Let’s talk about booking fees.
Not the kind you whisper about when someone’s looking over your shoulder, but the kind that shows up right before you click “confirm” and makes customers squint. “Wait, what’s this?”
Depending on where you live, that moment either feels totally normal or downright sketchy.
In the US, it’s just part of life
Whether you’re booking a Taylor Swift ticket, a guided tour, or even a campsite, you’re probably getting hit with a fee. Americans have more patience (or resignation?) for service charges. It’s become so common that people expect to see a little extra tacked on.
Fun fact: one ticketing platform even called their fee a “convenience charge”. Not sure for who… but there we are.
In the EU, it’s a different story
Europe takes pricing transparency seriously. What you see should be what you pay. In some countries, it’s even against the law to add fees that aren’t included in the upfront price.
So when someone sees a booking fee at checkout, it doesn’t feel like a convenience. It feels like a trap.
Who’s right?
Honestly, both. Operators aren’t adding fees for fun. They help cover real costs:
- Payment provider fees (especially when customers want Amex, Apple Pay, Klarna and everything in between)
- Support for complex bookings
- Refund costs and no-show protection
Sometimes it’s also a strategy: keep the base price low for OTA platforms, and recover margins on direct sales.
But from the customer’s point of view, that only works if they feel like you’re being upfront.
What we’ve built at Palisis
Because this isn’t a one-size-fits-all issue, we’ve added a flexible booking fee option.
You can now:
- Add a fixed or percentage fee to any product
- Show or hide it at checkout
- Control when and where it appears
That way, you can match your market expectations, balance your margins, and stay in control.
Maybe one day the whole world will agree on how pricing should work (right after we agree on tipping, plug types, and what time dinner starts). Until then, we’ve got you covered.
Want to turn on booking fees? Let’s chat.