Which? launches campaign against "excessive" card fees

Ever noticed how you're paying over the odds when booking a flight with a credit or debit card? Well, consumer group Which? has today launched a "super-complaint" against the surcharges applied by many companies when paying by card.

In the travel and tourism sector, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair are among the worst offenders, according to Which?. But Eurostar, Monarch and hotel group Premier Inn also come in for criticism.

Some low-cost airlines charge a fee per passenger, per leg of the journey, despite that they only have to process one transaction, says Which?.

The super-complaint, which the consumer group will submit in March to the Office of Fair Trading, means the OFT has to respond within 90 days.

'There's simply no justification for excessive card charges,' says Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, 'paying by card should cost the consumer the same as it costs the retailer. Companies shouldn't be using card processing charges as an excuse for boosting their profits.'

If you want to find out more about card surcharges and what you can do about them, read the free Which? guide here.

And the consumer group has also launched a petition, which it will present to the OFT at the same time as the complaint. You can sign the petition here.

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What do you think about companies boosting their profits with card surcharges? We want to hear your opinion.