the.com/hidden fees
the price that shows up after you've already fallen in love with the price.
means extra charges disclosed only at the final step of a purchase, after you're too invested to walk away.
from the term rides on decades of pricing psychology, but exploded with airline and hotel booking sites in the 2000s, which perfected drip pricing: quote low, add fees at checkout, count on sunk-cost momentum to close the sale.
legal termeconomists call it drip pricing
resort feesus hotels collect roughly 3 billion yearly
ftc crackdown2024 rule bans them in live event tickets
behavioral trickanchoring makes the base price feel final
for instance
ticketmaster service fees — can add 30 percent or more before final checkout screen
airline baggage fees — spirit airlines charges up to 99 dollars per bag
bank overdraft fees — averaged 35 dollars per transaction before 2024 reforms