Fare vs. Fee — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
Fare refers to the money paid for a journey, like on a bus or train, while a fee is a payment made for professional services or other specific purposes.
Difference Between Fare and Fee
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Both fare and fee involve monetary transactions, but their contexts differ significantly. Fare is specifically the cost associated with traveling, often public transportation. Whether it's a taxi, bus, train, or airplane, the money you pay for that journey is the fare. Fee, conversely, has a broader application and can pertain to any charge for services, whether they be professional, administrative, or other.
Delving deeper into their applications, fare is a term commonly encountered in daily commutes. When you hop onto a bus or hail a taxi, you're expected to pay a fare, which is typically calculated based on distance or a fixed rate. Fee, on the other hand, can relate to a plethora of services. From doctor's appointments to legal consultations, the charges levied are fees.
Furthermore, fare doesn't necessarily always pertain to transportation. In a different context, "fare" can also describe food available in a particular place or period. Fee doesn't possess such versatility and is primarily monetary.
In essence, while both fare and fee deal with payments, fare is primarily transportation or food-related, whereas fee encompasses a wide range of professional and service-related charges.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Money paid for travel
Payment for services
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Context
Primarily transportation
Wide range, including professional and administrative services
Variability
May vary based on distance or fixed rates
Can be fixed or vary based on service duration or type
Non-monetary usage
Can refer to food types
Primarily monetary
Calculation
Often by transportation providers
By service providers
Compare with Definitions
Fare
Fare is the cost for transportation.
I paid my fare and boarded the bus.
Fee
Fee pertains to professional costs.
The attorney's fee was higher than expected.
Fare
Fare denotes a journey's price.
The train fare went up by 10% this year.
Fee
Fee is often set by professionals or organizations.
The university fee for the semester is due next week.
Fare
Fare can refer to available food.
The daily fare at the cafe is always fresh.
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.
Fee
A fixed sum charged, as by an institution or by law, for a privilege
A license fee.
Tuition fees.
Fare
The money paid for a journey on public transport
We should go to Seville, but we cannot afford the air fare
Fee
A charge for professional services
A surgeon's fee.
Fare
A range of food of a particular type
Traditional Scottish fare
Fee
A tip; a gratuity.
Fare
Perform in a specified way in a particular situation or over a particular period
The party fared badly in the elections
Fee
(Law) See fee simple.
Fare
Travel
A knight fares forth
Fee
In feudal law, an estate in land granted by a lord to his vassal on condition of homage and service. Also called feud2, fief.
Fare
To get along
How are you faring with your project?.
Fee
The land so held.
Fare
To happen or develop
How does it fare with you?.
Fee
To give a tip to.
Fare
To travel; go.
Fee
(Scots) To hire.
Fare
To dine; eat.
Fee
(feudal law) A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.
Fare
A transportation charge, as for a bus.
Fee
(legal) An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.
Fare
A passenger transported for a fee.
Fee
(legal) An estate of inheritance in land, either absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs (fee simple) or limited to a particular class of heirs (fee tail).
Fare
Food and drink; diet
Simple home-cooked fare.
Fee
(obsolete) Property; owndom; estate.
Fare
(obsolete) A going; journey; travel; voyage; course; passage.
Fee
(obsolete) Money paid or bestowed; payment; emolument.
Fare
(countable) Money paid for a transport ticket.
Train fare
Bus fare
Taxi fare
Fee
(obsolete) A prize or reward. Only used in the set phrase "A finder's fee" in Modern English.
Fare
(countable) A paying passenger, especially in a taxi.
Fee
An additional monetary payment charged for a service or good that is minor compared to the underlying cost.
Fare
(uncountable) Food and drink.
Fee
To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.
Fare
(uncountable) Supplies for consumption or pleasure.
The television channel tended to broadcast unremarkable downmarket fare.
Fee
Property; possession; tenure.
Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee.
Fare
A prostitute's client.
Fee
Reward or compensation for services rendered or to be rendered; especially, payment for professional services, of optional amount, or fixed by custom or laws; charge; pay; perquisite; as, the fees of lawyers and physicians; the fees of office; clerk's fees; sheriff's fees; marriage fees, etc.
To plead for love deserves more fee than hate.
Fare
To go, travel.
Behold! A knight fares forth.
Fee
A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.
Fare
(intransitive) To get along, succeed (well or badly); to be in any state, or pass through any experience, good or bad; to be attended with any circumstances or train of events.
Fee
An estate of inheritance supposed to be held either mediately or immediately from the sovereign, and absolutely vested in the owner.
Fare
To eat, dine.
Fee
An estate of inheritance belonging to the owner, and transmissible to his heirs, absolutely and simply, without condition attached to the tenure.
Buy the fee simple of my life for an hour and a quarter.
Fare
To happen well, or ill.
We shall see how it will fare with him.
Fee
To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.
The patient . . . fees the doctor.
There's not a one of them but in his houseI keep a servant feed.
Fare
(intransitive) To move along; proceed; progress; advance
We will continue to monitor how the hurricane fares against projected models.
Fee
A fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
Fare
To go; to pass; to journey; to travel.
So on he fares, and to the border comesOf Eden.
Fee
An interest in land capable of being inherited
Fare
To be in any state, or pass through any experience, good or bad; to be attended with any circummstances or train of events, fortunate or unfortunate; as, he fared well, or ill.
So fares the stag among the enraged hounds.
I bid you most heartily well to fare.
So fared the knight between two foes.
Fee
Give a tip or gratuity to in return for a service, beyond the agreed-on compensation;
Remember to tip the waiter
Fee the steward
Fare
To be treated or entertained at table, or with bodily or social comforts; to live.
There was a certain rich man which . . . fared sumptuously every day.
Fee
Fee is a charge for services.
The consultation fee was $100.
Fare
To happen well, or ill; - used impersonally; as, we shall see how it will fare with him.
So fares it when with truth falsehood contends.
Fee
Fee may be periodic or one-time.
The annual membership fee covers all club amenities.
Fare
To behave; to conduct one's self.
She ferde [fared] as she would die.
Fee
Fee varies by service type.
The entry fee for the event is different from the VIP access fee.
Fare
A journey; a passage.
That nought might stay his fare.
Fare
The price of passage or going; the sum paid or due for conveying a person by land or water; as, the fare for crossing a river; the fare in a coach or by railway.
Fare
Ado; bustle; business.
The warder chid and made fare.
Fare
Condition or state of things; fortune; hap; cheer.
What fare? what news abroad ?
Fare
Food; provisions for the table; entertainment; as, coarse fare; delicious fare.
Fare
The person or persons conveyed in a vehicle; as, a full fare of passengers.
Fare
The catch of fish on a fishing vessel.
Fare
An agenda of things to do;
They worked rapidly down the menu of reports
Fare
The sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
Fare
A paying (taxi) passenger
Fare
The food and drink that are regularly consumed
Fare
Proceed or get along;
How is she doing in her new job?
How are you making out in graduate school?
He's come a long way
Fare
Eat well
Fare
Fare can be fixed or distance-based.
The subway has a fixed fare regardless of your destination.
Fare
Fare tickets may need validation.
Always validate your fare before boarding the tram.
Common Curiosities
Can fee refer to any payment?
Primarily, a fee is a payment for professional, administrative, or service-related purposes.
Is fare only related to transportation?
Mostly, but "fare" can also refer to the type or range of food.
Can the fare change based on the route?
Yes, some fares are distance-based.
Is an entrance charge to a park a fare or fee?
It's a fee.
Do all buses have a fixed fare?
Not necessarily; it depends on the transportation system.
Can fare also mean how someone performs?
Yes, as in "how did you fare in the test?"
Can fees vary within the same service type?
Yes, fees can vary based on the provider's discretion or service specifics.
Is a taxi charge a fare or fee?
It's a fare.
Are taxes and fees the same?
No, taxes are governmental charges while fees are for specific services.
Is fare always monetary?
In a transportation context, yes, but it can also describe food.
What determines a professional's fee?
Factors can include the service's duration, type, and the professional's expertise.
Are fees refundable?
It depends on the service provider's policies.
Can I pay my subway fare with a card?
Many modern transit systems accept card payments for fares.
Is a restaurant's food selection a fare or fee?
It's a fare, referring to the range of food offered.
Why do some events have a fee?
Fees might cover organizational costs, amenities, or to limit attendance to a manageable number.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
