Virgin app added a 1% booking fee.

[snail]

Tried to book a ticket using the Virgin app today and they added a 1% booking fee. It's offset by 1% worth of Nectar points so a neutral transaction but is this the start of a change in policy by the TOCs?

As it was, they wouldn't accept any of my cards so I bought online (with no fees) when I got home.

 

[Merseysider]

Tried to book a ticket using the Virgin app today and they added a 1% booking fee. It's offset by 1% worth of Nectar points so a neutral transaction but is this the start of a change in policy by the TOCs?

As it was, they wouldn't accept any of my cards so I bought online (with no fees) when I got home.

Their website would be misleading customers if this is true.

Unbeatable prices and no booking fees

Book direct with us for ultimate booking brilliance. You won't find a cheaper Virgin Trains price anywhere - they're unbeatable. And booking fees. Who needs ‘em? That’s why there are no fees, and no card charges when you book with us.

 

[snail]

I've realised it wasn't 1%, it was 0.15% - 2p on a £12.95 ticket. Strange.

 

[Hadders]

Tried to book a ticket using the Virgin app today and they added a 1% booking fee. It's offset by 1% worth of Nectar points so a neutral transaction but is this the start of a change in policy by the TOCs?

As it was, they wouldn't accept any of my cards so I bought online (with no fees) when I got home.

I didn't think TOCs were allowed to charge booking fees.

 

[Kite159]

I've realised it wasn't 1%, it was 0.15% - 2p on a £12.95 ticket. Strange.

But still strange they have started charging a booking fee.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But still strange they have started charging a booking fee.

I just went as far as entering card details (but didn't actually enter them) on a London-Manchester Anytime Single for tomorrow on the VT app, and no booking fee was shown.

 

[Merseysider]

snail, did you get a screenshot of it?

 

[PeterC]

Looks as if they are passing on just the processing fee that they pay. Could be a simple programming error adding the fee to the transaction rather than to a general ledger account.

 

[najaB]

Looks as if they are passing on just the processing fee that they pay. Could be a simple programming error adding the fee to the transaction rather than to a general ledger account.

Could be. snail, was it a booking fee or a credit card fee?

 

[Kite159]

Or was it a fee for postage?

 

[Joe Paxton]

I strongly suspect this was some sort of transaction processing error, rather than a change in policy.

The blurb on the VT webpage about their mobile app still says "no booking fees or card fees".

On the Google Play store, a contact email address for the 'developer' is given - which is app [at] virgintrains [dot] co [dot] uk

(Like many of the other TOC mobile apps, plus those of both The Trainline and RedSpottedHanky, the developer is actually a Cambridge-based company called Masabi - however I doubt they actually deal with the back office processing of day-to-day transactions, rather this is done by the TOC or their supplier, e.g. The Trainline in the case of VTWC.)

 

[paddington]

I've realised it wasn't 1%, it was 0.15% - 2p on a £12.95 ticket. Strange.

0.15% or 2p is a rather low fee though not outside the realms of possibility

I'd expect it to be around 0.35% or at the very least 5p for a debit card

Have you tried booking another ticket to see whether it attempts to add an amount to the fare?

 

[snail]

Yes, tried again today - no fees! Must have been a glitch. Probably also explains why they couldn't process the card payment yesterday.

 

[dvalts]

This happened to me with the Northern app the other day as well - was about to buy an Advance using the app and noticed they had added an extra 2p charge when I got to the final 'purchase' screen. Tried it again today and I can't reproduce it...

 

[gray1404]

I wonder how many people were affected by the glitch and ended up paying the additional fee (many without even knowing).....

 

[Merseysider]

I wonder how many people were affected by the glitch and ended up paying the additional fee (many without even knowing).....

I can't imagine anybody caring about 2p though

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

I had exactly the same problem using the app to book KGX to LDS on 28th Feb. The fee was described as a credit card fee, but the app wouldn't accept my Amex card. Very annoying. Booked via the website and that worked fine!

 

[JaJaWa]

I wonder how many people were effected by the glitch and ended up paying the additional fee (many without even knowing).....

No-one as it wouldn't let you pay