Card fees for booking flights online

Many Money Box listeners have noticed some airlines are bumping up the charges for paying on credit or debit cards so they become a significant part of the overall cost.

The one card that does not attract the fee is the Visa Electron card, primarily aimed at students or people who had previously been in debt.

But it is now being phased out.

So why are airlines favouring a payment method which may soon cease to exist?

Bob Howard investigated.

This item was first broadcast on Radio 4's Money Box on Saturday, 28 November 2009