Credit Card Service fee for changing bookings?

[Mal]

It appears that if you change a booking (ie go to a higher fare), then the $4.50 credit card surcharge is applied again to the booking.

From memory, Qantas waives the CC service fee for booking changes. Really DJ should be considering doing the same.

 

[anat0l]

How did you verify this? Did you have a DJ fare that you were changing? Otherwise, we need some other kind of anecdotal or experienced confirmation.

I can confirm via experience that QF do indeed not charge a CC fee for changing a booking (including the use of a voucher resulting from a cancelled flight), even if the booking involves completely new sectors or the new sectors would've attracted a different CC fee (e.g. changing a domestic booking into an international one).

 

[odysseus]

It wouldn't surprise me. I found VB also charge a fee based on the number of people in a booking, even if most are not using a credit card. i.e. I had a booking for multiple people, using a credit, with a few dollars left over which they said had to be charged to a credit card. Ok, I can't do anything about that. They then said there's a surcharge. Ok again. Then they gave me the surcharge which was greater than the actual credit card charge!

On top of that, they also charge a hefty commission on converting foreign Virgin Blue credit, but that's another point. Fees, fees, fees...

 

[Mal]

How did you verify this? Did you have a DJ fare that you were changing? Otherwise, we need some other kind of anecdotal or experienced confirmation.

Yes, I have experienced this. But the circumstances of my ticket (without going into further details) means that I can't verify if this occurs for all changes or not.

 

[Mal]

Have verified that if this was an issue that it's now fixed. If you pay by credit card, when changing tickets you are not charged an additional CC fee. But if you didn't pay by credit card then you are charged the fee.

Never worked out if it was an issue in the first place or not. Just didn't have enough bookings to test out various scenarios.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

This may be the case for flight 'changes' (same origin & destination, but new flight number), but it doesn't appear to be the case when the flight origin/destination is changed (as I discovered tonight):

• Made a 2pax booking for SYD-BNE (one way), paid online with credit card
• Later realised that I'd mucked it up and accidentally entered BNE-SYD instead of SYD-BNE
• Unable to 'change' flights online without cancelling them, and then completely re-booking them (which would have been at a cost of $60/pax+fare difference)
• Called DJ and explained the situation... they kindly offered to waive the flight change fees ($80/pax via GCC), and only charged me the fare difference
• They said to prevent the system from enforcing the flight change fees, they had to remove the original booking from their system and then apply the value as an account credit, and then apply that credit to a new (correct) booking... When paying the fare difference, I was charged another $4.50/pax

I'm not sure if the 2nd credit card surcharge is applicable if you do it yourself the 'correct' way, but I would settle for paying the $4.50 than have to pay the flight change fees any day!

PS: I'm quite happy and surprised that DJ offered to waive $160 in fees (not sure if it's because both myself and partner are DJ Gold, but nonetheless, it certainly does make you feel like the company actually appreciates your business)!

 

[Justinf]

Yep, I experienced this 30 mins ago.
Cancelled a MEL-CNS return flight ($417) to have a credit of $357 after the $60 cancellation fee was deducted.
But then the catch is, you can't use the credit by re-booking on the net. You have to go via the call centre, which of course means an extra $15 per person per sector.
Rang the call centre and re-booked MEL-ADL return for my daughter and I. $88 web fares became $103 via the call centre.
So my $352 flight suddely became $412. Add on the credit card fee of $4.50 per person per sector, and it then became $430.
Which meant my original credit of $357 for flights toalling $352 wasn't enough. I had to fork out an extra $73 in fees.

 

[leemin]

But then the catch is, you can't use the credit by re-booking on the net. You have to go via the call centre, which of course means an extra $15 per person per sector.

It's probably standard practice to make people go through the call center, but surely it wouldn't be hard to allow 'vouchers' to be used online. This could include refunds, gift certificates etc..

 

[odysseus]

It's probably standard practice to make people go through the call center, but surely it wouldn't be hard to allow 'vouchers' to be used online. This could include refunds, gift certificates etc..

It wouldn't be hard, even less so as the vouchers are not secured and are fully transferable, i.e. all you need to do is quote the code and name.

The only complexity is multiples/split tenders, but that's not really hard either.

However, it would mean less fees which is the real issue... As per my example above, I found them a real lurk. They charged about 6% currency exchange commission, then the service centre fee, then the credit card surcharge without alternative for being a few dollars short, and then did the surcharge multipled by the number of pax, even though the surcharge was for only one, under the cost of one ticket. The surcharge they wanted was about 200% of the actual credit card charge!

 

[Mal]

It's probably standard practice to make people go through the call center, but surely it wouldn't be hard to allow 'vouchers' to be used online. This could include refunds, gift certificates etc..

Probably a limitation of the booking system.

 

[JohnK]

Interesting.

When I was in hospital last September I had to change a return flight from a Go Fare/Blue Saver to a Blue Saver and from memory was only charged the change fee not any credit card service fees.

Perhaps the gremlins have since appeared and then disappeared again.

 

[Mal]

Here's my latest experience:

Had a Pacific Blue flight from earlier this year. I cancelled this online (leaving the shell)
Base Fare $91.59
Taxes/Fees $77.41
CC Surcharge $7
Total Original cost $176

Less Cancellation Fee $80
Less CC Surcharge $7
Total Cancellation Fee $87
Total of booking shell $89

[So On the original cancellation, I lost the CC surcharge I paid, and the shell entered my account as $89 (out of $176)]

Rebooked via Call Centre to a Flexi:
Fare (Inc GST) $215.00
Plus CC Surcharge $4.50
Total $219.50

Less Shell ($89)
Total Payable $130.50

So, I paid $11.50 in CC surcharge, $80 in cancellation fees. Note I was not charged a call centre assistance fee - so that saved quite a bit.

Still frustrating to pay multiple CC surcharges...

 

[Deleted member 29185]

My experiences have been all good in this regard.

Any upgrades of fare (saver to PE) I've made (through the call centre) have been done without a change fee (although last time I was told they couldn't do that too many more times as I was a "serial offender" ). A CC fee has only been added when additional fares are payable because I always use the Poli whatsit system to originally pay, so no CC fee paid at all up until then. I've been told if I had paid with CC originally, the fee would have been waived for the additional fare due. That payment system means I save a small fortune in CC fees over the years.

The only credits I have had were due to DJ issues (or at least part DJ issues) and they have always applied the on-line rates to bookings for that credit (without me asking BTW) and without further fees.

When I've mucked up the booking (once with the wrong dates, once with the departure port and destination port around the wrong way), I've phoned immediately and they've changed without a fee, but I got the impression this is because it was done immediately not a day or so later (pays to check your booking straight away).

But.......I've also learnt that if I need to change a cheapy flight (happened probably 6 times last year for me), I just forfeit the fare entirely. I don't worry about trying to salvage any of it as the fees would often outweight the fare. I just accept this as part and parcel of using the cheapest fare buckets for business travel rather than the flexible fares. I do know that I'm way ahead financially by doing that and often if the flight alteration is due to a client, I can pass on the new booking costs to them anyway.

All in all, I'm happy enough with the way the fees are charged, and the fact it seems the booking staff do have a bit of latitude in the application of those fees. I think it pays also to have status in that regard. All of what I mentioned previously happened whilst I was silver status, but my status is accrued by lots of cheaper flights rather then fewer, more expensive flights and I have noticed the attitude of bookings staff changes somewhat when they look at my flying history and twice I got a "Oh, I see you do fly regularly with us" before miraculously my request is granted! I've found it pays to ask for fee leniency, but I don't demand it and accept that from time to time it will cost me to make changes.