From: "Mark BR" 
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: credit card fraud
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 16:28:05 +0700

kuacou241@yahoo.com wrote:
> Mark BR wrote:
>> Fat Freddy's Cat wrote:
>
>> Certain full fare tickets bought via an IATA airline are refundable
>> on sight anywhere in the world. Used to be very useful if you wanted
>> to shift money from a country with exchange control regulations.
>
> Not refundable for cash. Exchange control authorities figured that one
> out right away. An unrestricted, refundable ticket could, and no doubt
> can still, be exchanged for an MCO. But the MCO can only be refunded
> in the original currency and (in my experience, but perhaps not
> invariably) used by someone with the same surname.
>
> I have done the above with Iranian rials and Algerian dinars in years
> past (1980s).

Think this is a very variable thing, I've cashed in tickets bought in South 
African Rand for GB pounds in the past, but also know that Nigeria insist on 
you getting exchange control reg's permission to buy an international 
ticket.

You used to be able to use an MCO in your name to buy someone else a ticket, 
but then you used to be able to travel on a ticket not issued in your name - 
hence a board of return half's of tickets always available at very cheap 
prices in Hillside, Jo'burg. Life moves on and nothing gets easier!

Mark BR