In the US saying something like "I hate going to X restaurant, they nickel and dime you" would mean that the restaurant charges for things that are often included elsewhere or are considered customary / part of the dish. (For example a hamburger is $12 but pickles are .50c, onions .50c, , etc.,).

It can also be used to describe how low cost airlines work.

But people will often especially use this if a place has a higher price point already, and therefore it's customary at that price point for more things to be included. For example, with the hamburgers people are more likely to complain about a place "nickel and diming" them if it costs $12 rather than the $5. Or for a "legacy" airline to charge you for things like bags, leg room, etc.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/BusinessTravel/story?id=4696928&page=1

Curious if a term for this exists in other countries, I'm guessing the term nickel and dime isn't used unless it's been directly imported.


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