How to Avoid Airline Booking Fees
Compare flights, hotels, cars, and activities in one place.
How to Avoid Airline Booking Fees
Booking fees often come from avoidable sources — a call-centre service charge, a card surcharge, or a pre-ticked add-on at checkout — rather than being unavoidable costs of flying.
1. Book directly on the airline's website
Call centres and some third-party agents often add a service fee that direct online booking avoids.
2. Use a card without foreign transaction fees
This avoids an extra charge on international bookings that has nothing to do with the airline itself.
3. Watch for pre-ticked add-ons at checkout
Insurance, priority boarding, or other extras are sometimes pre-selected by default — review the checkout summary before paying.
4. Check for a payment method surcharge
Some airlines still charge more for certain card types — check if a different payment method avoids it.
5. Compare a reseller's total price against the airline's own site
A third-party site's headline price sometimes excludes fees that appear later in checkout.
Quick tips
- Read the full checkout summary before confirming payment, not just the initial search result price.
- Debit cards sometimes avoid surcharges that certain credit cards attract — check both if the difference matters.
- A booking made through a call centre for a fare that's available online almost always costs more for the same seat.
- Currency conversion at checkout can hide a poor exchange rate — pay in the local currency of the booking site where possible.
- Check whether a fee is genuinely mandatory or an optional extra you can decline.