The Office of Fair Trading has warned people to "think before they click" when booking travel on-line.

It follows an examination of the charges by carriers for credit card and debit card bookings.

Chairman Quintin Gill (pictured) says the idea is to alert people, who may be used to all charges being include in the advertised price, to be on their guard.

He says the OFT has recently introduced a new code of practice on price marking and the UK is bringing in regulations implementing an EU Directive in May.

The survey shows that a trip by air involving a family of 4 on a return journey can add a considerable amount to costs. For instance, the highest cost of booking on a credit card is ?24, dropping to ?8 if a debit card is used.
The amounts vary considerably, with some airlines credit card costs put at ?4.50 or less. The Steam Packet doesn't charge for debit card bookings and ?3 for a credit card booking.

The cost of the service should be advised to the buyer before a booking is made.