Why Hopper Asks for a 'Tip' When Booking
Photo Credit: Hopper turned the booking fee into an optional "tip" in 2018. Source: Flickr Flickr / Jeanine Schaik
Skift Take
'Deception' may be too strong of a word in this case, but the media attention goes to show that customers do not like to feel that they've been swindled. A quarter of customers pay the tip, but how many of them know it?
There are a number of innovative features that set Hopper apart from other online travel agencies.
The fintech add-ons, like the option to cancel for any reason, is one of them — and how Hopper makes much of its money.
And, another unique feature is one that asks the customer to pay a “tip” to Hopper as part of a booking.
While that particular feature is not new, according to the company, it attracted some press this week for being “deceptive.” Whether or not a tip is included is indicated by the position of a toggle button on the final payment page before completing a booking. The default for that toggle is the on position, meaning a tip is included in the final price automatically. The customer has to switch the toggle to the off position in order to not pay a tip.
Plus, calling it a tip
