How to Avoid Credit Card Fees When Booking Your Flight Online
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia and Orbitz are useful for comparing flight prices (although some airlines, such as Southwest, do not allow their flights to appear in search results). Thrifty consumers, however, should be aware that you will have to pay a credit card fee if you book a low-cost airline. These additional costs can change which flight is actually the cheapest, according to CreditCards.com .
For example, recreating a Los Angeles to Guadalajara flight on Expedia in a CreditCards.com article, a VivaAerobus low-cost ticket will cost you $ 239 (for my chosen dates), a Best Price flight plus $ 23.98. if you pay with Visa or MasterCard (the only options), which you will find out about when you go to the payment page.
While the fees are technically visible, it’s not immediately obvious that they will be charged in addition to the cost of your trip, which says it already includes taxes and fees:
Note that there is no credit card fee of $ 24 in the quoted price:
You can avoid this by placing an order directly on the carrier’s website. On the VivaAerobus website, for example, a $ 11.50 per flight fee (for the same flight I searched for on Expedia) when paying with your card is included in the price, making it cheaper to book there.
CreditCards.com notes that flights on Expedias and Kayaks around the world are no cheaper than hotel prices – you won’t miss any amazing deals without booking your tickets through the search engines. In addition, booking directly through the carrier’s website will make it easy to resolve or change any issues with your flight if they arise. So use the OTA as a comparison tool and then head over to the airline’s website to see if you can get the best price with no additional fees.