Smart Travelers Never Pay these Travel Fees

If you’ve ever booked a flight for $200 only to pay $350 after bags, seats, and other charges, you’re not alone. 

Travel fees have exploded over the past decade, turning what looks like an affordable trip into an expensive one. Airlines, hotels, and car rental companies have gotten creative at finding new ways to charge you for things that used to be included.

The good news? For nearly every fee, there’s a way around it. You don’t need insider connections or elite status—just a few smart strategies and the willingness to do a little advance planning. Here’s how to dodge the most common travel fees and save hundreds on your next trip.

Airline Fees (and How to Avoid Them)

If there’s one complaint that unites travelers across the board, it’s airline fees. What starts as a $200 ticket can quickly balloon to $350 once you add bags, seats, and changes. The good news? For almost every fee, there’s a workaround.

Bag Fees: The $70 Roundtrip Tax

In 2024, $35 became the standard price for a checked bag on most US airlines—that’s $70 per person round-trip. For a family of four, you’re looking at $280 just to check bags. Here’s how to avoid it:

1. Get an airline credit card: This is the simplest and most effective solution. Almost every airline credit card offers at least one free checked bag as a perk. Even better, many cards extend this benefit to everyone on your reservation. That American Airlines credit card with a $99 annual fee just saved your family $280 on one trip—and you’ll use it multiple times per year.

Pro tip: Don’t want to pay the annual fee? Call the credit card company one month before the annual fee is charged and say you want to cancel your card due to the fee. Typically, they’ll offer to waive it. I’ve been doing this with my cards for several years now and they waive the fee every time!

2. Consider the car seat bag hack: Most airlines have a “car seats fly free” policy, even on basic economy tickets. Buy a car seat travel bag (they’re inexpensive and available on Amazon), and you’ll find it has plenty of extra room. Enough room, in fact, to fit another small bag in the space where a child would normally sit. Just saying.

3. Master the gate-check loophole: Here’s the thing about checked bag fees—they only apply if you check your bag at the ticket counter. Walk that same bag through security to your gate, and you’ll often hear the gate agent asking for volunteers to gate-check bags to their final destination for free. Airlines do this when overhead bins are filling up, and they’d rather have you volunteer than force people to check bags at the last minute. Sometimes they’ll even throw in priority boarding as a thank you.

Seat Selection Fees: The Trickiest to Beat

Seat selection fees are harder to circumvent than bag fees. Airline credit cards typically do not include free seat selection, so you’ll need to employ different strategies.

1. Avoid basic economy tickets: On most airlines, basic economy passengers get assigned seats at check-in and can’t change them. You might end up in a middle seat in the last row. Paying $20-40 more per ticket to avoid basic economy gives you seat selection plus other perks like the ability to use overhead bins and make changes without penalties.

2. Use family seating policies: Under pressure from the Biden Administration, most major US airlines adopted fee-free family seating practices. This means families with children under a certain age (usually 13) are seated together at no extra charge, even with basic economy tickets. Check the DOT’s family seating dashboard to see which airlines offer this and how to take advantage of it.

The requirements vary by airline:

• Some automatically seat families together when you book
• Others require you to call or chat with customer service before your flight
• Most require at least one adult traveling with a child under 13

3. Negotiate if you get bumped: If you volunteer to get bumped from an oversold flight, there’s a secret menu of perks you can negotiate. One of the best: asking for a business class or premium economy seat on your replacement flight. You won’t always get it, but if the airline is desperate for volunteers and you’re flexible, your odds are surprisingly good.

Pro tip: Be sure to get a confirmed and assigned seat before you leave the counter and get it in writing! A boarding pass will do.

Hotels have become increasingly creative with their fees over the past decade. What looks like a $150/night room can quickly become $200+ once resort fees, parking, and other charges are added. Here’s how to fight back.

Resort Fees: The Most Annoying Fee in Travel

Resort fees are mandatory daily charges (typically $25-45 per night) that hotels tack on for amenities like pool access, Wi-Fi, and gym use—things that should already be included in your room rate. They’re particularly common in Las Vegas, Hawaii, and other popular tourist destinations.

How to avoid or minimize them:

• Use hotel credit cards with resort fee credits: Premium hotel credit cards often include annual credits that can offset resort fees. For example, some cards offer $300 in annual hotel credits that can be applied to resort fees, parking, dining, or spa services.
• Join the hotel’s loyalty program: Even free loyalty memberships sometimes come with perks that offset resort fees. Some programs waive certain amenities fees for members, or give you credits you can use toward the resort fee.
• Book directly and ask to have them waived: Call the hotel directly (not the 1-800 number, but the actual property) and politely ask if they can waive the resort fee. Your success rate improves if you’re a loyalty member, booking multiple nights, or traveling during off-peak times. The worst they can say is no.
• Stay at hotels that don’t charge resort fees: This is the most effective strategy. Many boutique hotels, budget chains, and business hotels don’t charge resort fees at all. Do your research before booking and vote with your wallet.

Early Check-In and Late Checkout Fees

Standard hotel check-in is usually between 3-4 PM, and checkout is between 11 AM and noon. If your schedule doesn’t align with these times, hotels may charge $25-75 for early check-in or late checkout.

How to avoid them:

• Join the hotel’s loyalty program: Even basic (free) tier members often get flexible check-in and checkout times. Mid-tier and elite members typically get guaranteed late checkout (usually 2-4 PM) at no charge.
• Ask nicely at check-in: If you arrive early and rooms are available, front desk staff will often let you check in early for free—especially if you’re polite and it’s not a busy day. The key phrase: “I know I’m early, but if a room happens to be available, I’d really appreciate it.” No demands, no entitlement, just a friendly request.
• Book hotels with flexible policies: Some hotel chains advertise flexible check-in/checkout as a standard perk. Boutique hotels and smaller properties are often more accommodating than large chain hotels.

Parking Fees: The Urban Hotel Tax

Hotel parking fees in major cities can run $30-60 per night—sometimes valet parking is the only option, and it’s even more expensive.

How to avoid them:

• Park at nearby public lots or garages: Use apps like SpotHero or ParkWhiz to find cheaper parking within walking distance of your hotel. You’ll often pay half the price (or less) compared to hotel parking.
• Use public transportation instead: If you’re visiting a city with good public transit (New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC), skip the rental car entirely. You’ll save on both the rental and parking fees.
• Park once and walk/ride-share: If you’re driving to the city, park your car once at the hotel (or a nearby cheap lot) and use rideshare or public transit for the rest of your stay. Paying one parking fee is better than paying daily.

Wi-Fi Fees: The Fee That Shouldn’t Exist Anymore

Some hotels still charge for Wi-Fi—usually $10-20 per day. It’s increasingly rare, but it still happens, especially at older properties and some resort hotels.

How to avoid them:

• Join the hotel’s loyalty program: Free Wi-Fi is one of the most common perks for loyalty members, even at the lowest tier. Sign up before you book (it takes 2 minutes) and you’ll often get complimentary Wi-Fi.
• Use hotel credit cards: Many hotel credit cards include complimentary Wi-Fi as a cardholder benefit, even if you’re not a high-tier loyalty member.
• Ask at check-in: Sometimes the front desk will give you the Wi-Fi code for free if you ask nicely, especially if you mention you’re a loyalty member or staying multiple nights.
• Use your phone’s hotspot: If the hotel charges for Wi-Fi and you have unlimited data, use your phone as a hotspot for your laptop or tablet. It’s not ideal for streaming or video calls, but it works for email and web browsing.

The bottom line on hotel fees: The best defense against hotel fees is joining loyalty programs (they’re free and offer immediate benefits) and doing your research before booking. Read the fine print, compare total costs including fees, and don’t be afraid to ask for fees to be waived. Hotels have more flexibility than you think, especially if you’re polite and loyal.

Car Rental Fees You Can Avoid (Because You Know How)

Car rental companies are masters at turning a $30/day rental into a $70/day expense with add-on fees. The base rate looks great until you get to the counter and face a barrage of charges. Here’s how to keep more money in your pocket.

Airport Surcharges: The Hidden Tax

Renting a car at the airport is convenient, but it comes with a price—literally. Airport locations tack on surcharges, facility fees, and taxes that can add 10-20% (or more) to your total bill. A $150 rental can easily become $250 just because you picked it up at the airport.

You can compare prices at the airport with those in nearby locations and opt for a ride-share to the rental location instead of taking the shuttle to the higher-priced lot.
 

Fuel Charges: Another Expensive Convenience

Rental companies offer “fuel service options” that sound convenient but are expensive. They’ll charge you $5-7 per gallon to return the car empty, and may even hit you with a $15-25 refueling fee plus inflated gas prices if you return it without a full tank.

Fill up the tank yourself before you return the car – it’s always the cheapest option.

Pro tip: Take a photo of the full tank and odometer when you return it. This protects you if the rental company claims you didn’t return it full.