The top 10 most common travel rip-offs

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This was published 8 years ago

The top 10 most common travel rip-offs

By Michael Gebicki
Updated
Beware tour guides offering you 'special deals'.

Beware tour guides offering you 'special deals'.Credit: Alamy

1. DYNAMIC CURRENCY CONVERSION

For the "convenience" of paying a restaurant or hotel bill in Aussie dollars rather than local currency you get an added layer of fees tacked onto your credit or debit card, as much as five per cent. This sharp practice, with benefits to the merchant and the DCC facilitator, is becoming common at airports around the globe, and spreading. Just say "no", elect to pay in local currency and dodge the DCC bullet.

Read also: Hotel bills: Is it better to pay in Euros or US dollars?

Abu Dhabi: All the perks without the Dubai price tag.

Abu Dhabi: All the perks without the Dubai price tag.Credit: iStock

2. CAR-HIRE GPS

Pay $11-plus per day, or more? Thanks, I'll shop locally and buy my own GPS which I'll later sell on Gumtree. Better still, I'll download the maps I need to my smartphone or tablet using Sygic. Voice-guided, point-to-point directions, and I can buy maps to cover all of Europe or North America for $US30.99. Once downloaded I'm good to go since it's a satellite-based system, no expensive data feed required.

Read also: Can I rent a car using my debit card?

Rent a car full, return empty, get ripped off.

Rent a car full, return empty, get ripped off.Credit: Alamy

3. DATA ROAMING

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The price for data roaming within the EU for anyone with a post-paid EU-country SIM card is pegged at €0.20/MB (that's about 30 cents) – which makes the profit margin for our own telcos from global roaming truly astonishing. Don't get caught – get a global SIM card or, better still, a local SIM card with data when you get to your destination, or go online only when you have access to free Wi-Fi.

Read also: Travel SIM: Are they worth getting for overseas?

With a $12.60 fee courtesy of Transport NSW, no wonder Sydney Airport rail is a rip off.

With a $12.60 fee courtesy of Transport NSW, no wonder Sydney Airport rail is a rip off.Credit: Alamy

4. MIS-GUIDED TOURS

"My cousin has the finest handcrafted souvenirs at the cheapest prices." It's not his cousin, and anything you buy will cost more than elsewhere because your helpful guide is getting a handsome cut of your spend in return for weaselling you through the door. Once inside you'll be flattered shamelessly and plied with Fanta or mint tea, designed to soften your resolve. If you're on a guided tour and your guide mentions the word "shopping", beware.

Read also: Top ten classic travel scams

Currency conversion can be a travel pitfall.

Currency conversion can be a travel pitfall.Credit: iStock

5. IT'S YOUR PARTY

Dubai extracts a tourist tax of $3 to $7.50 from every traveller for each night they spend in a hotel there, which goes into a fund used to pay for the city's 2020 Expo. So you're throwing a party, I'm paying for it and I'm not invited? A city soggy with oil money in which those who live and work there pay no income tax? Abu Dhabi doesn't tax overnight visitors, and Etihad is a fine airline.

6. SYDNEY AIRPORT RAIL ACCESS

Every rail trip to or from the airport stations comes with a $12.60 fee courtesy of Transport NSW. Could this be the reason that only 15 per cent of the 150,000 who travel to the airport on an average day use the train? Come on Transport NSW, lower the fee and you'll reduce the number of airport car trips, with less congestion around the terminals and better air quality for Sydney.

7. TRAVEL MONEY CARDS

Consider the fee structure before you sign up, it's probably not in your favour. Most of these cards come loaded with charges that whittle your cash away. Making overseas withdrawals using your standard ATM card might end up costing you less, particularly if it's a short trip. As an alternative, consider the 28 Degrees MasterCard and the Citibank Visa Debit Card, the cards of choice for many professional travellers.

Read more: Travel money cards: Are they worth getting?

8. HOTEL WI-FI

It costs less to provide than hot water yet you're charging me $20 per day? Wi-Fi is not a luxury for travellers, it's a necessity, especially for those on business. Even more infuriating, among the worst offenders are high-end luxury hotels that charge $300-plus per night. Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood are among those that offer free Wi-Fi only to guests enrolled on their loyalty programs, and/or who book directly with the hotel.

Read also: Beware that hotel Wi-Fi connection

9. RENT FULL, RETURN EMPTY

Many car rental agencies offer the option of returning your rental car empty. You pay for a full tank and return the vehicle with whatever fuel is left. Some car rental agencies now insist on this full-to-empty hiring since it so often works in their favour. The client only wins if they return the vehicle with the fuel warning light aglow, a nerve-racking proposition when you're returning to an unfamiliar location.

10. MANDATORY CRUISE GRATUITIES

Apart from high-end cruises with a no-tips policy, most cruise lines add between $12-$18 per day to your bill, without asking your permission. A tip is a tip, freely given in return for good service, not to compensate for the miserly salary you pay your dishwashers, waiters and cabin attendants. You can opt out with a visit to the purser's office at the start of the voyage, but those who deserve it should be rewarded.

Read also: Is tipping obligatory on cruise ships?

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