Payment Issue with Saudi Airlines

Hi there, I’m facing a rather unusual issue with SAUDI AIRLINES. I booked a flight to Jakarta with a layover in Jeddah for July directly on their website on February 25th, paying for our three tickets via PAYPAL. I quickly received confirmation that my flight was booked and our e-tickets were issued. However, after several days, I noticed we were never charged for the tickets, and I saw on our PayPal account that the payment authorization was still pending.

At first, I chalked it up to cross-border or banking delays… but since I use PayPal often and the debit from my bank account is usually almost immediate, I called PayPal. They told me that neither they nor I had anything more to do: when a transaction is paid using their solution, the payment is systematically validated by the seller before the transaction (an automated process, I imagine). However, PayPal confirmed that SAUDI hadn’t done this and that they had a month to do so, otherwise the transaction would be canceled by PAYPAL and SAUDI wouldn’t receive the funds. There must have been a technical glitch because normally, I shouldn’t have received the tickets until they had received the payment.

Given the reviews I’ve read about their customer service, I’m worried they might cancel our tickets without notice once they realize their mistake—or that they’ll ask us to pay the amount at that point (since the closer we get to the date, the higher the price goes).

So, I’ve been trying to contact them nonstop via their app (I’ve submitted about 10 tickets), I’ve called them, messaged them on Messenger and Instagram, and so far, I haven’t gotten any response. Either they don’t read my message to the end and just reply that the flight is confirmed + resend the tickets, or more recently, they tell me the issue is being handled by another department. We tried calling them again on Saturday, but no luck—the French-speaking agents were always busy. On Messenger, they keep asking for the secret code sent by SMS at the start of the conversation, but of course, I never receive anything even though my number is correctly registered in my SAUDI account.

I don’t know what else to do, and I’m not sure if I’m right to worry they might cancel our tickets.

I’m afraid this could jeopardize our dream trip, for which I’ve already booked hotels and activities… and we were really looking forward to it.

I hope you can shed some light on this?

Thanks for taking the time to read this

I’m having the exact same problem with a ticket I bought on March 7th for an October departure!

I’ll also try contacting the airline, but if they’ve already told you it’s all good on their end...

Hi there, Unfortunately, they never confirmed that everything was okay, which is really worrying.

I haven’t been able to get any response from them despite my countless calls, emails, tickets, and messages on social media. I keep following up to pay them—it’s ridiculous!

PayPal automatically cancels pending payments after 30 days. That’s what happened yesterday. So, as of yesterday, I officially have free flight tickets!

However, I won’t risk flying with them because I’m sure they’ll cancel them without notice or charge me full price. Laws aren’t the same everywhere, so I’m not relying on my emails as proof to protect myself.

Given how little they care about their customers and what I’ve read about this airline, I’m dropping the whole thing. I don’t want to end up stranded in an airport or another country.

Did they get back to you? You still have a week before the transaction is canceled.

Otherwise, it might be a bug in their system, and the booking was actually recorded.

Can you still access your tickets and online reservation (ability to modify info, etc.)?

Because if that’s the case, it means the booking was recorded despite the payment not going through.

I got the same response as you, telling me my ticket had been sent, and then they sent it again.

I’m wondering if it’s possible to go ask for info directly at the airline’s counter at an airport (since I don’t live too far away)?

Yes, yes, the flight is confirmed—I can see it in my app, but it hasn’t been paid for! It’s a bug; their system should’ve validated the payment instantly. Though I thought it was only happening on February 25th!

I just canceled the flights; I’m done with it. It should’ve cost me 350 €, but they don’t have my bank details, and I haven’t paid anything...

I’ll go with another airline—more expensive, but no choice 😢.

Keep me posted; I hope you’ll get to fly for free! I really hope so! !

Good evening,

I’m running into the exact same problem as you. I bought flight tickets to Jakarta with PayPal, and the payment has been pending since March 2nd. I contacted PayPal, and they gave me the same explanation as you. I reached out to Saudi Airlines customer service, and a woman gave me an email address to send my request to. They confirmed that my tickets were validated on their end and sent me back to a form to fill out. Like you, I received tickets indicating my request had been processed—but with no explanations! The payment is still pending. I called customer service again, and the woman I spoke with insisted they couldn’t cancel the tickets because they were confirmed on their end, but I’ll admit I’m not exactly reassured!

The authorization expires on March 30th, so I’ll wait until then to see if the payment goes through.

I don’t think it’ll be charged, same for me.

I also filled out the form 10 times—the customer service is really terrible, they never read the whole message.

But maybe they’ll offer you an alternative payment solution. This whole situation is crazy! For all we know, they won’t notice anything, and you’ll both fly for free! !

You're right, I think the authorization is going to be canceled. I sent yet another email to this address: GCCBACKOFFICE@saudia.com Did you also communicate with them via this email?

I let them know that several people are in the same situation as me. I’ll try calling them again tomorrow! I’ll keep you posted if I get a decent response.

It’s really crazy. Like you, I’m not sure I want to take the risk of using these tickets

No, I wasn’t familiar with that email address. I used ammancu@saudia.com based on the phone advice from the agency in Paris. They respond quickly from that inbox, but only to say my case is being reviewed by the relevant department.

I also tried submitting tickets through their apps, but the responses there were really careless.

When I called the Paris agency, they told me that just that morning someone with the same issue as us had come in person… I wonder how many of us are in this situation?

Thanks!

Don’t hesitate to let us know if they give you another answer. Personally, I think I’ll go directly to a counter in mid-April because their customer service is terrible.

But there’s still a big risk in using those tickets...

Otherwise, I’m thinking of buying the same ticket but in flex (only 12 € more for my flight), and I’ll cancel it if I manage to get a boarding pass with my first ticket.

There’ll be cancellation fees, but it’ll still be cheaper than the full-price ticket, I guess...

Hi,

I called again this morning and still no proper response. The person I spoke to told me there’s been an issue for a month, but they can’t do anything because it’s the reservation department’s problem. They asked me to fill out a complaint form—which I’ve already done a thousand times—and had no answer when I said it wasn’t working. They don’t have any other numbers I could contact, etc.

It’s so frustrating!

Hi, I had the same problem—booked on 8/3, received e-tickets, but the PayPal payment is still pending. I managed to reach Saudia this morning at 0820 200 505 and quickly got someone who speaks French. They checked my booking and confirmed it. They said this has been happening for a month to everyone who paid with PayPal, and the money will be collected, but they don’t know when. Anyway, I hope they’re telling the truth—on the app, I found my booking confirmed with my name and ticket number.

Hi there, I think you just need to wait. If the payment is still processing and the e-tickets exist, you should wait, hoping the money will be collected.

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback! The issue is that my PayPal authorization for direct debit expires tomorrow. So I don’t know how they’ll collect the money once the deadline has passed.

The delays and the way they’re handling the situation don’t reassure me at all, and it adds to everything negative I’ve already read about the company ☹️

I'm leaving on 4/8, so I'd advise you to call 0820 200 505 and ask for a payment link by email. That's what I'd do anyway. If you manage to sort it out, let me know! 😊

I also called that number this morning, but the guy I spoke to told me he couldn’t do anything because he was in the reservations department, not sales. The sales department can only be reached through the complaint form—I just submitted another one! We’ll see if it works this time, but I doubt it.

Thanks anyway 😅 I hope they find a solution soon!

Alright, at least I know that payment by phone isn’t possible—thanks. I hope there are enough of us with this problem because at least then I figure they’ll send an email with a link to sort things out. We’ll just have to wait 😊

Hello,

And asking them to skip the PayPal payment and settle the same amount by credit card—isn’t that an option?

Michel

Hi there, I was thinking the same, but what happens after the pending PayPal payment is canceled?

Hello,

And asking them to drop the PayPal payment and settle by credit card for the same amount—isn’t that an option?

Michel

But I’ve tried I don’t even know how many times, and they never actually respond, whether by email, through their app’s ticket system, on social media, or by phone in Saudi Arabia or France.

I have this number in Paris if you want: 0144372300. Last Friday, I finally got someone in France—very nice, but they didn’t reassure me at all, saying anything’s possible, even that they might cancel the tickets if they haven’t received the money. "Even if I keep telling them I want to pay another way?" "Send them an email at ammancu@saudia.com; they’ll be able to help you better."

...

Hi Céline,

To sum up, the issue is with Saudia regarding PayPal payments. It won’t move things forward, but still—if I may ask, why buy flight tickets with this payment method? 🤪 Is there an advantage?

Michel

I usually use PayPal when I don’t know the seller’s site, but this time it was just because I couldn’t be bothered to dig my card out of my bag! !

The main advantage of PayPal for big expenses is the 4-payment installment plan with no fees (well, when it actually works, haha).

Wouldn’t the simplest thing be to just make a new booking with another payment method once PayPal has properly canceled the payment?

Instead of trying to contact the airline hoping they’ll respond

Hi, after speaking with the airline on the phone and a friend in Jeddah, it seems that once electronic tickets are issued and confirmed—meaning they’ve definitely been **paid for**—only PayPal can request the money, not the airline. The problem lies between those two. The airline validates the tickets, but the payment is PayPal’s issue.

Hi,

For my part, I decided to cancel the flight tickets with Saudia because the payment authorization was canceled by PayPal after the 30-day deadline. I booked other tickets with Lufthansa, made a payment via PayPal, and the payment was confirmed right away! 😊

Yes, it’s definitely safer. My departure is in December, so I’ve got time to see if PayPal gets back to me. We’ll see how things go between now and then, because unfortunately, flight prices have doubled for Christmas, so we’ll see if I end up going or not by then.

Yes, you’ve got time! I hope everything gets sorted out quickly and you’ll be all set for your departure :)

So the tickets are definitely 100% valid, and we’re sure the airline can’t cancel them for payment default?

Because normally, if PayPal cancels the payment, I don’t see how they could ask us to pay afterward.

Hi, from what I understood, PayPal took responsibility for me, so only PayPal can get back to me. The airline issued unique e-tickets, and the payment isn’t linked to the tickets. In short, the issue is between the airline and PayPal. I’ll see if PayPal reaches out to me

Okay, thank you. Don’t hesitate to let us know if you get any other updates.

If the airline can cancel them if they aren’t paid for, I’ve already had tickets canceled that I got due to a pricing error—a huge discount. I still had valid tickets, though. And Saudia can still demand payment even if it was canceled because you can’t get a service you haven’t paid for.

Hi, Same thing happened to me with ANA on a big promo—tickets paid, issued, money taken, but when I tried to access my booking on the site, I couldn’t. A month later, I got suspicious and called the airline. They told me my tickets had been canceled due to a pricing error by their IT team. No email to let me know, and no refund at first. They eventually did refund me, though.

I think that by paying with PayPal, you're missing out on your bank card's insurance... right?

Not me, but probably those with a gold card or similar.

Hello,

I think that by paying with PayPal, you’re missing out on your bank card’s insurance... right?

It covers cancellation insurance if you can’t take the flight for medical reasons, or baggage insurance, but not the rest of the repatriation and medical assistance for this trip.

Michel

Hi there,

No, you don’t have to pay with your card to benefit from the insurance it offers, contrary to what some rumors suggest. Plus, when you pay via PayPal with your credit card, it’s your card that’s actually being used—PayPal is just an intermediary that processes the payment with your card.

Unfortunately, no—the terms and conditions of your card’s insurance must explicitly state that they cover payments made through this type of intermediary. Apparently, that’s pretty rare.

Hi there, How’s it going now? Was the payment canceled by PayPal? Any updates from Saudia?

Hi there How’s it going now? Did PayPal cancel the payment? Any updates from Saudia?

Hi, so yes, the transaction was canceled by PayPal. I contacted Saudia again by email and phone, and they keep insisting that everything is fine. They say if there’s a problem, they’ll get in touch with me. I spoke to PayPal, who’ve never seen anything like this before and told me not to do anything else. I asked two travel agencies for their opinion, and they’ve never seen this either. According to them, if the transaction isn’t canceled within a month or two, there’s no risk of it showing up in their future accounting.

I truly wish you the best with all my heart! When is the flight scheduled?

In December, we’re visiting friends who live in Mauritius, so no hotel costs. We’ll wait, and if there’s a cancellation, we’ll postpone until 2026 😅. Thanks—I’ll keep you updated if anything changes. And if it works out for someone else, I’m also waiting for feedback! 😊😘.

Hi there,

Yes, payment by card or PayPal via the card must be at least 10% of the flight ticket, for example, to trigger a payment for medical care. The trip must not exceed 90 days.

Hi, how are things on your end? On my side, the reservation is still confirmed in the app. This week, I also spoke with an aviation-specialized lawyer, and I explained everything to her. She told me that no matter what happens, the tickets have been issued and confirmed with a payment receipt. If the airline notices anything, they must contact us. And if the worst happens—that is, they cancel, which she says is impossible because it’s prohibited—then she advised me to contact her to take legal action against the airline. Electronic tickets that have been issued cannot be canceled. We’ll see how it goes.

Well, there you go—all reassured now! 👍

To answer your question, as soon as the PayPal payment was canceled, I also canceled the Saudia flight and booked with Qatar instead. I know—I had three free tickets in hand, but I just didn’t feel like arriving at the airport with my stomach in knots, especially in Spain. Maybe everything would’ve gone smoothly, but I was too afraid they’d refuse to let me board or ask me to pay the going rate on the day, which would’ve been way more expensive. I was also worried about dealing with hassles in Spain (my departure country) or Saudi Arabia (the layover country), or even about boarding only to get stuck on the way back. In short, those fears plus the reviews about this airline made me change my mind. We’ll be traveling with our little son, so we didn’t want to take any risks...

I hope this works for you, but flight tickets that have been issued and paid for can still be canceled by the airline. The airline's obligation is to refund the tickets. I just had a cancellation for tickets that were issued and paid for—they were refunded within 7 days.

If we consider that the price paid is "derisory" compared to the product's value, a purchase with a derisory price is null and void under the law (Article 1169 of the Civil Code). Saudia’s terms and conditions: "The validity period of this ticket is one year from its issue date, unless otherwise specified on the ticket or in the applicable fares, transport conditions, and carrier regulations. The transport fare may be subject to change before the start of the journey. The carrier reserves the right to refuse transportation if the applicable fare has not been paid."

Hi, thanks for your feedback. Your tickets were canceled at your request?? The thing is, I’ve got three email responses from Saudia saying everything’s okay, and if there’s a problem, they’ll contact me. I have receipts for authorized and completed payments. I’m really trying to resolve this, but it’s impossible since they keep saying it’s confirmed. My lawyer told me their email response is proof if they cancel on their end without offering to settle first. I can take legal action for that. I’ll try calling and emailing again next week and see how it goes.

Hi, you were right to book another flight, especially with a child. For us, it's the same—our 9-year-old's ticket price has doubled, and we can't find one at the price we got with Saudia. Either we resolve the issue beforehand (we don’t need a hotel there), or we’ll postpone the trip to 2026. We’ve got nothing left to lose by waiting and pushing them, because our trip will be postponed if no solution is found by December. You’re right—we’re not safe from anything with this airline.

Not canceled by the airline, many issued tickets are being canceled due to changes in aircraft type, closed routes, and easyJet has canceled many flights from Toulouse because they’re shutting down routes. Yes, your payment confirmation emails are proof, and I hope they won’t cancel your tickets. If they cancel more than 14 days in advance, there’s no compensation—just a refund for the tickets.