BA website intransigence

[cgichard]

I'm trying to book LHR-NCL on the BA website. It keeps telling me I can't use my UK debit card for this booking because the billing address for it is in Australia. Yet only a short while ago I used that card for a booking MRS-LHR on the same day. Tha amount then was shown in Euros so I copped some exchange rate charges and the amount that went out of my account ended up being rather more than the £ value, but I didn't mind too much as that's the account where my £ funds are kept for UK holidays.
But now I'm wanting to pay in £ for a UK domestic flight and it won't accept that debit card, supposedly because the billing address is in Australia. But that was the case already when I booked MRS-LHR. So it seems I have to use either PayPal or an Australian card, both of which would incur extra charges and wouldn't come from my holiday funds.

Can anyone suggest a way round this? I rang the BA 1300 number in Australia and was asked if I was using Firefox as my browser; yes, so she said to use Internet Explorer instead. But on IE (which I haven't used for yonks, certainly not since I linked to NBN), the page fails to load and tells me various settings to check, none of which seem relevant. Somehow I don't think the browser would make a difference to getting the BA site to accept the UK card which happens to have an Australian billing address.

 

[serfty]

Maybe fudge the address to a u k one?

 

[cgichard]

Yes, I tried doing that - used my sister's postcode - but the Visa verification wouldn't go through, probably because it isn't the billing address for that card, which is what they were asking for. I think it must have been a fluke that I was able to charge that card for the France to UK journey. So I tried a single France to Newcastle booking, which turned out to be better value than the 2 legs booked separately, though this statement on the 'fare breakdown' worries me:
"The price of your ticket includes a security and insurance surcharge and a carrier imposed charge per sector levied by the carrier. All taxes, fees and charges are to be paid by the member (not British Airways)."
In the end I gave up wrestling with trying to charge the UK card and put in on my Australian AmEx card: at least I will get a few FF points for that. Of course, I lost out on cancelling the original booking. Chalk it up to experience.