If you pay for the tickets by credit card, don't you have insurance against such a situation arising?

I can only assume by your question that you intend to pay for air-ticket(s) so that someone from China can visit you?

If this is true and you have never met this person in real life, then DON'T do it!

They should be able to borrow the money from somewhere in order to buy the ticket(s)

When they arrive and you meet them, you can refund them the ticket fee.

Please remember that your brain is in your head, not your trousers lol

You asked your girlfriend to give you her passport information, then you book the air ticket for her, she can't get your money if she doesn't want to come to see you, they will only refund to you because it is you pay the ticket
I am not sure what you worry about
The air plane company always refund the money back to the account which pay for the ticket
I don't agree with Paul idea that your girlfriend pay first, you should know Chinese women are independent mostly, it is not that they can't pay, but they want you to show your sincerity as they are women and travel a long way to come to see you, they take more risk than you

I think that @Anonymous24520 has it right regarding securing the refund basically, in that if you pay with your card the refund has to go to your card. And I don't really understand why you think you need to use a travel company in Hong Kong. You are in Texas from what I see and I don't know of any reason a travel agent in Texas can't book the flights for your ladyfriend and have the tickets delivered to her, especially since these days tickets are delivered via a person's email. I suggest you head down to any major chain travel agency and ask them how to arrange this so that you will get any refund that occurs.

But the real problem is that this type of ploy is so often part of a scam. You are taking the steps required to protect yourself from being scammed out of your money, but you had best also steel yourself for some serious disappointment as well.

You have not stated whether you've video chatted with this woman, so I want to seriously warn you that until you have done so, there is no reason for you to be purchasing her a flight. If you have video chatted, and you are prepared to pay for her flights, then I see no problem with getting your local travel agent to do the job, and making sure any refund comes to you.

But watch out for step 2 of a scam, which might be that now she has to get a visa, and she needs you to spend money for that. Take care my friend.

I hope that is helpful BTW.

Hey, also for video chat, you need to video chat with her every night and it should be real video chat
There are also scammers use fake video, but fake video can't really talk, so if you request to video chat for a few times, then you will figure out
Also from video chat, you can find out if she is really singe or have a man living with her
Don't want to scare you but it is better to be careful from the beginning, you don't have to ask her many things but you can ask her to video chat to observe her real conditions
Good luck to you man

@bravecadet

Some (online) travel agencies have the option to deliver the ticket at the airport. Make sure the ticket is a restrictive ticket. A restrictive ticket does not allow any changes of the itinerary, dates or only for a hefty fee (compared to the air fare). Make sure you have all the details, preferably a copy of her passport too.
Without knowing any detail, I'm not a fan of paying for some one's air fare I've never met before in person.

There are three possibilities according to a man being "calculating" with a woman.
#1, he does not love her.
#2, he is stingy.
#3, he is afraid of being scammed by her.

I don't know who bravecadet really is, and I would not like to judge anyone, so just speak for the general cases based on the three possibilities above.

Case#1, he should not waste her time...let her go to find the right person.

Case#2, he would be better off being a single forever to avoid any financial struggles that may happen in a relationship.

Case#3, he should take time to know who she really is to avoid being scammed.


I believe that "if a man really loves a woman, he is willing to spend time & money on her to make her happy."