Slide Show | June 2008

Eight Pesky Fees

Are You Serious?

A few dollars here, a few there. Complaining about small fees seems petty, and fighting them may take more energy than they're worth. But we encountered some niggling fees that make us see red, and we don't want to pay them anymore.

See which fees we'd like to toss. Start this slide show in the navigation at the bottom.
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Eight Pesky Fees

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Eight Pesky Fees

Credit Card Usage Fees

Using your credit card to pay your IRS tab at authorized Web sites, such as www.incometaxpayment.com and www.pay1040.com, triggers a charge of 2.49% on top of your payment.

These vendors are passing along the credit-card processing fee charged by VISA, Master Card, Discover and American Express. All retailers and service companies pay these fees, but do not directly pass on to consumers.
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Credit Card Usage Fees

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Eight Pesky Fees

Paying for the Billing Statement

Internet service provider EarthLink nicks you $1 a month for receiving paper statements and another buck if you pay by check.

The only way to avoid these fees is to opt for e-statements and electronic payments. Or, find a new provider.
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Paying for the Billing Statement

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Eight Pesky Fees

A Monthly Fee on Gift Cards

You receive a gift card and decide to save it for a rainy day, only to find out it's no longer worth the original amount.

Chase's Visa Gift Card starts charging a $2.50 monthly fee if you don't use it within the first year (of when it was bought, not when you got it).
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A Monthly Fee on Gift Cards

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Eight Pesky Fees

One Call, Two Charges

What happens if you're traveling or working in an area with poor cell phone reception? You can forward those calls to a land line -- but it may cost you.

Using call forwarding on your Sprint cell phone will cost 20 cents a minute -- in addition to eating up airtime you paid for in your plan. You are essentially paying twice for the phone call.
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One Call, Two Charges

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Eight Pesky Fees

The Hidden Fee on a No-Fee Loan

A home equity line of credit has a higher interest rate than a mortgage loan does but you don't pay points to originate the loan. Or do you?

Chase charges a $50 annual fee for a home-equity line of credit -- a sneaky way to recoup revenue on a "no-fee" loan.
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The Hidden Fee on a No-Fee Loan

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Eight Pesky Fees

Airline Baggage Fees

Many airlines have begun charging customers for checking a second bag, which is annoying. But now there are some that charge for the first one.

Among these are United, American, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. For prices see Airline Baggage Policies.
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Airline Baggage Fees

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Eight Pesky Fees

The Free Checking Account Fee

When you see the word "free," be sure to read the fine print.

Wachovia Bank charges $5.95 per month to holders of free checking accounts who download their information into personal-finance software programs, such as Microsoft Money and Quicken.
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The Free Checking Account Fee

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Eight Pesky Fees

Paying to Earn Rewards Points

Buying rewards points can help you get that first-class upgrade, but paying extra money to earn the points in the first place falls under the "rip-off" category.

Alamo charges $2 when you use your car rental to earn frequent flyer points.
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Paying to Earn Rewards Points

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