I lost money when buying my onward flight ticket

My situation

I was just dealing with the required "proof of onward travel" when going to the Philippines. In my previous life, I typically tried to make a solid plan beforehand and bought a ticket I would use later on. This time, however, I wanted to keep my options open and not commit to specific onward travel plans.

After some research, I decided to try one of the "Onward Ticket" online services, mostly because I saw the promise of a "real ticket". I assumed that the flight number would allow me to log in using the booking reference to check the flight and have peace of mind that the ticket is real.

The Onward Ticket

After I bought the "Onward Ticket" I received only a flight reservation. I could not see the flight being paid. When logging into the airline's portal as I would normally do, I was prompted to pay for the ticket. I couldn't see my travel itinerary. I am unsure if it happens only with some airlines like Eva Air or if it is the norm when using the Onward Ticket services. In hindsight, the website does say that you are buying a reservation and my confusion probably came from some discussion online.

I don't know if some visa applications or entry requirements would be okay with just a reservation, but my gut feeling was that for visa-free entry it might not be enough depending on the country or the official that would check the ticket.

The thing is that there are travel agencies that make reservations without any charge and cancel them if you don't pay on the same day. So in that case, why would I pay for an onward ticket service?

The solution

Fortunately, I discovered something better in the process. You can buy Easy Cancel protection when booking a flight with AirAsia during the booking:

As you can see, the cancellation fee is just under 13 EUR if I were to cancel the flight later on. Of course, it is necessary to first pay for the flight in full before one can receive the money back. But unlike "Onward Ticket" which costs similar money, this isn't just a reservation.

As it happens, I was asked about my proof of onward travel before boarding my flight to the Philippines, and I was glad I had a real ticket with me. It is just a piece of mind because typically you don't know beforehand what would get accepted and what not, depending on the country, the officer, the airline, and so on.

So if you are in need of an onward travel ticket, head over to AirAsia, tick the Easy Cancel box, and don't worry. My ticket was refunded, and Easy Cancel was money well spent.