Bombshell study reveals that the travel companies are still ignoring new rules about Dodgy Add -on -costs -and how they can violate the law

We all know how frustrating shopping for flights and vacations online can sometimes be.

You will be brought in by a very low price and ends with a much larger figure by the time you come to the check-out, thanks to extra admin and booking costs.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) ACT-A new law that was intended in April to eradicate that annoying add-on costs.

But in a new study, Which one? Has discovered that many well -known travel brands, including Megabus, Wowcher and Loveholidays, possibly violated the law by ignoring or at least dragging the new rules.

In the most extreme cases, travelers could notice that they pay hundreds of pounds more than the price in advance.

When you look at booking a hotel resort with comparison sites Kayak and Trivago, which one? Found a huge price variation between the cheapest and most expensive hotel agreements, including in the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas.

The experts at which one? The stay of a week in July was only £ 371 on Loveholiday, while Booking.com and Hotels.com both said that the price is closer at £ 700.

Loveholidays claimed the price ‘including hotel costs and local tourist tax’.

When which? Contact on Loveholidays, it admitted that the price did not contain the full hotel costs with which Booking.com and Hotels.com took into account.

Instead, there was a stunning £ 257 extra to pay when you checked out.

Excalibur, such as most hotels in Las Vegas and many other hotels in the US and the Caribbean, has what it calls a ‘resort costs’ – a mandatory costs for services that you use or not.

This allows it to advertise a price that you pay in advance, and a hefty amount when you leave.

This is legal – although heavily criticized, even in the US – but websites that are focused on the British market are required to tell customers about these reimbursements from the start, under the new DMCC Act.

Which one? Claim that after the consumer champion contacted Loveholidays in February, it has adjusted the list very somewhat, so that the claim is removed that the price includes hotel costs and adding the warning ‘, depending on the policy of your hotel, can be asked to pay extra hotel costs’.

Which one? Also claims that Loveholidays said that it will ensure that it will meet new laws before they come into force, but when the consumer champion checked in May, this claims that this had not happened.

It adds: “Unlike many of his rivals, it still didn’t show the resort costs for the Excalibur.”

The Loveholidays list now says: “Your hotel can charge extra costs that must be paid there,” but does not reveal that these inevitable costs can add hundreds of pounds to the costs of your stay.

When which? Neer contacted Loveholidays, the holiday site apparently did not give an explanation, but suggested that it investigated to show resort costs in its prices.

Until it does, which one? says it believes that the company is breaking the law.

Experts with which one? Add: “Some other lesser -known sites do not include resort costs, but most of them – including booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and Lastminute.com record them.”

Which one? Found a similar problem when it looked at holiday deals on discount website Wowcher.

The summer vacation of a week to Malta, which initially seemed to cost £ 1,278, had a £ 9.99 ‘administration costs’ with regard to the checkout.

In February Wowcher told which one? It was revised how the administration costs were implemented and would ensure that it continued to comply with any applicable legislation.

In May, however, Wowcher still applied the £ 9.99 administration costs, according to which?

Meanwhile, when which? Watched Budget Coach Company Megabus, it also found problems.

The experts initially found a one-way stick ticket from London to Birmingham for a bargain £ 5.99 on the Megabus website, to be affected by an additional £ 1.50 booking costs at the PRICE raised by 25 percent at £ 7.49.

Megabus told which one? In February it would comply with every new regulations.

But when which? In May again checked for a trip on the website of megabus.co.uk, it claims that a booking costs of £ 1.50 still appeared just before payment.

The experts at which one? Add: ‘The reimbursement is not mentioned anywhere in the purchasing process on the site.

‘On the National Express website there is a disclaimer that the top prices exclude a booking costs of £ 1.50. This is clearer than megabus. ‘

Megabus told which one? That it is ‘dedicated to offering transparent and affordable journeys’ and it would update its prices to ensure that the booking costs are clearly shown at the start of the booking process at the end of May 2025.

The DMCC Act means that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can give fines of a maximum of £ 300,000 or 10 percent of the global turnover (depending on which higher) without having to go to court.

Trade standards can also force the rules.

In the first 12 months of his enforcement, the CMA said that it will give priority to clear infringements of the law and practices that are particularly harmful to the consumer.

This includes, among other things, ‘costs that are hidden until late in the buying process, among other things.

Which one? believes that travel brands still use these Dodgy Add-on-fees to squeeze more money from customers, which would be against the law.

Rory Boland, editor of which one? Traveling, said: ‘Secret reimbursements and add-ons can significantly change the final price that people pay for vacations and the difference between the advertised price and the final total can reach hundreds of pounds in the worst cases.

“We have discovered examples of brands that ignore new rules that are available to protect customers against unexpected reimbursements and we believe they can break the law.”

In response to the investigation of which one? Said Megabus: ‘We are committed to offering transparent and affordable journeys for our customers.

‘We are currently making updates from our website – which will be completed by the end of this month – to ensure that all reimbursements, including our £ 1.50 booking costs, are clearly marked at the start of the booking process.

“We support fully efforts to improve transparency in the entire travel industry and will continue to ensure that our practices are in accordance with the latest regulations.”

Wowcher added: ‘Wowcher has implemented various changes to its website to ensure compliance with the DMCC Act.

‘This included providing an estimate of its variable administration costs within the prices “Splat” that appears clearly and prominently on our deal pages before the customer checks it out.

“Our intention is to ensure that our website is clear and transparent for customers, so that they can make purchasing decisions with trust on the Wowcher platform.”