British Airways passengers are being urged to carefully examine the small print of their travel permit fees after an investigation by MoneySavingExpert (MSE) revealed that some travellers could be paying significantly more than the official government rates. The issue stems from a third-party website operated by Sherpa, which British Airways customers are directed to when booking trips requiring a permit, typically for destinations such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Investigation findings
MSE discovered that Sherpa adds administration fees on top of the official government charges for these permits. For instance, a US ESTA costs £51.43 through Sherpa, compared to the official government fee of approximately £30.07. A Canadian eTA is priced at £16.06 via Sherpa, while the official rate is just £3.75. Similarly, an e-Visitor document for Australia costs £17 through Sherpa, but travellers can obtain it completely free of charge through official channels.
Martin Lewis's warning
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert, expressed concern over the practice. He stated: "British Airways is our national flag carrier, one of the UK's big legacy brands, with a supposed reputation for quality and service. Yet, with this questionable practice, it feels to me a little less like a flagship and a little bit more like a pirate ship." He noted that while the Sherpa tool itemises the separate government fee and admin fee, it is too easy for customers to miss or misunderstand the breakdown.
Lewis urged travellers to check charges carefully, as they may be able to obtain travel permits far more cheaply—or even at no cost—directly through official government websites. The official links are also listed on BA's website, but MSE found they appear further down the page and are not as prominently promoted as the Sherpa link.
Wider issue
Martin cautioned that British Airways is not the only platform where such fees appear. Sherpa's tool has also been identified on the Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic websites. MSE specialists advised travellers to scrutinise airline and travel websites carefully when making bookings, particularly looking for wording such as 'this is a third-party service provider, which may charge fees' or an 'admin fee' appearing separately at checkout.
Official guidance
The official MSE guidance recommends: "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."
Responses
British Airways told MSE: "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 stated: "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."
