Martin Lewis has issued a warning over a British Airways trap that charges UK tourists double for travel visas. The BBC and ITV star said 'questionable' behaviour from the UK's flag carrier airline is pushing customers towards overpaying for ESTAs and other travel documents.
How the Overcharging Works
MoneySavingExpert (MSE) analysed a tool embedded on BA’s website, powered by a company called Sherpa. The investigation found that a US ESTA, which costs around £30 when bought directly from the US government, was being offered through Sherpa for £51.43. An Australian eVisitor document, entirely free through the official Australian government route, was sold via Sherpa for £16.52.
A Canadian eTA, officially costing just £3.75, was listed at £16.06 on Sherpa. A New Zealand eTA, costing £50.94 through official channels, was priced at £82.02.
Reader Raises Concerns
The issue was first flagged to Lewis by a reader named Andy, who said: “Very disappointing to see that British Airways is now directing customers who require an ESTA to a third-party site (Sherpa) that charges a fee for their service, rather than through a link direct to the US Customs and Border Protection site.”
Martin said: “British Airways is our national flag carrier, one of the UK’s big legacy brands, with a supposed reputation for quality and service. Yet, with this questionable practice, it feels to me a little less like a flagship and a little bit more like a pirate ship.”
He added: “The innocuous-looking ‘check your visa’ tool it has embedded on its site looks fine, until it directs you to get a travel permit and gives you a price far higher than people would pay if they just went direct to the official government site.”
British Airways Responds
British Airways said: “We serve customers travelling to hundreds of different destinations where entry requirements vary by nationality and route taken, with some requirements changing at short notice. We offer an optional third-party service to assist with this and check requirements all in one place, and for some destinations an optional service to help with applications. We make it clear that customers must check the full entry requirements with the relevant government directly. It is also clear that Sherpa is a third-party provider and may charge additional fees; customers can apply directly via official government channels also linked on the same page, which are clearly displayed.”
