In our August article Eliminate Common Fees, we showed you how to avoid easily avoidable financial fees. But there are plenty of other hidden fees you should be aware of. Preparing to travel is difficult enough, so here common tricks airlines and hotels use to sucker you out of a few extra dollars when you're heading out of town.
Airlines:
- Each airline's baggage policies are different, so find out how many bags you can carry on, if you're charged for checking them in, or if you are charged extra based on weight.
- Some charge for preferred seating, so it may pay to sit in the middle.
- Anything extra could come with a charge, so be prepared to bring you own headset, pillow, and snacks.
- Booking services like orbitz.com or expedia.com could charge you a $6-$12 fee. Instead, shop around on these sites, then compare prices on the airline's website.
- Some airlines have started charging for beverages. A good way to avoid this is to bring an empty bottle though the security checkpoint and fill it up on the other side. (You can’t take more than 3oz. of liquid through a checkpoint, but you can fill up water bottles once you go through.)
Hotels:
- Many fees for services you may consider standard might not be covered at certain hotels. Before you leave home, make sure to call the hotel and ask them to list any undisclosed fees.
- The night before you check out, get an itemized list of all your charges during your stay. This way you have time to review and point out any charges you don’t feel you deserve before scrambling to check out on time.
- Know when the check-in/-out times are. You could be hit with another fee if you don’t abide by the hotel’s schedule.
When traveling, companies are quick to take advantage of your lack of time. Plan ahead so you can keep an eye out for hidden fees.
--Cody
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colorblindpicaso/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
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