Booking fees are extra charges for booking vacations, concert tickets, or plane tickets. Some hotels and airlines do not charge these fees, but many travel agencies and cruise ships do. Fees can range from a set amount to a percentage of the total cost, and some can be as high as 25%. To save money, look for companies with low or no fees and ask about fees upfront. Ticketing agencies often have exclusive rights to sell tickets, leaving consumers with few options but to pay the fees or forgo the event.
A booking fee relates to the common practice of charging extra money when you book a vacation, buy tickets to a concert or show, or even buy a plane ticket. Not all hotels charge a reservation fee, especially if you book online, but many cruise ships do, and many travel agencies, including many online, may add a reservation fee when you purchase tickets, vacation packages, or reserve hotel rooms. hotel. Most ticket agencies charge reservation fees to obtain tickets for events, plays, and concerts, which can usually only be avoided by purchasing tickets at the door of said event. However, you usually can’t get same-day tickets if an event is popular, so people are willing to pay the extra fees.
Some booking fees aren’t terribly expensive. You can spend $10-20 US dollars (USD) to pay a reservation fee on a flight. Other companies charge reservation fees that represent a percentage of the total cost. However, in recent years people in the UK have been surprised to discover that such fees for buying tickets to a show can be as high as 25% of the total cost, and many have called for more disclosure on such fees. . Also, online travel agencies that advertise lower prices if you book with them may not be such great deals if an additional fee is charged. It is often less expensive to make reservations directly with the hotel if they do not charge these fees.
Most companies will let you know in advance if they charge a booking fee, and it should be recognized that many companies, such as ticket and travel agencies, make most of their money through these fees. There are questions about whether a price increase occurs and whether these fees are too high. Various business magazines and news reports suggest that these fees are on the rise. On the other hand, it’s hard to resent a travel agency for charging a small booking fee if they’ve spent several hours helping you plan a vacation.
However, when a ticket to a show is around $100, and it takes you three or four minutes to buy one, charging a $25 reservation fee seems a bit steep. Similarly, charging to book flights or hotel rooms through the airline or hotel chain you’re going to use is hard to justify. You’re already paying the hotel or airline to use their services, and many people argue that buying a ticket or reserving a room shouldn’t cost you extra money. Some companies like JetBlue will only charge a booking fee if you speak to someone on the phone to book your flight. If you order from the Internet, there is no additional charge.
To save a little money when you travel or buy tickets, look for agencies or companies that offer low or no reservation fees, and compare the costs between agencies that propose that they will save you money and the costs of calling hotels and making your own reservations. You can also save money on travel expenses by being a member of travel companies like AAA (American Automobile Association), although those companies charge for membership. Also, you should be sure to ask about any fees up front. If a company doesn’t give you full disclosure of what they charge, find another company that does, and offers low reservation fees or waives these fees.
When you buy concert tickets, you’re pretty much stuck with the fees that a ticketing agency wants to charge. Ticketing agencies often have exclusive rights to sell tickets for certain events. Typically, your only options are to pay the additional fees, forgo the event, or hope that you can win contest tickets on a local TV or radio show so you can attend the event for free.
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