Ouch. I was doing the same thing, taking the money up front, but then my airlines added a payment by credit card option you can enter. So if the buddy pass traveler gives me his credit card number, I just put it in the section so he gets billed. Don't know why your airline doesn't do this. It works real well. Saves us the hassle of taking money up front or getting deducted. No buddy can fly on first class at all in my airline. Only way possible if the buddy is flying under my pass classification WITH ME. Domestic or Internationally. (How does a buddy pass traveler get first class on your airline without you flying with them?) Buddy passes at my airlines travel SA5C which is about the lowest classification I can think of. Aint no first class in those letter/numbers combination. I'm like you. I only give them out to family members not covered under my eligible pass riders.
I think you must mean that buddy pass riders can travel domestically IN COACH without being accompanied by the employee or eligible pass rider. However, while traveling overseas destinations, they must be accompanied. And when they get ACCOMPANIED, then they usually fly on some vacation pass along with the employees pass classification, therefore, can ride up front. (Maybe not airlines are the same, but this is how we at CO do it.)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (uainhnl @ Nov 2 2007, 11:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I guess United&#39;s "buddy pass" system works differently than most airlines. We get 24 a year. They are per-segment, so a non-stop roundtrip for one person takes two of the 24. They are basically the same price as an economy ID90, regardless of the class of service flown. They are electronically deducted from the employee&#39;s bank, and the charges are automatically taken out of our next paycheck. So we can&#39;t charge it to the traveller&#39;s credit card. My personal strategy is to collect the money up front before travel begins. I usually only give them out to immediate family members not covered under my employee benifits (ie siblings and nieces/nephews) unless I am travelling with the person.

Buddy pass users can travel in First without the employee on domestic flights. On international flights, they can fly Business if over age eighteen or if over age eight accompanied by an adult. Travel in First on a three-cabin international flight must be over age eighteen AND MUST be accompanied by the employee.[/b]