Travellers are still paying more than £265,000 a day in debit card surcharges when booking flights, despite a ruling by the Office of Fair Trading saying they should be banned, a study shows.
Since the OFT report, consumers have collectively paid an estimated £18 million in airline debit card surcharges, according to consumer watchdog Which?, which submitted a super complaint into excessive airline credit and debit card surcharges in March.
The OFT proposed that charges for paying by debit card should be abolished. Which? claims a simple amendment to existing Payment Service Regulations by the Treasury would outlaw the debit card charges.
The consumer body’s executive director Richard Lloyd said: “With most airlines yet to drop these card surcharges and some introducing new fees, it’s time for the government to put a stop to this.
“A minor change to the law is all it would take to ban the charges on debit cards that you only find out about at the end of a lengthy on-line booking process. Thousands of people have complained to Which? that these hidden card fees are unfair. The government must act so that consumers can easily compare the cost of their flights.”
Partner carriers Lufthansa and Swiss plan to start charging passengers for using debit and credit cards despite the OFT ruling.