You didn’t imagine it. That resort fee tacked onto your Vegas hotel bill, the seat-selection charge that popped up right before checkout, the rental car insurance the counter agent pushed on you – a huge chunk of these “mandatory” travel costs are quietly optional. Hotels, airlines, and rental companies just count on nobody asking.
Here’s the part that’s genuinely strange: the fix is almost never complicated. In most cases, it’s one calm sentence at the right moment, aimed at the right person, and the charge just… goes away. By the time you get to the last one on this list, you might start wondering how much money you’ve already handed over for nothing.
#15 – Vacation Rental “Cleaning Fees” That Aren’t Actually Fixed
Most guests treat the cleaning fee on an Airbnb or Vrbo listing like it’s carved in stone. It isn’t. Hosts set that number themselves, and plenty of them will quietly lower it if you message before booking, especially for longer stays where the same cleaning job gets spread across more nights.
Hosts would almost always rather negotiate than lose a booking outright, particularly during slow months when their calendar is empty. A short, polite message before you book – not a complaint after checkout – is what actually moves the number.
#14 – Airport Lounge Day Passes Marked Up for No Reason
Walk-up lounge access at major U.S. airports routinely runs $45 to $60, yet plenty of travelers standing in that line already have free entry bundled into a credit card or airline status they forgot they had. The front desk isn’t going to volunteer that information – they’ll happily take your cash instead.
Some lounges will also waive or discount the walk-up rate the moment you mention you’re a cardholder with an affiliated bank, even without the physical pass in hand. Frequent flyers swear that one question – “does my card already cover this?” – saves the fee far more often than people expect.
Fast Facts
- Priority Pass membership unlocks well over a thousand lounges worldwide, often bundled free with premium travel cards.
- American Express Platinum cardholders get complimentary entry to Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass Select lounges.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve includes a Priority Pass Select membership at no extra cost.
- Capital One Venture X cardholders can use Capital One Lounges plus their own Priority Pass benefit.
#13 – Rental Car “Additional Driver” Charges
Adding a second driver to a rental agreement can cost $10 to $15 per day, which is one of the softest charges in the entire rental industry. Spouses, domestic partners, and members of the same loyalty program are frequently exempt by policy – the agent just doesn’t bring it up unless you do.
A loyalty number, a corporate discount code, or even certain credit cards can knock the fee out completely if you ask before signing anything. Rental agents have real discretion here, and many will drop it just to get you out the door faster.
#12 – Duplicate Rental Car Insurance You’re Already Paying For
The Collision Damage Waiver upsell at the counter can add $20 or more per day, and most renters click “accept” without a second thought. Plenty of them are already covered twice over – once through their personal auto policy, and again through a credit card’s built-in rental protection.
Simply asking the agent to confirm, out loud, what coverage you already have before signing anything often gets the waiver dropped from the total on the spot. Rental counters rarely bring this up first, because that insurance upsell is one of their highest-margin products.
#11 – Hotel Parking Fees That Aren’t Actually Fixed
Self-parking and valet charges in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York can run $40 or more a night, often stacked right on top of a resort fee. Front desks have more flexibility here than guests assume, especially on multi-night stays or when elite status is involved.
The same tactic that works on resort fees works here too – a calm, direct question at check-in. The front desk may wipe the charge entirely or offer a comparable discount that ends up saving you the same amount.
#10 – Premium Wi-Fi Upgrades Hotels Charge Twice For
Hotels love selling a “premium” internet upgrade on top of the basic Wi-Fi already bundled into the room rate or resort fee. Elite loyalty members are often entitled to that faster tier for free, but nobody at the front desk mentions it unless you ask.
At Marriott specifically, Gold elite members and above already get free enhanced internet as a status perk. Most guests never realize they’re being charged twice for the exact same connection.
#9 – Early Check-In and Late Checkout Fees
Charging $25 to $50 for an early check-in or a late checkout has become standard at busy hotels, even when the room has been empty since the previous guest left the day before. This fee is almost entirely about managing occupancy timing, not about any real cost to the hotel.
Asking at the front desk, or better, calling the morning of arrival, frequently gets it waived if the room happens to be ready. A friendly ask to an actual front-desk manager works far better than arguing with a self-check-in kiosk screen.
At a Glance
- Fees typically run $25 to $50 flat, or sometimes $10 to $15 per extra hour.
- Top-tier elite members – think Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, or World of Hyatt Globalist – often get guaranteed late checkout as a built-in perk.
- Calling the property directly usually works better than requesting a change through a third-party booking app.
- Midweek and off-season stays give hotels far more room to say yes, since fewer rooms are turning over that day.
#8 – Airline Seat Selection Fees
Paying $15 to $75 just to sit next to your own kid or spouse feels absurd, and increasingly, airlines seem to agree. Several major U.S. carriers have relaxed or eliminated certain seat and change fees in recent years, though the fine print still varies by fare class.
Gate agents also have more room to work with than the booking website suggests, especially for families or when seats free up close to departure. Asking a gate agent to reseat you together, instead of paying online, often works for free.
#7 – Checked Baggage Fees at the Counter
Most travelers pay their baggage fee online, assuming it’s locked in. Airline counter staff, though, sometimes have authority to waive or reduce it for elite flyers, active military, or co-branded cardholders who simply forgot to check in advance.
Asking whether a specific credit card or loyalty tier already includes a free checked bag – before paying at the kiosk – can erase the charge entirely on many airlines. Most travelers never say it out loud, so they end up paying for a benefit they already own.
#6 – Foreign Transaction Fees on Cards Used Abroad
A 3% foreign transaction fee doesn’t sound like much until you’ve spent $4,000 on a two-week trip and it quietly adds over $100 to the bill. Many banks will waive this for existing customers who call ahead of a trip, especially those with a solid account history.
The trick is calling before you leave, not after the statement arrives, since some issuers treat it as a one-time courtesy rather than a guaranteed refund. One phone call before boarding can prevent a fee most travelers never even notice until weeks later.
Worth Knowing
- Cards from Capital One and Discover, along with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve, typically charge zero foreign transaction fees by design.
- Many co-branded airline and hotel cards also skip the fee entirely, even on everyday spending abroad.
- A 3% fee on $4,000 of trip spending works out to roughly $120 for absolutely no added benefit.
- Some online banks, like Charles Schwab’s checking account, refund ATM fees worldwide, not just their own share.
#5 – Travel Insurance “Cancel For Any Reason” Upcharges
Booking sites frequently default travelers into the most expensive travel insurance tier, quietly adding a “cancel for any reason” upgrade that can nearly double the premium. Most people never notice it was auto-selected during checkout.
Calling the insurer or travel agent directly and asking for the base policy, instead of the pre-selected upsell, often cuts the cost significantly without losing meaningful coverage. That upgrade exists mainly because so few people ever ask what the standard policy actually costs.
#4 – Airline Flight Change Fees
Change fees used to be one of the most hated charges in air travel, sometimes running $200 just to move a flight by a single day. That’s shifted fast, with most major domestic carriers eliminating or relaxing standard change fees over the past few years.
Even where a change fee technically still applies, agents will often waive it for weather, family emergencies, or plain loyalty – but usually only if you call and ask instead of rebooking online. Most travelers assume the price on the app is final, when a five-minute phone call often isn’t.
#3 – Cruise Line Gratuities and Service Charges
Cruise lines automatically add a daily gratuity or service charge to every passenger’s account, often $16 to $23 per person, per day. For a family of four on a week-long sailing, that stacks into real money fast, and most passengers never realize guest services can actually adjust it.
Visiting guest services in person and explaining a specific service issue – or simply asking to reduce the daily charge – frequently results in a partial waiver before you disembark. Cruise staff rarely advertise this option, mostly because almost nobody ever brings it up.
Quick Compare
- Carnival: commonly around $16 to $18 per person, per day.
- Royal Caribbean: commonly around $18 to $20 per person, per day, higher in suites.
- Norwegian Cruise Line: commonly around $20 to $25 per person, per day.
- Disney Cruise Line: commonly around $16 per person, per day.
#2 – Foreign ATM Withdrawal Fees
Pulling cash from an ATM abroad can trigger two separate charges at once – one from the local bank, one from your own. Together they can eat $5 to $10 per withdrawal, which adds up fast on a longer trip.
The same logic that works on an overdraft fee works here: call your bank, explain the situation, and ask if it can be waived. Banks would rather keep a loyal customer than lose one over a $5 charge.
It never hurts to ask.
A traveler who successfully got a bank fee reversed
#1 – Hotel Resort Fees, the Most Hated Charge in Travel
Resort fees are, hands down, the single most disputed charge in the entire hotel industry – and for good reason. When present, they’ve averaged around $50 at Marriott, $33.80 at Hyatt, $33 at Hilton, $32.57 at IHG, and $25 at Wyndham, and they show up constantly in destinations like Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Orlando.
Here’s what most guests never realize: asking about the resort fee almost never hurts, and front desks often have the discretion to waive it on request or complaint. Travelers who ask to opt out routinely get it dropped, and guests who point out a closed pool or a broken amenity have gotten it waived on the spot. Booking with points at Hilton, Hyatt, or Wyndham frequently erases the fee automatically, since award stays are often exempt. Ask before you pay, not after checkout – it’s the single most effective question in all of travel.
None of these fees are illegal, and no company charging them is doing anything wrong on paper. But the pattern is impossible to ignore: from resort fees to rental car add-ons to cruise gratuities, a huge share of “mandatory” travel charges are actually discretionary, waived case by case for anyone willing to ask a simple question at the right moment.
The people who save money on trips aren’t smarter or luckier – they’re just louder about asking. A five-minute phone call or a calm conversation at the front desk is often the only thing standing between paying full price and paying nothing at all.
