Pricing, in writing

Travel agency service fees, explained without the fog

If a travel seller cannot tell you their fee in dollars before they take a card, hang up. Here is how legitimate agency pricing works — including ours.

Call 1-888-620-4018 How we work

Independent agency — no airline ownership
Fees quoted before payment
Agents available 24/7
Serving travelers across all 50 states

Quick answer

Fareobuzz charges a flat, disclosed service fee on top of the supplier’s fare: $75 per domestic flight ticket, $100 international, $100 business/first, $50 per hotel, $25 per car rental. The agent must state the total — supplier fare, taxes, and this fee — before you pay. Service fees are non-refundable after ticketing, except inside the eligible 24-hour cancellation window.

What a service fee is

Airlines cut base commissions to US agencies decades ago. The honest models left are: (1) a disclosed fee you pay the agency, (2) a commission the hotel or cruise line pays the agency, or (3) a hidden markup inside a “package price.” Fareobuzz uses (1) on tickets, and (2) on some non-air products, disclosed on request. It does not use (3) on the number an agent reads to you.

A fee is not a fine. It is how the lights stay on so someone answers at 3 a.m. when your connection dies. Whether it is worth it depends on the trip. A simple Tuesday coach ticket you could have booked yourself? Maybe not. A multi-city or premium itinerary, a group, or a disruption? That is the product.

Fareobuzz fee table

Product	Fareobuzz fee	Refundable after issue?
Domestic flight	$75 per ticket	Only inside eligible 24-hour cancel
International flight	$100 per ticket	Same
Business / first class	$100 per ticket	Same
Hotel	$50 per booking	No, after issue
Car rental	$25 per booking	No, after issue
Flight change / cancel handling	$50 per ticket	N/A (work fee)

Airline change fees, fare differences, hotel resort fees, and car insurance products are not Fareobuzz fees. Full legal wording: Fees & Service Charges.

Quoted prices are inclusive of the airline fare, any airline change or cancellation fee, and the Fareobuzz service fee — unless the agent says the quote excludes the service fee.

Quote checklist (read back before you pay)

Airline or hotel fare and taxes, as a line.
Fareobuzz service fee, as a line ($75 domestic flight, $100 international, $100 business/first, $50 hotel, $25 car unless the agent states otherwise).
Whether the spoken total includes the fee.
Change/cancel rules in one sentence.
Who to call after ticketing (us, not a random airline “customer service” page).

Full schedule: fees and service charges. Refundability of the fee: inside Fareobuzz’s eligible 24-hour window, yes; after ticketing outside that window, no — it covers work already done.

The question to ask every seller

“What is the total I will be charged today, and what part of that is your fee?”

A legitimate desk answers in dollars, immediately. If they pivot to “it depends,” “the airline fee,” or “I’ll send a link,” you do not have a quote yet. Hang up if they want the card before the number.

More on the model: About Fareobuzz and How we work.

Questions

What is Fareobuzz’s service fee?

$75 per domestic flight ticket, $100 per international ticket, $100 per business or first class ticket, $50 per hotel booking, $25 per car rental. Flight change or cancellation handling is $50; car rental changes $25. Fees are quoted before payment.

Is the service fee refundable?

No, once a booking is issued — it pays for work already done. Exception: eligible cancellations inside Fareobuzz’s 24-hour window, where the fee is refunded in full.

Do you mark up the airline fare?

No. Supplier fares, taxes and carrier-imposed charges are passed through. Revenue is the disclosed service fee plus, on some hotels, cruises and tours, a supplier commission (disclosed on request).

Why not book on a site with no agency fee?

You can. Self-booking is rational for simple, refundable, one-cabin round-trips. You are paying Fareobuzz when you want a human to construct, ticket, and stay on the file when it breaks. Compare the fee to the cost of a mistake, not to zero.

Written by the Fareobuzz Travel Desk. Last reviewed 2026-08-29.

Fareobuzz Travel Desk

Written by Fareobuzz booking agents who ticket paid itineraries for travelers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Last reviewed 30 August 2026. Named personal bylines are used only when a real agent is identified — this desk publishes as a team. Corrections: support@fareobuzz.com.

Related on Fareobuzz

Need this handled on a live booking?

Call a Fareobuzz agent. Quotes are free. Nothing is charged until you approve an itemized total.

1-888-620-4018

Calls are answered by Fareobuzz travel agents. We are an independent agency, not an airline.