Money Hack: Banish that pesky flight booking fee
Invest in travel gift cards to stave off unwanted fees.
When it comes to booking flights, cost almost always plays a part in the decision process.
So if you, like me, have ever been through the gamut of nominating all your travel requirements on a booking site only to be stung with an unexpected and potentially hefty transaction fee on that final payment page because you used a credit card, know that there are ways to avoid it. Or at least lessen the blow.
Here’s how.
The hack
Purchase an airline gift card/voucher.
While many travellers may reluctantly find themselves accepting that credit card charge at the flight checkout, what some might not know is that there's another option available to them that's often hidden on that payment page: gift cards. More often than not, gift cards have reduced or no transaction fees attached, even for credit card payments.
Kind of ironic, right?
Here’s a cheat sheet of some popular airlines that let you save by purchasing and redeeming gift cards:
You might be thinking, "this is too much bother to shave off some dollars" and for domestic flights that extra buck or two may not mean a world of difference, but when an international flight of $1,500+ adds an extra $20 to your bill you may be singing a different song.
finder money hacks is a bi-weekly roundup of the latest tips and tricks to improve your finances. Check back every Wednesday and Saturday for new hacks.
Picture: Shutterstock
