For millions of Americans, travelling home for Thanksgiving or Christmas is an important annual commitment. The destination is often decided months in advance, dates are dictated by family arrangements, and there may be little flexibility about when to travel. Unlike a summer vacation, where consumers can choose a different destination or postpone their plans, getting home for the holidays is often something they're determined to make happen.
For travel merchants, this should represent an attractive commercial opportunity. Customers arrive with a clear destination, fixed dates and a strong intention to book. In many cases, the decision to travel has already been made before they begin comparing flights or accommodation. But that level of commitment can be deceptive. A customer who's determined to make a journey isn't necessarily committed to completing a booking with any particular provider. And even when a sale appears highly likely, an unexpected charge at checkout can still put it at risk.
Holiday season travel remains a priority for many Americans in 2026. According to Nuvei's latest US consumer research, 30% of respondents expect to travel more this holiday season than last year, while 36% expect to travel about the same amount. Yet nearly three-quarters (73%) ranked either unexpected fees (48%) or a changing price during checkout (25%) as the factor most likely to make them abandon a travel purchase.
These findings highlight an important distinction between the intention to make a purchase and the willingness to complete an individual transaction. What matters isn't simply how much travelers are prepared to spend, but whether the final price matches what they were led to expect. Even a relatively small, unexpected charge could be enough to make a customer reconsider.
Why a $15 charge can put a $500 booking at risk
The importance of price transparency becomes clearer when we consider how travelers make their booking decisions. More than a quarter (26%) of respondents say they're booking earlier than in previous years, compared with 11% booking later. Price is one of the leading reasons for changing their booking timing: 17% cite securing a lower price or better deal, while 10% say they're booking earlier because they expect prices to rise.
These findings suggest that travelers are putting considerable thought into when to book and what they're willing to pay. By the time they reach checkout, the price may already be central to a carefully considered decision. An unexpected charge, however small, risks unsettling that decision.
Consider a traveler who's prepared to spend $500 on a flight home for Christmas, only to discover an unexpected $15 charge at checkout. Why might an additional 3% make them reconsider a purchase they've already decided is worth hundreds of dollars? Perhaps the issue isn't the amount itself, but the fact that the price they agreed to in their mind is no longer the price they're being asked to pay.
For travel merchants, this distinction matters. Holiday travelers may arrive on a website with every intention of completing a booking, having already chosen their destination, settled on dates and coordinated plans with family or friends. But that determination shouldn't be mistaken for a guaranteed sale. In our hypothetical example, an additional $15 could put the entire $500 booking at risk. The potential cost of an unexpected charge therefore goes far beyond the charge itself: the merchant risks losing the entire transaction, even though the customer's underlying intention to travel hasn't changed.
When the journey is essential, but the booking isn't
Travelling home for the holidays is a particularly clear example of how demand for a journey can remain strong even when consumers are sensitive to the price of an individual booking. But the same principle applies to other forms of travel where the purpose of the journey is largely non-negotiable.
Business travel is an obvious example. Someone attending a conference or visiting a client may have little discretion over their destination or travel dates. The same applies to people travelling for weddings, graduations and other family commitments. These travelers may be determined to make the journey, but still have choices about which airline, hotel or booking provider receives their money.
The distinction matters because strong demand can create a false sense of security for travel merchants. Even where consumers have limited flexibility about whether they travel, they may remain highly selective about how they get there and what they're prepared to pay. An unexpected charge doesn't necessarily change their intention to travel, but it can undermine their confidence in the provider they're about to purchase from.
Price transparency has to extend beyond checkout
The relative importance of these factors also challenges some conventional assumptions about what makes an effective checkout experience. While a long or complicated process and the absence of a preferred payment method can both discourage customers, only around 6% of respondents ranked either as their biggest reason for abandoning a purchase. By comparison, nearly three-quarters selected unexpected fees or a changing price.
For travel merchants, the findings suggest that improvements to checkout speed and convenience may not be enough if customers encounter unexpected changes to the price. A streamlined payment experience can help remove friction, but it cannot necessarily restore confidence once the customer feels the terms of their purchase have changed.
Maintaining price transparency can be complicated, particularly when the booking journey begins somewhere other than the merchant's own website. A customer might first encounter a flight or hotel through a comparison platform, where an advertised price influences which option they select. If additional mandatory charges only become apparent after they've moved through the booking process, the merchant risks undermining the very reason that customer chose them. A competitive headline price may attract attention, but it offers little advantage if the final total gives the customer reason to reconsider.
This puts the focus on pricing consistency across the entire booking journey. Mandatory fees need to be accounted for in the price customers see, whether they're browsing offers, selecting flights or accommodation, or preparing to pay. Where additional costs depend on choices made during booking, those costs should be communicated when the choices arise, rather than appearing unexpectedly at the final hurdle.
This requires coordination across the booking and payment process, so that the final amount reflects what the customer has been led to expect. The commercial objective is straightforward: avoid introducing a reason for customers to abandon a purchase they've already decided they want to make.
Why purchase intent isn't enough
The lesson from travelling home for Thanksgiving or Christmas extends beyond the travel industry. Even where demand for a particular purchase is relatively inflexible, that doesn't mean consumers will accept unexpected changes to the price or remain committed to an individual merchant. The distinction between demand for a product and demand for a particular provider is relevant across ecommerce, especially when consumers have already decided that a purchase is necessary.
For travel merchants, strong holiday demand represents an opportunity, but it doesn't guarantee a completed sale. Converting that demand into bookings requires more than a convenient purchasing experience; customers also need confidence that the price they're being asked to pay is the one they expected. Even those who have carefully planned their trips may reconsider if that expectation isn't met.
Americans may be committed to their holiday travel plans. That doesn't mean they're committed to any particular booking. And for merchants, understanding that distinction could make the difference between attracting a highly motivated customer and actually securing the sale.
