HIDDEN FEE
Booking / service fee
OTA service feeAgency feeBooking fee
Some third-party booking sites add their own service or booking fee on top of the airline’s or hotel’s price — occasionally shown only at the final step. Booking direct with the airline or hotel sometimes avoids it, though not always, and third parties can also carry their own change and cancellation rules.
Where it applies
How to avoid or shrink it
- Compare the third-party total against booking direct — the headline may be lower but the final total higher.
- Watch the last step of checkout, where service fees most often appear.
- Weigh any saving against the third party’s change/cancellation terms, which can be stricter.
THE HONEST CAVEAT
Third parties are not automatically worse — they sometimes genuinely undercut direct booking even after their fee. The point is to compare the final total, not the headline.
Count it in your true total
Run a specific booking through the calculator and this fee is counted — sourced, dated and confidence-graded alongside everything else the headline price leaves out.
Back to the full fee glossary, or browse the Hidden-Fee Index.