How to beat surge prices and save money on everything from flights to bills

Would you take the family to Legoland on a rainy weekday to save £20? It is no longer just the queues you will be avoiding by visiting the attraction at less popular times. The head of Merlin Entertainment, Britain’s biggest theme park operator, announced this week it is going to introduce “surge pricing” – a model which sees prices rise and fall based on the demand at any given time. It means families are likely to pay more on busy summer days when demand surges compared to a rainy weekday when they can make a saving. Scott O’Neil, the chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, which also own Alton Towers, Madame Tussauds and the London Eye, defended the practice, telling the Financial Times: “If it’s August, peak holiday season, sunny and a Saturday, you would expect to pay more than if it was a rainy Tuesday in March.” If this all sounds a bit familiar, it’s because it is. Surge pricing, known as “dynamic pricing”, has been used by airlines since the late 1980s. It was later adopted by the hotel industry and now affects everything from what you buy online to the cost of a pint in your local...

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