Credit cards use on planes is "fantastic"

Using a credit card to pay for something when you are on a plane is better for a selected number of airlines, according to one writer.

Some airlines like it when people use a credit card to pay for goods on the plane, according to one writer.

Jane E Fraser said that carriers are now informing people that using plastic is "fantastic" because some staff cannot accept cash.

She speculated that travellers may soon need the use of credit cards to pay for going to the toilet.

"Crew members carry handheld devices for processing credit cards payments and those without a piece of plastic find themselves going hungry and thirsty," Ms Fraser added.

And the chances of people needing Aussie credit in the "cashless cabins" could only be a matter of time, if the country follows American ideas.

Tiger Airways flights take "payment by Australian-issued MasterCard debit card only", although it is possible to pay with a credit card.

But doing so could add to an already unknown credit profile for some, after it was revealed earlier this month by Christine Christian, chief executive for Dun and Bradstreet, that nearly 86 per cent of Australian women are unaware of what their credit history looks like, as reported in the Australian.

By Emma North