Total Trip Cost: City Tax, Baggage and Fees Included

The price a trip is advertised at is rarely the total you end up spending. In between come items that only appear later: a charge per night, the suitcase, seat selection, a fee at the hotel. If you compare offers and want to factor in cashback as well, you first need the real total. This guide shows what it is made of and which part of it cashback is normally paid on.

Why the teaser price is not the final price

Travel sites like to show the lowest price for the plainest offer: the flight without a bag, the room without breakfast, the rental car without extras. That is not dishonest, but it is a starting point, not a final price. Two offers that are 20 euros apart in the list can swap places once bags and fees are added. So never compare the first number, compare the sum you will actually pay.

Items that often come on top

• City tax or tourist tax. Many cities charge a levy per person and night. It is often not in the booking price and is paid at the hotel.
• Hotel fees. Some properties add a flat charge, for example for use of facilities, and settle it only at check-out.
• Baggage. On many low-cost airlines the suitcase costs extra, and less at booking than later at the airport.
• Seats and extras. Anyone who wants to sit together often pays per person and per leg.
• Payment and currency. If you pay in a foreign currency, your bank may add a markup.
• Getting to and from the airport. Transfers, parking or a train ticket are separate costs that are in no airfare.

A sample calculation

Two offers for the same city break for two people, three nights. All numbers are made up and only show the method.

• Offer A: flight 70 EUR per person without a bag, hotel 330 EUR. Add one shared suitcase each way at 30 EUR (60 EUR in all) and city tax of 3 EUR per person per night (18 EUR). Total: 140 plus 330 plus 60 plus 18 makes 548 EUR.
• Offer B: flight 95 EUR per person with a bag, hotel 345 EUR including city tax. Total: 190 plus 345 makes 535 EUR.

A looked about 65 EUR cheaper in the list and ends up dearer. That is exactly why the sum is worth doing before you click.

What cashback is paid on

Here is a rule of thumb you should check with every provider: cashback is usually tied to the value the provider reports for the booking. That is mostly the price of the room, flight or rental car, often without taxes, fees and extras. Items you only pay at the destination, such as city tax or hotel fees, do not go through the booking and so normally do not count. The same goes for baggage that you buy later directly from the airline.

For your calculation this means that cashback relates to a smaller amount than the one you spend in the end. So work it out separately, as a plus on top, and do not let it be the reason to choose an offer that costs more in total. The rate and the conditions are on each provider's page, and we deliberately name no figures here.

How to go about it

1. For each offer, write down the items: trip price, baggage, seat, charges at the destination, getting to the airport.
2. Work out both totals without cashback.
3. Only then check which offer earns cashback and what it is based on.
4. Book through the cashback link in a browser and keep the confirmation and booking number.

For the timeline and the traps with hotels, flights and car rentals, see our guide Travel Cashback: Hotels, Flights and Car Rentals.

Read more on TripPrice: City tax in Europe: what cities charge per night and Getting the baggage sum right: what checked bags cost on airlines.