Consumer group Which? is to call on the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to probe companies that impose surcharges on consumers who pay by credit or debit cards.

According to the watchdog, budget airlines that charge extra fees per passenger per journey are among the worst offenders, along with cinemas and local authorities. Which? argues that surcharges are often "far in excess" of the cost of processing card payments and are not made aware to consumers until the point of payment.

It is the group's first super-complaint in 2007, when the OFT upheld Which?'s view that restrictions placed on Scottish legal services providers were unnecessary.