Will you take my money?

So I've been in India a month. I think the classic warning anyone gets when they go to a new city is "watch your wallet" or "be careful with your money". I have actually found quite the opposite. I have never worked harder to pay for things, even full price - I guess no one wants my money! For instance, I tried to buy an airline ticket online from an unnamed airline and they couldn't accept my US credit card when I went to hit "purchase". But I was determined. I set up an online profile with the airline, put in all my information but when I called to buy the ticket, they asked me all the same information again. It was all quite sad. I sent a final plea to purchase via email and someone finally called me but it was 2 weeks later and the fare had already gone up so I didn't buy.
So here is my question for all your e-commerce buffs: how could the airline have done it differently?