Beware British Airways' 'questionable' behaviour as it pushes people to overpay for ESTAs and other travel permits

British Airways is directing customers to a travel permit tool on its website that's powered by a firm called Sherpa. Apply for your travel documents using Sherpa, and you will pay more compared to applying direct. When we checked, Sherpa charged £51 for a US ESTA that costs about £30 when bought directly from the US government, while an Australian eVisitor document available for FREE via the official route cost £17.

Sherpa told MSE that its service fee is shared between Sherpa and its airline partners, if so, British Airways will be making money from the excess – though neither Sherpa or BA would comment on how the fee was split.

We were first alerted to this by MoneySaver Andy, who contacted Martin on X, saying:

Applications for visa waivers and other such documents are relatively straightforward, which means most British passport holders likely won't benefit from the extra costs of getting one of these travel permits this way.

Martin Lewis: 'I’d hope for better from British Airways'

BA's third-party firm charges a premium for ESTA and visa-waiver services

We tested Sherpa via an openly available tool on BA's site and from the 'Manage My Booking' function and found it charged the following:

On the non-logged in version of BA's website, the Sherpa tool is highlighted in a box (see the screenshot below), drawing your eye to its service. Meanwhile, BA links to the official government sites a lot lower down the web page. Crucially, they weren't linked to from any journeys we tested either. These official links – which are a lot cheaper – could be easily missed, especially if you're rushing your holiday admin.

When we tested BA's 'Manage My Booking' section under different flight bookings, we found two different layouts (see one of the layouts below, which is also the same one Andy saw), suggesting it may be testing a new design. All bookings had prominent links to Sherpa's tool – on one booking we also saw a tab linking to the government ESTA site that was less prominently displayed.

BA told us the landing page in the 'Manage Your Booking' section presents both a Sherpa option and a government tab. It said the government tab takes passengers to a page that directs them to the official government website.

Other airlines and travel firms appear to be doing similar

BA isn't the only travel provider doing this. We've seen Sherpa's tool on the Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic websites too, though it's unclear if these are linked to from within the passenger booking journey or when you log in to add your passenger information.

Elsewhere, other travel firms appear to be offering the services of different third-party booking firms. Tour operator Saga, for example, directs customers to a company called CIBTvisas for travel documents. Use it for a US ESTA and you'll pay a £43.50 extra on top of the £30 Government fee, £73.50 total. Saga does link to the official government site lower down the page.

If you look closely, airlines and travel firms will often say something like "this is a third-party service provider, which may charge fees". The admin fee is also usually separated out at the checkout stage.

How to get your travel documents for less

Never just follow the link to your airline's recommended tool. But also beware Google – there are many copycat sites trying to make you pay for nonsense fast-tracking. See our Copycat websites guide for more on this. In the meantime:

• Australian eVisitor. Head to the Australian government's Home Affairs website where you can apply for FREE.

• Canadian eTA. Go to the Canadian government's eTA website where you'll be led through the process by answering a series of simple questions.

• European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS): Europe's visa-waiver scheme hasn't started yet, so avoid fake sites. See our ETIAS guide for more.

• New Zealand eTA (NZeTA). Jump to New Zealand's Immigration website to request an NZeTA.

• US ESTA. For ESTAs, just go via the US government's ESTA website (you can also see our full ESTA guide for more info).

• All other visas and travel permits. The rule of thumb is to go through the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office site – it'll then link you to the right official site for each destination.

Been caught out? It'll be difficult to get your money back

In short, it's likely to be very difficult to get a refund. Email straightaway saying you want to cancel your contract and get a refund, explaining you didn't realise you were paying for a service you could have got directly for free or for less.

Also, check the site's terms. Sherpa, for example, says if your application hasn't been processed, you can request a refund from your 'My Applications' page.

Sherpa says it issues refunds on a case-by-case basis "where warranted". Passengers who are concerned with a transaction can contact support@joinsherpa.com to see if they're eligible for a refund.

What do BA and Sherpa say?

BA told us: "We serve customers travelling to hundreds of different destinations where entry requirements vary by nationality and route taken, with some requirements changing at short notice. We offer an optional third-party service to assist with this and check requirements all in one place, and for some destinations an optional service to help with applications.

"We make it clear that customers must check the full entry requirements with the relevant government directly. It is clear that Sherpa is a third-party provider and may charge fees, and customers can always apply directly via official government channels."

Sherpa said: "Those who opt to use Sherpa often do so because they find the government portal confusing, difficult to use, prone to errors and unsupported. Our approach is to simplify the application process and make it more accessible, with 24/7 support, transparency on progress, and an AI supported feature-set that reduces the likelihood of error that would invariably lead to multiple applications needing to be submitted.

"We are transparent about the difference between the government fee and Sherpa's service fee, and depending on the integration we often give the option to go directly to the government system. Before payment, Sherpa provides an itemised receipt showing the different costs, including a government fee and its fee. The latter of which is split between Sherpa and its airline partners."