On 28 June 2011, the Office of Fair Trading (the 'OFT')
published its response to a super-complaint from consumer body
Which? in relation to payment surcharges.
Payment surcharges are additional charges which are presented to
the consumer separately to the headline price of the goods or
services they are buying (in effect 'paying to pay'). These
charges usually vary according to the payment mechanisms which the
consumer chooses. The charges are only added to the total price
when a consumer selects which payment mechanism they intend to
use.
The use of payment surcharges is variable across and within
different industries, although in passenger transport markets,
surcharges are particularly common. Budget airlines have been
picked out as noteworthy offenders, with consumers complaining that
there are no practical alternative ways of paying without incurring
surcharges. During 2009 it is estimated that these
"hidden" payment surcharges cost UK consumers buying
travel
