Excessive surcharges for online purchases to be quashed in 2012

A consultation is due to start early this year on moves to slash excessive surcharges for online payments.

If approved, the new government rules could be in place by the end of the year.

Consumers have long complained about what are considered unnecessarily high charges added to purchases including airline & cinema tickets.

Airlines are among the main culprits being investigated by the regulator with Air Berlin reportedly adding up to €17 per person for online ticket bookings. 

Local authorities have also come under fire, along with cinemas, train and ferry operators and even the DVLA.  

The proposed changes form a part of new rules originally set to be imposed from Europe in 2014, but have been brought forward early in response to rising complaints.

Scrapping charges for debit card transactions completely and making additional fee's clearer are among recommendations already put forward by the Office of Fair Trading.

The Government has said it is looking to ban what it calls "all excessive charges".

The new legislation is expected to be welcomed by Which? who estimated that airline passengers currently pay up to £265,000 per day in payment surcharges. 

Residents in remote postal areas including the Highlands & Islands regions are also hoping the new legislation may have an impact on the huge surcharges frequently added to delivery fees when ordering online.

Many online retailers are reported to be adding up to and sometimes in excess of £25 per order just for delivering to Highland postcodes, including the Isle of Skye which has been connected to the mainland by a road bridge since October 1995.