As predicted earlier this year illegal card charges levied by airlines and travel companies are to be outlawed. Companies like Ryanair and easyJet face the threat of legal action if they continue to spring hidden charges on customers who pay by debit and credit cards.

A 90-day review by the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) following a super-complaint by Which?, the independent consumer body, found "considerable evidence" of drip-pricing - where surcharges are added to the total price only after people have clicked through a number of web pages. The OFT described the practice as "misleading".

However, some airlines, such as Ryanair, claimed that all "optional" fees are avoidable – I’d like to know how - and that the investigation would not change the way it did business.

Currently Ryanair charges £6 per person per flight and easyJet adds £8 per card transaction after customers pass through a number of pages. However, Monarch Airlines has scrapped all debit card charges, although it still charges a fee for paying with a credit card.

The OFT is asking the Government to change the law so that all debit card surcharges are abolished. It says that a number of rail, airline and ferry companies have already agreed to scrap them, but some firms have refused point blank. The OFT said it would consider legal action if the situation does not change.

© Paul Whitelock

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