Consumer group Which? is calling for an end to the charges imposed on online travel purchases with debit cards.
The group is keen to see the government make a small amendment to current legislation in order to outlaw the practice, which is employed by a number of airlines in particular.
Which? is not alone in calling for change and the Office of Fair Trading advised the government to make changes back in June in order to get rid of the debit card charges. In response, the government said that it was working on the recommendations.
According to the regulator, around £300 million was spent on card surcharges in the airline industry in 2010, with more airlines predicted to start adding extra fees for online purchases.
Richard Lloyd from Which? commented: “With most airlines yet to drop these card surcharges and some introducing new fees, it is time for the government to put a stop to this.
“A minor change to the law is all it would take to ban the charges on debit cards that you only find out about at the end of a lengthy online booking process.”
