Back in March, Wells Fargo announced it was killing off its debit rewards programs, but apparently that was not enough. Now the bank has said it will test a monthly $3 fee — in addition to any service fees — just for having a debit card.

The test will begin running in October in five states — Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

From the AP:

The industry’s experimentation with fees is partly a response to a new regulation that will sharply reduce the revenue that banks collect on checking accounts. Starting this fall, a new cap will limit how much banks can collect from merchants whenever a customer swipes a debit card. It’s not clear exactly how much banks will lose. In 2009 banks collected an estimated $19.7 billion in such fees from merchants, according to the Nilson Report, which tracks the payments industry.

The Wells Fargo announcement comes as studies show more consumers using debit cards to make purchases.

Wells Fargo to test $3 debit card fee [Yahoo]

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