The price grew at checkout

First step today

Screenshot the first price you saw and the final total, including every fee added along the way, before you pay.

What to keep

• A screenshot of the first price you saw, with the website address showing if you can.
• A screenshot of each step where a fee was added.
• A screenshot of the final total on the payment page.
• Any ad, email or post that showed the lower price.
• Your order confirmation and receipt, if you paid.
• A note of how you paid: credit card, debit card or another way.
• Copies of every message between you and the seller.

Your next steps, in order

Before you pay

1. Pause. You don't have to finish the purchase. You can stop, close the page and shop around.
2. Check whether the fee is optional. Sellers can show genuinely optional extras separately, such as faster delivery. Fees you must pay to buy or receive the item, like a booking fee or standard delivery, should normally be in the total price from the start.
3. Keep your screenshots even if you walk away. They still help a report.

After you've paid

1. Raise it with the seller in writing. Email or use their complaints form, so you have a record. Say what price you first saw, what you paid and which fees were added. Ask them to put it right. You'll find a template below.
2. Check whether you can cancel. Many online purchases come with a 14-day cooling-off period: see Citizens Advice: Changing your mind about something you've bought.
3. Talk to your card provider or bank if the seller doesn't help. There are two routes, and neither is guaranteed:
   • Chargeback. This is where your card provider asks the seller's bank to reverse the payment. It works for debit cards, and for credit cards when Section 75 doesn't apply. Ask soon, as time limits apply.
   • Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. If you paid by credit card and a single item cost more than £100 and no more than £30,000, your credit card provider can share responsibility with the seller when you've been misled or the seller broke the contract. It usually doesn't apply if you bought through a middleman, like a marketplace or a travel agent.
   • Buy now, pay later: if you used a regulated buy now, pay later plan taken out on or after 15 July 2026 (where the lender is a different business from the seller), Section 75 can apply in the same way as a credit card.
   • If your card provider says no, or hasn't given you a final answer after eight weeks, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to look at it. It's free.
4. Report it. Reports help enforcers spot patterns.
   • Citizens Advice consumer service (England and Wales) can advise you and pass your report to Trading Standards. You can't pass it to Trading Standards yourself. In Scotland, contact Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact Consumerline.
   • The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) looks at misleading ads, including price claims on a seller's own website or app.
   • The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) enforces the drip pricing rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. It can't take up your own complaint, but it acknowledges every report.

Who can help

• Citizens Advice consumer service: citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer, 0808 223 1133 (Welsh: 0808 223 1144)
• Advice Direct Scotland: consumeradvice.scot, 0808 164 6000
• Consumerline (Northern Ireland): nidirect.gov.uk, 0300 123 6262
• Advertising Standards Authority: asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint
• Competition and Markets Authority: gov.uk/guidance/tell-the-cma-about-a-competition-or-market-problem
• Financial Ombudsman Service: financial-ombudsman.org.uk

A message you can send

Copy this, fill in the gaps and send it to the seller yourself.

Subject: Fees added at checkout, order [number]

Hello,

On [date] I saw [item] advertised at £[first price]. When I reached the payment page, the total was £[final total]. These fees were added during checkout: [list each fee and amount].

I understand that, since April 2025, the price shown up front should include any fees a customer can't avoid. I've kept screenshots of each step.

Please explain why these fees weren't included in the first price, and tell me how you'll put this right. If possible, I'd be grateful for a reply within 14 days. This isn't a legal deadline, just a polite request so I know where things stand.

Thank you,
[Your name]

Related slop

How the ASA has ruled on similar claims

Published ASA rulings on ads that the ASA checked against the same advertising rules. Each outcome is the ASA's finding about that ad.