Make card charges clear, OFT says

20/07/2009

Airlines and travel firms charging high debit and credit card fees must make their pricing structure clear to consumers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has urged.

The organisation issued the advice following revelations about the steep costs faced by people who are booking their flights on their plastic cards.

Which? Holiday revealed last week that the booking fees have been hiked by over 600 per cent in the last 18 months in some cases.

Meanwhile, other firms including Thomas Cook and First Choice have introduced charges for cardholders where there were none before.

An OFT spokesman said: "All we can say is that it is a commercial decision. The airlines can charge passengers for using payment cards provided the charges are made clear and consumers are not misled.

"It has to be made clear when purchasing that they will be charged, that information has to be clear and transparent ... We've done a lot of work with airlines and have said that they need to ensure their advertising and processes are clear."

Tags; Debt Management and Banking, Credit Card Lifestyle, Recent Graduate Debt, Young Family Finances,

• Share
• 
• 
• Store
• 
• Follow
•