surcharge
A surcharge is an extra cost or fee added to a bill or price. It's like a hidden additional charge that might catch you off guard.
When shopping online or at the store, you might see a "free shipping" deal that sounds great, but then they surprise you with a surcharge for handling or packaging. Sometimes airlines will add a surcharge if you book your ticket last minute or change your flight plans. In these cases, the original price didn't include the extra fee, and it's added later as a surcharge. If someone says that their phone bill has a surcharge for data usage, they mean there's an additional charge for using more than the expected amount of internet on their phone.
How common is "surcharge"?
It appears most frequently in newspaper texts and less often in other writings.
noun
An addition of extra charge on the agreed, stated, or baseline price.
Example: Our airline tickets cost twenty dollars more than we expected because we had to pay a fuel surcharge.
Real examples of "surcharge" in context
