If you are planning international travel requiring a visa in the coming months, Martin Lewis has issued an important warning. In his latest newsletter, the Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder called out British Airways for a 'questionable practice' that could lead passengers to overpay for travel permits.
An MSE investigation revealed that the UK flag carrier highlights third-party application services over links to official government sites, 'pushing customers towards overpaying' by up to £31 per entry document. Martin explained: '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.'
For example, a US ESTA via the US government website costs just over £30, but buying it through the BA plugin, powered by a firm called Sherpa, came in at more than £50. Canadian eTAs and Australian eVisitor passes — normally £3.75 or free — were priced at almost £17 each, while a New Zealand eTA jumped from about £50 to more than £82 on Sherpa.
How much more expensive is BA's third-party tool?
When MSE tested Sherpa via its openly available tool on BA’s site and as part of its 'Manage My Booking' function, it found:
- USA ESTA: Sherpa price: £51.43; Official price: £30.07 ($40.27)
- Canadian eTA: Sherpa price: £16.06; Official price: £3.75 ($7)
- Australian eVisitor: Sherpa price: £16.52; Official price: FREE
- New Zealand eTA (NZeTA): Sherpa price: £82.02; Official price: £50.94 ($117)
MSE noted that although they are 'buried lower down' on its main site rather than as part of the booking process, the airline does technically signpost to the cheaper official routes.
BA is not the only company using these middleman services. Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic both offer Sherpa tools of their own, and Saga directs customers to CIBTvisas, which charges an extra £43.50 for a US ESTA on top of the £30 government fee.
Given its 'supposed reputation for quality and service', Martin said he would 'hope for better from British Airways', for making the extra fees 'too easy to miss and misunderstand'. 'Beware British Airways’ site, and elsewhere too, as these portals seem to be popping up on more and more flight booking sites as another way to get a further bite out of your travel cash,' he added, urging people to pay close attention to the terms and conditions.
Airlines and travel agents will usually show a disclaimer mentioning a 'third-party service provider, which may charge fees', but you may also be able to spot an admin fee separated out at the checkout stage. If you do fall foul of these, MSE says it is 'likely to be very difficult to get a refund', although you can email (ideally as soon as possible) explaining you did not realise you were paying for a service you could have got directly for free or for less. In some cases, particularly if your application has not yet been processed, you might be granted some money back.
Where to get your travel documents
To avoid paying extra for a third-party service, government sites are the cheapest for travel visas and other entry documents. However, there are copycats that look like official sites but charge admin or 'fast-track' fees. Your best bet is to go through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office site and follow the link to your destination.
In response, British Airways told Metro: '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 clear that Sherpa is a third-party provider and may charge fees, and customers can always apply directly via official government channels.'
Sherpa also commented: 'Those who opt to use Sherpa often do so because they find the government portal confusing, difficult to use, prone to errors and unsupported. Our approach is to simplify the application process and make it more accessible, with 24/7 support, transparency on progress, and an AI supported feature-set that reduces the likelihood of error that would invariably lead to multiple applications needing to be submitted. We are transparent about the difference between the government fee and Sherpa’s service fee, and depending on the integration we often give the option to go directly to the government system. Before payment, Sherpa provides an itemised receipt showing the different costs, including a government fee and its fee. The latter of which is split between Sherpa and its airline partners.'
