Martin Lewis says British Airways customers could be ‘overpaying’

Martin Lewis says British Airways customers could be ‘overpaying’ The expert warned some extra charges may be hidden in the fine print British Airways passengers are being urged to check the fine print of their travel permit costs after an investigation by MoneySavingExpert (MSE) discovered some customers could be paying substantially more than official government charges due to a third-party site operated by Sherpa. British Airways customers are directed to the site when they are booking travel that requires a permit, usually for countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. However, MSE found that Sherpa has some administration charges that it is adding onto the official price charged for these permits. Martin urged people to check these charges as they may be able to get their travel permits for much cheaper, or even for free, from official government websites. The official links are included on BA’s website too, but MSE found these are usually lower down and aren’t as well highlighted as the Sherpa link. Martin said: "British Airways is our national flag carrier, one of the UK's big legacy brands, with a supposed reputation for quality and service. Yet, with this questionable practice, it feels to me a little less like a flag ship and a little bit more like a pirate ship. "The innocuous-looking 'check your visa' tool it has embedded on its site looks fine, until it directs you to get a travel permit and gives you a price far higher than people would pay if they just went direct to the official government site. While it does, if you look carefully, itemise the separate government fee and the admin fee. I think it's too easy to miss and misunderstand.” He highlighted that although spending £17 on an e-Visitor document for Australia might not seem extortionate, travellers can get this permit for free through the official route and doubted many people would be paying if they knew they could get it for free. MSE discovered that a US ESTA costs £51.43 through Sherpa compared with an official government fee of around £30.07. And a Canadian eTA was priced at £16.06 through Sherpa compared with £3.75 via official channels. He continued: "So beware British Airways' site, and elsewhere too, as these portals seem to be popping up on more and more flight booking sites as another way to get a further bite out of your travel cash." Martin also warned that it’s not just British Airways passengers should be cautious of using this. Sherpa’s tool has been spotted on the Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic websites too. MSE experts advised travellers to look closely at airline and travel websites when booking. In particular, wording like ‘this is a third-party service provider, which may charge fees’ might appear or the ‘admin fee’ might be shown separately from the charge at the checkout stage. The official MSE guidance noted: “The rule of thumb is to go through the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office site – it'll then link you to the right official site for each destination.” BA told MSE: "We serve customers travelling to hundreds of different destinations where entry requirements vary by nationality and route taken, with some requirements changing at short notice. We offer an optional third-party service to assist with this and check requirements all in one place, and for some destinations, an optional service to help with applications. "We make it clear that customers must check the full entry requirements with the relevant government directly. It is clear that Sherpa is a third-party provider and may charge fees, and customers can always apply directly via official government channels." Sherpa said: "Those who opt to use Sherpa often do so because they find the government portal confusing, difficult to use, prone to errors and unsupported. Our approach is to simplify the application process and make it more accessible, with 24/7 support, transparency on progress, and an AI supported feature-set that reduces the likelihood of error that would invariably lead to multiple applications needing to be submitted. "We are transparent about the difference between the government fee and Sherpa's service fee, and depending on the integration we often give the option to go directly to the government system. Before payment, Sherpa provides an itemised receipt showing the different costs, including a government fee and its fee. The latter of which is split between Sherpa and its airline partners."