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9 Sneaky Fees and How to Avoid Them

by: The Kiplinger Washington Editors

January 1, 2012

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } January 1, 2012

Hands of two men counting, giving and taking dollars (Count money)

By Susannah Snider
March 2011

Corporate America has learned that one of the easiest ways to boost profits is to nickel and dime its customers with pesky fees. But if you know they’re coming, you can usually avoid them. Click to the right to see some of our top picks for sneaky fees.

1 of 10

Airline Luggage Fees

Woman holding concert tickets

? Mike Kemp - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

table at Airfarewatchdog.com

2 of 10

Event Ticket Fees

Car salesman smiling at customer

? John Lund/Marc Romane - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

3 of 10

Car Dealer Charges

Signing a Check with a Fountain Pen

? CORBIS - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

4 of 10

Checking Fees on "Free" Accounts

Woman using telephone

? ImageSource - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

5 of 10

Directory Assistance

? Crocodile Images - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

6 of 10

Pay to Pay

Portrait of a businessman grinning in front of an arrival departure board

? PhotosIndia com - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

7 of 10

Frequent-Flier Fees

Close_up of a 1040 tax form

? Mike Kemp - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

8 of 10

Using Plastic to Pay Taxes

Smiling Telemarketer

? CORBIS - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

9 of 10

Speaking With an Operator

senior woman with hands full of dollars

? Mike Kemp - www.agefotostock.com

How to avoid these fees:

10 of 10

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