The worst fees and how to avoid paying them
I was interested to read a couple of years ago that the line people hate most is the line at the post office. I can understand that. There’s nothing interesting to look at, it moves at the pace of a glacier and the questions people ask of the staff make your fingers twitch to be around their necks.
But what of fees? What fees to people hate most, and how can they be avoided? Read on people, and thank CNN Money for coming to the rescue.
Being charged for doing nothing
Every personal finance analyst is telling you to try and limit your credit spending, so you’ve been so good, and then the credit company punishes you for not using your card by slapping on a fee. Fight back by voting with your feet- change credit card providers and get yourself out of their greedy clutches.
Paying to close
I hate paying to close things- lines of credit being the one people most commonly say they hate. I think the same thing about phone plans. The thought of the money I would have to pay should I cancel the contract makes my blood boil in my skin. There’s not much you can do about the contract, but talk to your bank about whether or not you can waive the fee should you be setting up a different kind of loan.
Paying to be rewarded
Your frequent flyer points are meant to be a reward for spending money, so how much does it kill you inside when they then ask you to pay some money to redeem them? Administration costs are the bane of any sane person’s existence, and this is no exception. The solution? Stick to one provider, and use your points judiciously.
Paying to check
I’m not talking about excess baggage here- that’s something I can understand. After all, you’re flying in what is basically a tube of steel, through the air- I would prefer it if there wasn’t too much excess baggage going on. That said, the cheaper airlines have started to charge money on any baggage. If you can make sure that you take account for it when you buy that ticket, it may not be too big a deal. That, or travel on carriers that don’t charge you an arm and a leg just to exist.
Phone plans
I know I mentioned it earlier, but I’m going it mention it again. Phone. Companies. Are. The. Devil. Keep a record of the times your calls have dropped out, you haven’t had reception where you should have. Recite the list to the customer rep. After all, they have broken their side of the bargain by not providing you with good service. Make them pay for it. Or, make them pay however you can. Vengeance is sweet.
ATM Fees
I swear the Commonwealth Bank hides its ATMs, forcing me to use a different bank’s ATM and spending my hard-earned dollars on some ridiculous fee that must be paying for those CEO pay-outs. This is probably the fee that people hate the most. It’s certainly the one I hate most. How to fight back? Download an ATM Finder on your iPhone. Get out a reasonable amount of cash each time you go.
Don’t leave your home town without getting money out, and don’t assume there will be one when you arrive. You know ATMs can make themselves invisible when you need them most- don’t give them a chance.
What fees do you hate the most?
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