Prepare to shift that carry-on bag to your other hand as you reach for your wallet because today is the day Spirit rolls out their new fee for carry-on bags. Billed as an ostensible solution to gate delays, the worst problem you never experienced, the fee ranges from $20 to $45. [More]
Bank of America Makes You Renew Stop Payments On Checks Twice A Year
By July 28, 2010
At many banks once you stop payment on a specific check, it’s dead forever. Bank of America has a different policy, though, the New York Times reports. Once you stop payment on a check, that’s just the beginning of a lifetime ordeal. You’ll have to renew your stoppage every six months, otherwise the check is fair game to be cashed or deposited once again. [More]
Are Travel Boycotts Hurting Arizona Hotels? Will They?
By July 28, 2010
The controversial immigration law passed by Arizona’s government back in April has lead to over 20 organizations (including cities, towns, school districts, churches and universities) joining a travel boycott of the state. But is it hurting business? Too soon to tell, says USAToday. [More]
Don't Give Greyhound Tickets As Gifts
By July 27, 2010
If you buy a Greyhound bus ticket for someone else, Greyhound will charge you a flat $18 “gift ticket fee,” which must be the worst named fee in the history of transportation. On short rides, like a one-way trip from Cambridge, MA to Hartford, CT, it bumps the price up from $22 to $40. [More]
Report Says The Poor Subsidize Credit Card Reward Programs
By July 27, 2010
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says that credit card reward programs have a sneaky hidden cost that the card holder doesn’t have to bear. This occurs because the fee that a retailer pays to run a credit card varies with every card, and reward cards cost more to process–in other words, the card issuer passes the cost of the rewards program on to the retailer. The retailer adapts by raising prices across the board, which distributes the cost of the reward program among all shoppers. [More]
United Airlines Is The King Of Fees
By July 22, 2010
A newly released study shows that airlines around the globe are raking in cash from ancillary revenue like baggage fees. Worldwide, carriers collected $13.5 billion in fees last year, an increase of 43% over the previous year. And sitting high atop that pile was United Airlines. [More]
Your Complete Big-Ass Guide To Annoying Airline Fees
By July 14, 2010
As reported earlier today, the Government Accountability Office thinks airlines could do a lot more to be transparent about the fees they charge. And buried about 45 pages deep in the GAO’s report are two very helpful tables detailing fees for checked bags and other items that U.S.-based airlines charge extra for. [More]
Government Study Says Airline Fees Should Be Disclosed To Consumers
By July 14, 2010
A new study from the Government Accountability Office says that the “optional” fees that airlines have invented for checked and carry-on bags; meals; blankets; early boarding; and seat selection are not adequately disclosed and consumers are not able to easily compare the total cost of flights offered by different carriers. [More]
United Gate Bag Template 1" Shorter Than Check-In's, Makes You Gate Check Bag
By July 13, 2010
He thought he was golden but radio host Todd Schnitt had to check his carry-on unexpectedly because the baggage check template at the gate was one inch shorter than the one at check-in. [More]
Fly Your Bike For Free On JetBlue In July
By July 7, 2010
It’s Tour de France time in, well, France. And though JetBlue can’t get you to the world-famous bicycle race, they’ll help get you in the spirit this month by allowing you to bring your bike with you free of charge. [More]
7 Tips For Saving On Airline Baggage Fees
By July 2, 2010
The other day we wrote about the new UPS Luggage Box, which gives users the option of checking, carrying-on or shipping your baggage for your plane trip. But over at MSNBC, they’ve come up with a whole list of ways to not get beaten down by the baggage fee system. [More]
Continental Introduces New, Fancier Cocktails… For A Fee, Of Course
By July 1, 2010
A lot of air travelers partake of liquor while flying, whether it’s to calm the nerves or just something to make watching the latest Robert Pattinson movie on a 6″ screen palatable. But for those passengers who find a gin and tonic lacks the razmatazz to match their personality, Continental will soon have the solution… and be willing to charge you premium for it. [More]
UPS Wants To Replace Your Luggage With Their Luggage Box
By June 30, 2010
As checked baggage fees continue to rise — and with nickel-and-dime carriers beginning to charge for carry-ons — it’s becoming more and more popular for air travelers to ship some of their belongings directly to and from their destinations. Now, UPS has taken it to the next level, introducing a cardboard suitcase that gives you the options of checking, carrying-on or shipping. [More]
Silly DirecTV Forgot To Waive My HD Fee
By June 24, 2010
In the rush to drop HD fees to attract new customers, DirecTV pulled a boner and forgot to remove the charges for at least one customer. Andrew says he called the company, reminded it of the oversight and got it to take HD charges off his account. [More]
Yankees And Mets Among Baseball's Biggest Online Ticket Fee Gougers
By June 23, 2010
A new study released by Rep. Weiner shows that Yankees and Mets fans are bleeding more than just their team colors, they’re also getting gouged with some of the highest online ticketing fees in baseball. [More]
Want To Board Your Flight Early? There's A Fee For That
By June 18, 2010
There is apparently no end to the airline industries love of additional fees. At least the latest add-on to your ticket price isn’t for a privilege that had previously been free of charge. Instead, American Airlines has actually decided to add an option that may be worth the cash for some travelers — early boarding. [More]
Report: Growing Number Of Doctors Adding A La Carte Fees
By June 7, 2010
Lest you think nickle-and-dime fees for services that were once free is the sole purview of the airline industry, a new report in USA Today claims that the more and more physicians in the U.S. are going the route of charging money for services they say aren’t covered by health insurance. [More]
FTC: Countrywide Mowed Your Lawn, Marked Up The Cost And Called It A Fee
By June 7, 2010
The FTC says that Countrywide (now part of Bank of America) has agreed to pay $108 million to settle charges that the company “collected excessive fees from cash-strapped borrowers were were struggling to keep their homes.” So, what exactly did they do? Well apparently, while acting as a mortgage servicer, the company actually hired vendors to service properties after the homeowners had fallen behind on their mortgages, marked up the cost of the services (lawn mowing and property inspections, for example,) and then passed the cost along as fees. Doesn’t sound legal? It wasn’t. [More]
