With so many people lining up at the airport today and tomorrow to fly home to stuff their stomachs with, well… stuffing, one U.S. Senator has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at reining in the checked bag fees charged by airlines. [More]
land of the fee
Justice Dept. To Put Debit Card Fees Under Antritrust Microscope
By 11.22.11
Even though Bank of America and a few others have — for now — ditched their plans to charge customers a monthly fee for making purchases with debit cards, the Justice Department has decided to look at the possible antitrust considerations surrounding the controversial proposals. [More]
The 5 Best & Worst U.S. Cities For ATM Fees
By 9.26.11
Though you won’t find any part of the country where residents don’t gripe and grouse about ATM fees, the results of a new survey show exactly which cities have the most (and least) to complain about. [More]
U.S. Airways CEO: We Don't Overcharge, We Pass On Costs
By 8.23.11
If any of you had some sort of pipe dream that there might be a day when airlines wouldn’t charge ancillary fees for services that used to be included in the ticket price, U.S. Airways CEO Doug Parker has made it clear the charges aren’t going anywhere because they benefit everyone in the long run. [More]
Wells Fargo To Test $3 Monthly Debit Card Fee
By 8.17.11
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. [More]
Senator: Travelers Should Be Reimbursed Fees For All Lost & Mishandled Bags
By 7.18.11
Even though a new rule is about to kick in that refunds airline baggage fees for any traveler whose luggage vanishes forever, New York Senator Chuck Schumer thinks it’s not enough and that airlines should be reimbursing fees even if you get your bags back a day or two later. [More]
Airlines Can't Convince Court They Are Being Overcharged For TSA Screening
By 7.6.11
Even though the screeners at airport security checkpoints in the U.S. are employees of the Transportation Security Administration and those fancy new see-through-your-clothes machines are technically paid for by the feds, the airlines still have to fork over hundreds of millions of dollars per year for security theater. Several of them claim the TSA is overcharging to the tune of $115 million. An appeals court disagrees. [More]
9 Of The Most Annoying Bank Fees
By 6.13.11
The banks of America are breaking new ground every day in the science of nickel-and-diming consumers with fees that start from the second you open an account to the moment you angrily close your account… only to move it to another bank with a different set of fees. But since there are so many ways in which financial institutions can bleed your account dry, the folks at CNN Money have come up with their list of the most annoying fees. [More]
Anthem Blue Cross To Start Charging $15/Month To Pay Bill By Credit Card
By 6.8.11
Anthem Blue Cross, along with its parent company, perennial Worst Company In America contender WellPoint, is known for many things — trying to jack up rates on policyholders by upward of 30%, practicing rescission on breast cancer patients, and leaking customers’ credit card information online. Basically everything except for providing quality health insurance. You can soon add another item to Anthem’s long list of qualifications when it stops allowing credit card payments, except for those willing to pay a $15 convenience fee. [More]
Chase Ends $4 And $5 ATM Fee Tests… For Now
By 5.3.11
After nearly two months, Chase has finally stopped charging exorbitant ATM fees to non-customers in Illinois and Texas. But that doesn’t mean the fees won’t be back soon. [More]
Senator Durbin To Chase CEO: You're Already Gouging The Consumer, So Stop Complaining
By 4.13.11
The main reason that JPMorgan Chase and other big banks have given for things like $5 ATM fees and prohibitive caps on debit card purchases is a soon-to-be-enacted bit of legislation known as the Durbin Amendment, which limits the amount of money banks can make off of interchange fees, the amount they charge retailers for each debit card transaction. Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has called the laws “price fixing at its worst” and “downright idiotic.” Now Dick Durbin, the Illinois senator whose name graces the legislation, has come out swinging at Dimon, telling the bank exec to quit whining and enjoy being profitable. [More]
Would You Pay $20/Night To Guarantee A Non-Smoking Room?
By 2.9.11
You can almost imagine the moment when some executive at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was walking by the check-in counter and heard an employee ask a guest, “Will that be smoking or non-smoking?” And in that moment, yet another idea for a tack-on fee was born. [More]
Holiday Inn Will Pay Your Baggage Fees If You Stay With Them
By 8.24.10
In an attempt to alleviate the annoyance of checked baggage fees, all while drumming up some business, Holiday Inn — along with other IHG-brand hotels — will pay up to $50 of your fees if you book a weekend stay with your Visa card. [More]
United Airlines Is The King Of Fees
By 7.22.10
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]
