Consumerist
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online booking
Expedia Drops Fee For Booking By Phone
This morning, travel service Expedia announced it will abandon its book by phone fee, which it first implemented last May. This makes it the only major online travel agency to not ding customers with a fee for booking flights over the phone, notes consumer travel advocate Christopher Elliott. More » -
overlimit fees
Update: Capital One: Waive Your Rights, Get $10 Off Your Next Overlimit Fee!
Here's the straight scoop on what's up with the story in that "Capital One: Waive Your Rights, Get $10 Off Your Next Overlimit Fee!" post. More » -
false advertising
Hilton Complimentary Internet Access In Lobby Costs $10 A Day
At Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel, everything is complimentary! That's because to them "complimentary" actually means "for a price." Last week, a linguistics professor tried to take advantage of their "Complimentary High-speed Internet access on the lobby level," which is how they describe the service on their website. He quickly discovered that he'd have to agree to a $9.99 charge in order to get the free service. More » -
overlimit fees
Capital One: Waive Your Rights, Get $10 Off Your Next Overlimit Fee!
Everett says Capital One called him up and made him an offer. If he opted out of at least one of the consumer credit protections enacted by the CARD act, Capital One would drop the overlimit fees from $39 to $29! Woo! More » -
fees
Airlines Could Start Charging Extra For Credit Cards
Could extra fees for using a credit card to pay become the airline industry's hot new trend? More » -
bank of america
BoA EECB Gets $525 In Overdrafts Refunded
Bank of America charged Kelsey 15 overdraft fees totaling $525. Which was weird, because Kelsey had overdraft protection on the account. A BoA customer service rep would to refund $140 as a "courtesy" but that's not very courteous when you're still out $385. That's when Kelsey decided to whip out the ol' EECB and kick some ass: More » -
this is not a way to save
Wachovia's "Way2Save" Account Triggers Over $5,000 In Penalty Fees
Wachovia has a new financial product called Way2Save that automatically moves $1 from your checking account into a high interest personal savings account every time you make an electronic bill payment. Susan tried to maximize her contributions by making a lot of little bill payments, but Wachovia cut off access to her funds without notice and triggered an avalanche of penalty fees. Now she owes over $5,000 to her credit card companies, far more than she would likely have ever earned through Wachovia's complicated savings program, and of course Wachovia is denying any responsibility. More » -
gift cards
No Visa Or MasterCard Gift Cards This Year, Please
If you want to spread some fiscally sound good cheer this year, consider asking your friends, relatives, and coworkers not to give gift cards backed by the major credit card companies. Why am I making such a sour suggestion? Because a new study from two consumer advocacy groups indicates that most of the population still doesn't recognize what a money trap those little plastic cards can be. More » -
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overdraft fees
Bank Of America Uses Temporary Hold To Trigger Overdraft Fee?
Bank of America got so fee crazy last week that it applied a $10 overdraft fee to Christopher's account even though it wasn't overdrafted. I went back and forth with Christopher to try to figure out what BoA could have done to trigger this, but as you can see from the screen cap below, he only had two debits on the day of the event. More » -
memberships
24 Hour Fitness Sued For Charging Ex-Customers Fees
The gym chain made famous on NBC's "Biggest Loser" is being sued for continuing to debit the bank accounts of customers who have canceled their memberships. The US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, has given the green light to a class action lawsuit that says the chain is violating both the RICO Act and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act by keeping these zombie memberships active. More » -
fee traps
Chase Sets Early Payment Trap, Customer Falls Into It
Daniel's Providian/WaMu credit card was recently absorbed into Chase's swollen belly, and they welcomed him to their family by catching him in a technicality that cost him $39. Here's a good example of why you need to pay attention to statement cycles, even if your bank won't tell you to. More » -
annual fees
Bank Of America Will Introduce Annual Fees Next Year On Some Cards
Bank of America has announced that it plans on "testing" annual fees on some of its reward cards starting next year. The odds are good you won't see this—a BoA spokeswoman says it will only be tested on 1 percent of accounts globally—but who knows? Maybe the BoA Fairy will smack you down. More » -
rate hikes
Capital One Invents Its Own Christmas Creep, Raises Interest Rate On December 26th
When Wally first got his Capital One credit card, the interest rate was 12 percent. Then they raised it to 22.9 percent. Now they're going to raise it again—the day after Christmas—to 25.9 percent. More » -
travel
Expect Airlines To Keep Hiking Ticket Prices As Holidays Approach
This year it's a seller's market when it comes to buying airline tickets, reports the New York Times, so if you must travel via plane, buy early and try to be as flexible as possible. More » -
travel
More Airlines Add $10 Travel Surcharge To More Holidays
Since consumers didn't whine too much about the addition of $10 "just because" fees airlines imposed on busy travel days, they've added fees on more days. Goody for us! More » -
how it works
The Consumer Financial Protection Agency And You
Legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) is making its way through Congress. Interested parties have spoken out ("It sucks!" "It's awesome!"). Now the White House wants to know what you think. More » -
hidden fees
Prepaid Debit Cards Are Money Sucking Black Holes In Your Pocket
Be very careful about activating any sort of over-the-counter prepaid debit card, reports the New York Times. They looked at a handful of prepaids currently on the market and discovered ridiculously high hidden fees—the first two months of use can cost you up to $80. More » -
fees
Consumerist: Better Than Your Dad (At Fighting Bank Of America)
Sometimes, your dad's advice doesn't apply anymore. Companies have realized that giving a damn is too expensive. That's when it's time to kick ass, Consumerist style. Craig writes: More »
fees
New York, 5:08 AM
Mon Nov 9
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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