How to pay for Airbnb, Booking.com or Vietnamese airline tickets online without a Visa/Mastercard bank card?

From messages by 3 participants in 2 sources · Last activity: 9 days ago

TL;DR

Local Vietnamese airline websites and Airbnb/Booking checkout usually require a genuine Visa or Mastercard — UnionPay cards typically don't work. Travelers without a Western card often use third-party virtual cards or ask someone with a foreign card to pay on their behalf.

What the community said

One traveler asked specifically about using virtual cards for Booking.com and Airbnb reservations — a common workaround for those without a Visa/Mastercard.

Virtual cards for Booking/Airbnb

UnionPay cardholders (e.g. from Rosselkhozbank) should check in advance — Vietnamese airline websites typically only accept international Visa and Mastercard, and UnionPay often isn't supported.

UnionPay not always accepted

Without a foreign card, travelers look for popular alternative payment methods for Airbnb — no single universal solution was confirmed, but the topic comes up frequently.