Ticket price: which costs to check before buying

Charges linked to the payment method

Some booking sites apply a surcharge based on the card or payment method chosen, indicated only in the final step before confirmation. Checking the payment methods accepted without surcharge before starting the booking, or simply switching cards, is often enough to avoid it.

Currency conversion offered at checkout

When the site offers to charge in your card's currency instead of the original currency of the displayed price, the so-called dynamic currency conversion (DCC), the exchange rate applied is almost always less favorable than your bank's rate, with a surcharge that can reach 3-7%. It's always better to choose to pay in the original currency indicated by the site.

Costs for modification or cancellation in the fare conditions

The penalties for changing the date or canceling the flight depend on the fare class purchased and are stated in full only in the contractual terms, rarely in the summary shown during the search. Verifying with certainty what is included in the price, baggage included, before comparing two seemingly similar fares avoids discovering substantial differences only at the moment of a change.

Destination taxes not included in the ticket

Some non-EU countries apply stay taxes or landing rights collected separately from the flight price, upon arrival or through a separate online payment before departure: they are not covered by the "all-inclusive" price requirement for European flights and must be verified case by case for the specific destination.

At the time of payment, always choose the option to pay in the original currency shown by the site instead of accepting the automatic conversion proposed by the card issuer: it's the simplest way to avoid a surcharge that often exceeds any other hidden fee.