As many as 72 percent of Americans are planning to travel at least once between Thanksgiving and New Year’s day, according to Orbitz’s 2016 holiday survey. If you’re among them, you’re probably already deep in planning — choosing destinations, booking hotel rooms and flights and, most of importantly, making sure that you’re getting the best deal on all of the above. While you’re doing all of that, make sure to stay alert to hidden fees and expenses, too. They can add up fast if you aren’t careful. And the habit of big holiday spending can make it tempting to shrug off these costs and just pay up.
Stay vigilant this holiday season and don’t let any of these sneaky costs eat up your travel budget.
1. International fees on credit card purchases. If you’ve decided that your reliable method of payment when traveling abroad is going to be your Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card, make sure that you’re aware of foreign transaction fees. Many credit card companies impose a fee per transaction as a percentage of your purchase when the card is used with a foreign merchant. Check to see if your credit card issuer waves international fees as a perk or consider opening a new credit card account to enjoy this, and other perks, when traveling abroad.
[See: 10 Easy Ways to Pay Off Debt.]
2. Smartphone data plans. For most of us, it’s not difficult to stay within our smartphone data caps when we’re at home. Things change when we travel, however, and data use can skyrocket. Travel-related activities, such as browsing online maps and review sites and uploading photos, will consume more of your allotted data than usual. Monitor your data usage closely, and consider bumping up your cap before you go. Extra data typically is cheaper than the “overage” fee you’d incur when you bust through the ceiling sharing your adventures on Facebook.
3. Fees to fly. Booking a flight for an upcoming trip does more than just pay for your seat. “Even though flight prices are dropping due to cheaper gas, airline passengers still must cover myriad small fees related to flying, including checked baggage or in-flight entertainment,” says Jason Gaughan, credit card executive at Bank of America. The best way to tackle these extra costs is to use travel rewards cards that earn you points that can be redeemed for all travel-related purchases, Gaughan says.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
4. Ride-sharing transportation. Uber and Lyft are among the most affordable ways to get around town. But don’t count on paying the same low fare you paid when you first arrived throughout your journey. Both Uber and Lyft make use of surge pricing, where the base fare increases significantly during prime commuting hours and when driving in and out of certain zones. Uber and Lyft only provide surge pricing info in real time, making it hard for passengers to plan ahead of time for the higher prices. For example, if you’re traveling to San Francisco next week, you cannot ask the Uber and Lyft apps to tell you whether surge pricing will be in effect during the time you’ll be in town. If you’re traveling to a high-traffic area or during holiday events, consider reserving a cab and working fees into your budget or using other forms of transportation, so you know what to expect.
5. Car rental fees. It’s convenient to book your rental car along with your flight and hotel package, but it’s also easy to miss the fine print and neglect some better deals outside of the third-party site you’re booking with. If you know your flight times and how long you will need the car, don’t be afraid to shop around for a better deal than the one offered up during checkout. Visit websites like AutoSlash.com, which publishes coupon codes for rental cars and lets you re-book at a lower rate when a better deal comes along without any penalties.
[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]
6. Food and beverages. The cost of a trip can increase quickly if you are buying meals and snacks at the airport, ordering room service or getting charged for bottled water and snacks from the minibar in your hotel room. Do your best to plan ahead and pack snacks for the flight. Find a grocery store nearby to stock up on bottled water and map out which restaurants you are going to eat at ahead of time so you have a budget in mind.
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6 Sneaky Travel Costs That Can Add Up Quickly originally appeared on usnews.com
