraud, better make an unpaid reservation, which in itself is an official document.

If you have successfully read this article to the end, then you know all the features when booking air tickets and now you know exactly how it all works.

There are situations when a return ticket is simply not needed: either you don’t know exactly when you will return, or you are not going to return in the foreseeable future. But to get a visa, you often need a return ticket. Or without return ticket don't get on the plane.

You can, of course, buy a ticket with an open date, but such a ticket, firstly, costs money, and secondly, it is more expensive than a regular ticket. We have encountered different situations, and in this post we will share our experience on how to book a return ticket without paying. Such a reservation is suitable for both embassies and airlines.

Where to book flights without paying

In order to present a return ticket at the Thai embassy to obtain visas, we booked tickets without paying for the tickets themselves. We made a reservation on the Ukrainian site aviabileti-online.com. Bookings made on this website are valid for 5 days. IN last time, in Singapore, we made a reservation on the agent.ru website.

How to book tickets without paying

Booking tickets is easy. You do everything the same as when buying tickets, just do not pay by choosing "pay later". All data must be specified real, otherwise, when checking the reservation, the data of the passport and the reservation will not match, and this is a failure.

An email will be sent to you with a booking confirmation code. The code looks like a set of letters and numbers. In the picture below, I highlighted in yellow the date until which the reservation is valid, and the code in the booking system:

The site agent.ru works with Amadeus system. What other booking systems and websites are there where you can check and print your booking:

Usually on the site where tickets are sold, it is written with which system the site works. If this is not written, or you did not find it, it does not matter. Just enter the armor code into all systems one by one.

look detailed video instructions on how to print a return ticket reservation from the Agent.ru website on the checkmytrip website (Evgeny Thanks a lot for instructions):

IN electronic ticket full name, date of departure, flight number and other necessary data are indicated. Such a ticket, despite the fact that it is a reservation, looks quite presentable.

We showed a printout of such a ticket at the embassy. An unpaid but confirmed ticket reservation is not a fake ticket. This is not a fake. Therefore, there is nothing illegal in this.

The trip turns from a dream into reality when the first expenses begin. If you are going to travel on your own, your expenses will begin with the purchase of tickets: this gives you confidence, and the embassy requires a visa. Tickets are expensive, and there is also fear - what if a visa is not issued? if the children get sick before the trip? What if there are cheaper options later? All this is solved by free ticket booking.

There are several benefits at once: you don’t have to lay out a lot of money right away, you can easily refuse a trip or exchange tickets for more convenient ones. Kidpassage figured out where it is easiest to make a reservation and how else you can buy tickets without extra expenses.

Can I book a plane ticket without paying?

Without going into details for now, we will answer: yes, you can book a plane ticket for free. There are several ways to do this - we will describe them in the article. But there are a few nuances that you can't do without knowing.

Firstly, you can book a ticket for a relatively short period of time, often only for 1-2 days. In the article you will read about how you can increase this period. Secondly, booking does not guarantee that the ticket will remain with you.

Sometimes airlines cancel bookings if there is little time left before departure and if the demand for these tickets is high. Below we will tell you how to book plane tickets online without paying and not losing them.

Thirdly, sometimes a free reservation is not enough - you have to buy tickets to confirm the trip, and then return them. Find out how to find tickets that are easy to return.

  • It will be useful:

Why you need a free reservation

  • To obtain a visa. The embassies of some countries still require a whole package of documents when issuing a visa, including round-trip tickets. If you have not yet decided on the date of the trip or want to buy tickets for more favorable price, it is worth booking tickets without payment.
  • If a visa may not be issued. The risk of visa refusal is assessed in different ways. More often than others, the United States and Great Britain refuse a visa. In order not to lose money by buying and then returning tickets, you can make a reservation.
  • If you don't have enough money to buy. Everyday situation: tickets suitable for the price and dates are on sale, but there is no required amount for the purchase. Booking plane tickets without paying will allow you to keep them and pay later.
  • If the decision to travel has not yet been made. The trip has not yet been planned, but you have already found tickets at a good price - book them right away. You can always opt out of them.

Booking flights without paying for a visa

Embassies have different attitudes towards documents for obtaining a visa. As a rule, embassy employees require originals and photocopies of purchased tickets. But sometimes it is enough to submit confirmation that you have just booked tickets (this option, for example, suits the embassies of Italy and Spain).


There are several options for booking or buying tickets for a visa:

1. Book a ticket without payment for a period of 1 to 10 days. The reservation must be kept for at least 7 days, that is, no less than the period for which the embassy / consulate will consider your documents.

Many airlines and intermediaries offer the service paid booking. This significantly increases the chances that the ticket will remain yours.”

Booking times differ between companies (indicative data in the list below). Some aggregator sites show how long the booking will last when searching for tickets, but these are approximate data.

  • KLM - up to 24 hours;
  • Aeroflot - 24 hours when booking at the Aeroflot office, but no more than 2 days;
  • Lufthansa - up to 2 days;
  • KLM - up to 3 days;
  • british airways- up to 3 days;
  • AirBaltic - up to 3 days;
  • AirFrance - up to 4 days;
  • AirBerlin - up to 4 days;
  • EuropeAir - up to 7 days;
  • Turkish Airlines - up to 10 days;
  • UIA (UIA) - up to 10 days.

2. Buy return tickets. Strictly speaking, this is not exactly booking air tickets without paying. You buy tickets, which can then be returned, sometimes with the loss of part of the money. This is the most reliable way to obtain a visa if the embassy staff is especially picky about documents.

You can find out about the rules for returning tickets from the airlines - but not only from them. For example, in clause 1, part 1, article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the procedure for handing over return tickets: “The passenger shall be refunded the carriage fee paid for air carriage (with the exception of the amount of the carrier’s expenses actually incurred by him and related to the fulfillment of obligations under the passenger air carriage agreement) provided that the passenger has notified the carrier of the refusal of air carriage no later than 24 hours before the end of check-in of passengers for the flight specified in the ticket.

In many countries former USSR Air Code does not regulate this issue, in this case, airlines follow international practice.

3.Buy a ticket that includes a ticket refund service fee. In this case, you also lose part of the money when returning, but this amount is much less than the cost of tickets that cannot be used or returned.

4. Buy an air ticket and travel insurance at the same time. By insurance policy you will be refunded the money you spent on preparing for the trip. This amount includes the cost of a visa if you were denied it, the cost of tickets and other expenses. On some aggregator sites, the offer to insure the flight appears during the search for tickets. Study the offer, even if you don't intend to use it: it will help you formulate the right questions for the insurance company you are applying to.

Where to book tickets

You can book tickets online without paying or buy tickets with a subsequent refund at airlines, travel agencies or on aggregator sites. Each of the methods is good in a certain situation: choose the one that suits you.

If you do not intend to fly on the selected tickets, book them directly with the airline. In this case, the ticket price, departure time, flight duration and other parameters do not matter. The most important thing you need to do is to study the cancellation or refund policy. Travel agencies and intermediaries in this case may delay the cancellation/refund due to their own bureaucratic procedures.

Meanwhile, some online agencies promise favorable conditions for ticket refunds. It makes sense to compare them with what the airlines offer.

If you are likely to use your chosen tickets, book them with a travel agency or an online ticketing agency. Then already at this stage choose a convenient flight and a good price. Be sure to research the different rates and their benefits. Take special attention whether you will have to pay for a change in the date of departure or for a refund of the ticket. To increase the reliability of booking air tickets without payment, use the paid booking service.

  • Read also:

How to book a plane ticket for a visa without paying

Despite the length of the text written above, you can book a ticket without paying in a matter of minutes. Take just 4 steps:

1. Go to the page.
2. Select a route: city of departure and city of arrival, date of round-trip flight, number of passengers (adults and children), ticket class (economy, business) and click the "Find tickets" button.

3. Select a ticket from the list that opens, go to the website of the airline or agency and check the fare conditions. You need to find:
a. Ticket without payment with a reservation for several days.
b. Free return ticket.
c. A ticket with a fare that includes a small refund fee.
d. Ticket with insurance against non-departure.

4. Buy a suitable ticket if you have chosen option b, c or d, or book and print the ticket without payment if you have chosen option a. In order not to go through all the offers, looking for the possibility of booking air tickets online without payment, we suggest learning about the tariff policy of some airlines.


What airlines offer

The position of airlines on the issue of booking tickets without payment and refunding tickets varies. But in general, there are only a few options: free or paid bookings, discounted rates, and a rate with a refund under certain conditions.

Option 1. The most pleasant conditions, that is, precisely free booking airline tickets are often offered by major airlines.

Example: Lufthansa's website has a "Book and pay later" option. The ticket is guaranteed to be yours for 48 hours. This service is available on flights to more than 50 countries.

This decision imposes some restrictions: for example, you will not be able to use a promo code to get a discount. If you decide to buy a ticket, you will only have to pay for it. If you change your mind about flying, you will be charged a cancellation service fee.

At the same time, Lufthansa has an offer to return and rebook tickets. The Flex fare provides the greatest flexibility in this regard: it provides for a refund of the ticket price minus a service charge. A similar Flexibility service is offered by KLM and Air France. The approximate amount of the service fee for the return of the ticket is 60-80 euros.

Option 2. Sometimes you can use the paid booking service to calmly consider the decision to travel.

Example: The British Airways website offers to book tickets for 72 hours. The booking fee is 5-10 euros, depending on the flight distance. It should be noted that a ticket to some countries cannot be booked, but the list of such countries is gradually decreasing.

If you later decide to purchase your booked tickets, you will receive a refund for the booking. If you refuse to purchase, you will lose this amount (very small compared to the service fees for returning tickets).

  • Read also:

A nice bonus: if during the time for which you made a reservation, tickets become cheaper, you will pay less for them; if they rise in price - you will pay as much as they cost on the day of booking.

Option 3. Some airlines offer additional terms within the standard rates.

Example: Aeroflot introduced special Optimum and Premium fares for economy class tickets. Optimum tickets can be refunded forfeiting the service charge, while Premium tickets will be refunded in full. Similar conditions apply to S7 Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Option 4. Many airlines allow you to return a ticket if the embassy has not issued a visa.

Example: if for some reason the embassy refused to issue a visa, then such airlines as Air France, Belavia, Austrian Airlines, LOT or KLM will refund money for tickets already purchased.


Is there a booking with low-cost airlines

To save on flights, tourists often fly with low-cost airlines. Their tickets are cheaper because low cost airlines they do not spend money on the maintenance of air ticket offices, hire a minimum of personnel, increase the number of seats in the cabin, etc. But the main thing is that low-cost airlines sell only the flight service, and you need to pay extra for the rest (extra baggage, food on board, comfort in the cabin).

Low-cost airlines are almost always a bad option if you need to return tickets. Their base fares prohibit ticket refunds. In tariffs where a refund is still possible, a large commission is charged.


WizzAir

If you are planning to fly with this airline and have not yet decided on the date, use the Wizz Plus fare. It gives the right to book a plane ticket, and then change the date of departure without additional service charges (Wizz Flex option). This fare also provides for the possibility of returning the ticket, however, in this case, you will have to pay a fee, sometimes exceeding the price of the ticket - from 60 to 80 euros.


AirBaltic

The company, as far as possible, is flexible in setting tariffs. Thus, the Economy Premium tariff allows you to rebook or return tickets with a fee of 50-100 euros. There are many more amenities in the Business fare: no fees are charged for changing the departure date and returning tickets.


Air Arabia

A popular company flying from Russia and Ukraine to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, has its own policy. Here you can change your travel date by paying a service fee. But to return the ticket and get back at least part of the money will not work. First, the company will deduct a commission from the ticket price. Secondly, the rest of the money will be credited to your virtual account so that you can buy another ticket. This "credit" will be valid for only a year, then you will not be able to use the funds.


flydubai

Among the tariffs of this company there is a tariff with a free ticket exchange. If you exchange a ticket at least two days before departure, you will not have to pay any fee for this service. If you return a ticket less than a day before departure, you will have to pay a fee of 45 euros. At the same time, you will receive the rest of the money in the form of a voucher that can be used to pay for other airline tickets.


How to get a refund for a ticket

If you have chosen the path of buying tickets to get a guaranteed visa, but are not going to fly on a paid flight, you need to take care of the issue of a refund. This is not a quick procedure, and its success depends on the conditions under which the ticket was purchased.

There is a forced and voluntary return of tickets. Forced return caused by cancellation or refusal of a visa, illness (death) of a passenger or his close relative. In this case, the airline will refund the full cost of the tickets, sometimes withholding a minimum service charge.

Voluntary return occurs at the request of the passenger. Each company has its own rules for voluntary returns, but the most common approach is this:

  • if you canceled your booking before the ticket was issued, you will be refunded the full price minus the service fee;
  • if you are returning a ticket in first or business class, you will be refunded the full price minus the service fee;
  • if you are returning an economy class ticket or one purchased under preferential (promotional) conditions, you will be refunded only the amount of service fees.

Sometimes airlines charge an additional penalty for a refund: its size can reach 25% of the ticket price. Among the services of intermediary companies there is a paid return service of up to 90% of the ticket price.

Whatever the reasons for the return, you need to apply at the office or on the website of the airline or intermediary from which you bought the ticket. The application must be accompanied by:

  • ticket details (its number, flight number, date and time of departure, date of booking);
  • a photocopy of the passport;
  • a check or bank statement confirming the purchase.

If the return is forced, you will need copies of documents to confirm good reasons:

  • certificate of the airline about the cancellation or delay of the flight, change of route;
  • a certificate from the hospital about the illness (death) of the passenger or his close relative;
  • visa refusal document.

We recommend that you apply for a ticket refund as early as possible, but at least 2-3 days before the flight. The issue of a refund is considered from 1 to 3 months (often the answer comes within 5-10 business days).


Can I return a non-refundable ticket?

Does the title seem paradoxical? Meanwhile, the Air Code obliges airlines to pay some additional fees: “The carriage fee paid for the carriage of a passenger by air is not refundable, with the exception of unused amounts collected by the carrier in favor of other organizations in accordance with the legislation of foreign states, from territories, on the territory or through the territories of which carried out air transportation passenger."

To understand the legislator's logic, let's figure out what the cost of a ticket consists of. Several components:

  • the cost of the flight, or fare - it is set by the airline;
  • airline fees (for example, for issuing a ticket on the form);
  • airport taxes and taxes (fuel surcharge, aircraft and passenger service charge, security charge, etc.);
  • agency commissions.

Therefore, giving non-refundable ticket before the flight, you will receive in your hands an amount equal to the cost airport taxes- sometimes it's half the cost of the whole ticket. If the fare implies that the fuel and service charges are non-refundable, the carrier must specify this information in the conditions of purchase of the ticket. In a word, carefully read the booking rules and choose the right rates.

To compensate for the full cost non-refundable fare can only be calculated in two cases: if the airline has not fulfilled its obligations or if you have had a personal force majeure associated with illness or death in the family.

The ticket issue has been resolved - what will be the next step in preparing for the trip? Most likely, you will be looking for a hotel. To find a place where it will be comfortable to relax with children, look at. In the description you will find all the information about the benefits for small tourists.

Travel planning is a responsible task. You need to think through everything to the smallest detail so as not to run into various troubles. Booking tickets is one of the stages of this planning. Many are interested in whether it is possible to book air tickets and pay for them later. Indeed, often such documents are needed to obtain a visa, but there is no guarantee that it will be issued. It may be necessary to note the trip.

Booking on the airline's website

To do this is quite simple. You need to go to the official website of the air carrier, select the desired item in the menu, and book a plane ticket without payment. It can be done later. Many airlines make concessions to their customers. They offer to make a reservation and pay for it either on the website or directly at the airport.

Turkish Airlines booking example

Important! Each air carrier has certain periods of validity of the reservation.

So, the less time left before departure, the shorter the validity period of the reservation. Tourists need to remember that the airline has the right to unilaterally terminate the reservation. In this case, the passenger will be notified by e-mail or contact phone number. That is why when booking, you must provide real data about yourself. It will not be superfluous to first study the terms of deferred payment that are set by the carrier. Some airlines charge fines and penalties for the fact that the client refuses to pay for booked tickets.

Booking expiration dates for different air operators

Airline name Booking expiration date
AirBerlin Up to 4 days
AirBaltic Up to 3 days
Aeroflot Up to 2 days
AirFrance Up to 4 days
EuripeAir Up to 7 days
AliItalia Up to 24 hours
Korean Air Up to 10 days
KLM Up to 24 hours
Qatar Up to 10 days
Lufthansa Up to 2 days
Turkish Airlines Up to 10 days
SAS Up to 2 days
United Airlines Up to 7 days

Booking on the site of ticket agencies

This method is also considered common among tourists. It allows you to book a plane ticket without payment in companies that do not provide such a service. The cost of booking depends on the pricing policy of the agency.

Search for an air ticket on agent.ru

Important! It is worth considering that the client will be given a little time to pay for the reservation. Usually less than a day. Therefore, this option is not suitable for booking flights for visa purposes.

Some agencies offer to pay for the reservation within 72 hours. This period directly depends on the date of departure. For example, if the trip is planned in a few months.

How to book a ticket? To do this, you need to perform a few simple steps:


After that, the client will have a six-digit code that can be used when paying for the reservation or for printing a document.

How to print an air ticket without payment

To do this, you need a PNR code. It consists of six digits. It is entered in a special field of the selected Internet service. After the ticket information is displayed on the screen, you must click on the "Print" button. On the websites of some companies, it may be called differently. The ticket is being printed. Opposite it will be the status "Confirmed".

Ticket printing without payment

In some cases, it is possible to send the document by e-mail. It can be printed in convenient location. IN in electronic format the ticket is not suitable for issuing any documents.

I can't find my booking, what should I do?

It is worth considering that in order to book air tickets, they are registered through certain global distribution systems. A few of them: Saber, Amadeus, Galileo. They are used to check booking documents. If the reservation is not determined on one service, it can be checked on another.

Note. In some services, to determine the reservation, you need to enter a five-digit ticket code, and not a six-digit one.

In addition to these services, the client can go to the website of the airline in which the ticket was booked. On its pages, find information about the status of the reservation by ticket number. If you can’t access the air carrier’s Internet resource, you can call hotline and ask questions of interest. It happens that the booking is canceled by the company ahead of schedule. Therefore, before booking a document, it is better to find out all the rules of the airline.

Flight booking for visa

To obtain the coveted visa, the consulate must provide confirmation of the booking of air tickets in both directions. This is not always convenient. And in the absence of such confirmation, a visa may be refused.

Important! Consular officers may require that the reservation of air tickets be kept throughout the entire period of consideration of documents.

In this case, the tourist will have to redeem the ticket, and then return it back. If you do it in a short time, you can get by minimal losses. In addition, you can book tickets for a visa without payment for a day. To do this, select one of the payment methods:

  • by bank transfer;
  • choose payment in the office.

This time should be enough to print the documents and submit them to the consulate. In some cases, the validity of the reservation can be up to 10 days. This time is definitely enough for the consular staff to check all the documents. It is worth considering that none of the air carriers guarantees a long booking. They have the right to cancel it unilaterally if there are those who wish to purchase a ticket for the flight. Some airlines have a paid booking service. This option will be the most reliable in the case of processing documents for traveling abroad. Such a reservation cannot be marked without the consent of the client.

Watch a video on how to book flights without paying for a visa

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One of the documents that should be prepared for a trip to foreign country, is a ticket reservation for a visa. Consular services request it as confirmation of the real purpose of the trip. The purchased plane tickets or their reservation will serve as proof that the visa applicant intends to visit a particular country on certain dates and then return to their home country.

How to get a flight ticket reservation for applying for a visa

The procedure for obtaining a visa depends on the decision of the consulate of a particular state. But as a rule, consular employees are more willing to give permission to visit the country to those who have already purchased a ticket. However, in some cases it is better to only book plane tickets for a visa, rather than buying them in advance. For example, not everyone wants to spend money and buy tickets if there is no certainty that a visa will be issued, or if a visa is issued in reserve, and not for a specific trip.

You can book flights for a visa at travel agency, but you can do it yourself. To do this, you need to use one of the aggregators for searching for plane tickets on the Internet. There are many search engines suitable for these purposes, among which are:

  • metasearch engines - they look for tickets on a variety of sites and display the information found about various options for flight conditions, airlines, dates and prices in one table;
  • ticket search sites - allow you to make a reservation without going to the airline's website;
  • air ticket exchanges - offer various promotions and discounts;
  • airline websites.

How to book

How to book a flight ticket for a visa? Having opened the most suitable search engine and entered the data on the desired flight, corresponding to the data of the trip in the requested visa by direction and dates, you need to select one of the options. After filling in the columns with the name, surname, passport data, contact email address, you can proceed to purchase a ticket or its imitation to create a reservation.

Immediately before payment, a window should appear with all the entered passenger data, as well as the reservation number, which is a sequence of six characters - numbers and Latin letters.

As simple as obtaining a visa air ticket reservation, a consular officer can check it for validity. Therefore, the booking should be made with the company and site where it lasts the longest, so that at the time of submission of the documents it is still legally valid. As a rule, unpaid reservations are kept from one to ten days.

Where to check and print flight reservations

Tourists and airlines use special global systems to issue tickets. In them, but in a version adapted for ordinary users, you can check and print a ticket reservation for a visa. Main systems:

  1. Sirena - www.myairlines.ru;
  2. Galileo - viewtrip.com
  3. Sabre-;
  4. Amadeus - checkmytrip.com.

Various airlines work with different systems. Therefore, if no recognizable data about the global system was indicated when booking a ticket, you will have to check each of them. To do this, you must enter the reservation number and last name in the box provided for this. If the information is found, then the ticket was successfully booked, and you can print this file for presentation at the consulate.

Is it possible to get a visa without booking tickets

Not all consulates require airline tickets or their reservation for visa processing. Therefore, in order not to do unnecessary work, before submitting documents, you need to check the exact list of papers that should be prepared. For example, when applying, it is necessary to present booked or redeemed tickets without fail.

Ticket for a low-cost airline

An excellent alternative to a fictitious visa reservation is a real low-cost airline ticket. Low-cost airlines are low-cost airlines that reduce flight fares by reducing the services offered to passengers, as well as optimizing the work of company employees and equipment. Sometimes you come across such cheap tickets that even if they are bought only for obtaining a visa and you do not have to use them, it will not be a pity to throw them away.

When using the services of a low-cost airline, the passenger receives electronic ticket for a visa, which will need to be printed out and attached to the main package of papers when applying. This ticket differs from the reservation only in that it is already paid.

Low-cost airlines do not offer real tickets, since all sales are made online.

Confirmation of another mode of transport

If crossing the border by plane is not included in the plans, then a confirmation of another type of transport can be attached to the visa application package. In the event that the trip is planned by car, then it is necessary to draw up a free-form itinerary sheet - a description of the trip by day, mentioning all the places where you plan to visit and all the hotels where you plan to stay overnight.

In addition, you will have to provide a vehicle registration certificate or confirmation of car reservation, green card (transport insurance), driver's license international standard.