Consumerist
-
gift cards
Federal Reserve Proposes Rules On Gift Cards
Here's your chance to sound off on another consumer protection issue. In accordance with the CARD Act, today the Federal Reserve proposed new rules that would protect consumers from fees and expiration dates on gift cards, and they'll soon be accepting comments on the rules. More » -
fees
Ally Bank Debits Account Before Customer Verifies That It's Hers
Sometimes a company verifies that a bank account by making a couple of small deposits in it, then asking you to report back the deposit amounts. Don't rely on that verification process to block any activity in the meantime, though. That's what Suzette did with Ally bank, and she ended up with a $35 stop payment fee from her own bank. More » -
airlines
Congress Investigates Airline Fees In Search Of Tax Revenue
Congress is concerned about the new fees that airlines seem to enjoy piling on their passengers. But not out of any sense of concern for consumers' wallets. The problem is the lost tax revenue that airports are missing out on when airlines increase their prices through the use of fees instead of by raising fares. More » -
federal reserve
Starting July 1, 2010 Overdraft Fees Will Require Consumer Consent
The Federal Reserve has announced a new rule requiring overdraft fees on one-time debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals to be "opt-in." The new rule will take effect July 1, 2010. "The final overdraft rules represent an important step forward in consumer protection," said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke in a prepared statement. "Both new and existing account holders will be able to make informed decisions about whether to sign up for an overdraft service." More » -
savings accounts
Don't Let Maintenance Fees Ruin Your Automatic Savings Program
If you participate in an automatic savings program like Bank of America's Keep the Change service, where debit card purchases are rounded up and the difference is deposited into your savings account, keep an eye on maintenance fees. James says he was hit with a $5 charge last month because he hadn't met the minimum monthly deposit requirement of $25: "It turns out that I wasn't even accruing $5 worth of change per month, so I was losing more money due to the maintenance fee than I was saving via Keep the Change!" More » -
airline fees
American Airlines And The Tale Of The $100 "Prepaid Baggage Fee"
Reader Jeremy says that his attempts to be polite and have everything taken care of for someone who was doing his organization a big favor were made more difficult by a secret, unpublished "prepaid baggage fee" that American Airlines attempted to charge him. More » -
testing the water
Is Bank Of America Of Trying To Skirt The CARD Act With New Annual Fees?
In a series of recent posts, WalletBlog has accused Bank of America of breaking the spirit of its "no new fees" promise and of potentially breaking the law next year, after it announced it will introduce annual fees on some existing credit card accounts in 2010. More » -
fees
Citibank To Charge Fees On Checking Accounts
If you're a Citibank customer who has one of the bank's two smaller checking account plans—the ones where the monthly fee is waived as long as you use direct deposit or their online bill payment—then maybe it's time to consider taking your business elsewhere. Starting in February, anyone with an average balance of less than $1500 will be assessed a monthly $7.50 service fee, reports the New York Post. More » -
-
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 » -
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 »
fees
New York, 3:34 PM
Sat Nov 21
16 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@consumerist.com
tipline: 347-42C-ON95
Co-Managing Editor:
Ben Popken
Email | AIM | Twitter
Co-Managing Editor:
Meghann Marco
Email | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Chris Walters
Email | Twitter
Weekend Editor:
Laura Northrup
Email | AIM | Twitter
Associate Editor:
Alex Chasick | Email
Associate Editor:
Phil Villarreal
Email
