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# Explaining Hitch’s Upfront Pricing and Service Fee

We aim to offer the lowest final price possible - while being transparent about how pricing works.

Many of the costs associated with each ride - like driver rates, insurance, and traffic conditions - can change day to day and are difficult to predict at the time of booking. Sometimes we're able to reflect these accurately in your total upfront fare; other times, the actual costs vary.

To account for that, we include a service fee as part of your total trip price - but we've structured it to keep pricing fair and aligned with real costs.

Here's how it works:

* You'll pay a guaranteed upfront base fare, which makes up the majority of your total price.
* After your ride, if our actual costs were higher than expected, we may charge an additional dynamic service fee - capped at +$8.
* If our estimated costs were accurate - or lower - you won't be charged anything extra.

Your final price will never exceed $8 more than your original quote. This helps us cover real costs while keeping your overall fare as low and predictable as possible.

###### Why you may see more than one charge on your statement

When you book a trip, we place a temporary authorization hold on your card for the estimated fare. This is not a charge — it's a hold to confirm your payment method.

Once your trip is completed, we finalize your total and update the original authorization to reflect the final amount — including your base fare and service fee. Rather than releasing the hold and issuing a separate charge, this happens in a single update, so **you are only ever charged once.**

Your bank may display this as the original hold amount updating, which can sometimes look like two transactions. The original hold will drop off automatically — timing varies by bank but is usually within a few business days.

For Mastercard users, your experience may look slightly different. You may see the original hold and a separate final charge. The hold will be released and you will only be billed the final amount.

###### Service Fee Disclaimer

Service fees are subject to change at any time based on a variety of factors. We recommend reviewing both the estimated service fee and the maximum possible fee (displayed in the tooltip) before confirming your booking.