If you have ever used your credit card to pay for goods or services online, you will probably have paid a credit card surcharge. Whether you have booked low cost flights, cinema tickets or even paid your council tax online, the chances are you will have paid a fee for using your credit card.

These charges have prompted the consumer watchdog Which? to launch a ‘super complaint’ in order that the Office of Fair Trading conducts an investigation into these fees.

Here’s our guide to how to cut your credit card fees:

Companies profiting on credit card fees

Prashant Vaze, head of fair markets at Consumer Focus, recently told the Daily Telegraph:  “Consumers are fed up with paying these surcharges. Often they have no other option, especially for internet transactions where there is no alternative to using cards. The worst offenders even ask for surcharges on a per person basis.”

The consumer champion Which? believes that consumers are paying ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’ each year in excessive credit card fees.

Interest on credit cards

High interest rates are another reason consumers are paying high card fees. So, borrowers have been urged to research the best credit cards for balance transfers and to move their credit card balance to another provider.

With a wide range of 0% credit cards on the market, there is healthy competition for the consumer. Heading online to research the best credit cards for balance transfers can save you hundreds of pounds every year, and moving your borrowing to 0% credit cards can help you avoid substantial credit card fees.

The last word comes from the chief executive of Which?, Peter Vicary-Smith. He said: “There’s simply no justification for excessive card charges – paying by card should cost the consumer the same amount that it costs the retailer. Companies shouldn’t be using card processing costs as an excuse for boosting their profits.”