In spite of what this sign at an Indiana retailer said, there is no $10 surcharge for using mobile payment apps like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay to make a purchase. But the fact that someone at this store believed this to be the case is a good example of how myths and misinformation can affect consumers. [More]
surcharges
FedEx & UPS Sticking With High Fuel Surcharges Even As Gas Prices Drop
By 10.6.15
Even as prices for both diesel gasoline and jet fuel have dropped, the country’s two largest parcel shippers have remained steadfast in maintaining surcharges that will make it more expensive for businesses to fulfill online orders this holiday season. [More]
Ritz-Carlton Investigated For Adding Surcharge During Basketball Tournament
By 3.16.15
In late February, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the oldest African-American athletic conference in the U.S., held its annual basketball tournament in Charlotte, where visitors to the Ritz-Carlton found that they were being subject to an automatic 15% “CIAA Service” surcharge on their bills at the lobby bar. [More]
Hotels Taking Cue From Airlines, Making Mountains Of Money From Add-On Fees
By 8.25.14
Airlines have long since discovered that they can make billions by charging consumers for everything, from daring to have luggage to calling customer service. Now, it seems, their travel partners up the line are joining them in the bold new future, as hotels find ever more creative ways of adding to your bill. [More]
Dish To Refund $2 Million To Washington State Customers Over Sketchy Surcharge
By 4.16.14
In May 2012, Dish customers in Washington state began seeing an additional item on their bills — a mysterious “Washington Surcharge” of between $1.00 and $1.09 a month. The satellite provider stopped this surcharge later that year after the state’s attorney general’s office began investigating, and yesterday it agreed to issue a full refund to customers who’d been hit with the questionable fee. [More]
Have You Seen A Vending Machine That Imposes Credit Card Surcharges?
By 2.27.13
It used to be that if a retailer charged a fee or surcharge to use a credit card, that violated their merchant agreement with the credit card companies, and they got in trouble. Those heady days are over, and it’s now cool for merchants to impose surcharge on your purchases with plastic. And so it begins. Here’s one spotted in the wild on a vending machine. [More]
Visa, MasterCard Agree To Let Merchants Add Surcharges To Credit Card Purchases
By 7.13.12
Earlier this week, we told you that a settlement in a huge lawsuit between merchants and Visa and MasterCard was in the offing and that it could open the door to retailers tacking on surcharges to credit card customers. Well, that proposed settlement has come to pass, meaning you may soon be paying more for the privilege of using your credit card. [More]
Nail Salon Charges Overweight Customers $5 More
By 8.23.10
A Georgia woman says a local nail salon padded her bill by $5, and when she asked what the charge was for, she was told it was because she was too fat for their fancy-fragile salon chairs: “[The salon manager explained] the surcharge was due to costly repairs of broken chairs by overweight customers. She said the chairs have a weight capacity of 200 pounds and cost $2,500 to fix.” [More]
More Airlines Add $10 Travel Surcharge To More Holidays
By 10.10.09
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!
Got Solar Panels? Utility Wants To Charge You For Not Using Their Energy
By 7.26.09
Midwest utility Xcel Energy wants to charge anyone using solar panels a monthly fee for sustainably generating their own energy. According to company spokesman Tom Henley, “We just don’t think it’s fair that customers that don’t have solar panels on their homes should subsidize these solar panel customers any further.” Huh?
Have Airlines Run Out Of Annoying Fees?
By 3.21.09
So, it’s not exactly good news, but between the toilet tax and priority boarding fees, Reuters thinks that airlines may have run out of “perks” worth excluding from a ticket’s base price. The bad news? All those new airline fees aren’t going anywhere. American Airlines, which last year pocketed an extra billion in “ancillary revenue,” calls them “a pretty big success story.”
Jetblue Changes Policy, Will Stop Charging $50 If You Check A Box With A Foldable Bike
By 1.10.09
Jetblue charged Carl $50 to check a small box. If Carl hadn’t mentioned that there was a small foldable bike in the box, his package would have been checked for free…
Royal Caribbean To Levy Late-Night Room Service Charge
By 1.10.09
Royal Caribbean’s odd “steak fee” proved to be such a success that the bleed-’em-dry cruise line has decided to add yet another extraneous charge to their “all-inclusive” service: a late night room service fee! Gone are the days of waking up from a seasick-induced nightmare at 3 a.m. to the comforting thought of, “well at least I can order a cheeseburger.” Now, seasickness cures ordered between midnight and 5 a.m. cost $3.95.
ExxonMobil Gift Card Results In Higher Prices At Pump
By 12.29.08
ExxonMobil says their gift cards are “better than cash.” They also say, “This cash card is not a credit card.” But Rob in NY was hit with a credit card surcharge when he used his.
United Adds $800 In Fees To $560 Trip, Loses Customer For Life
By 11.14.08
And let’s not forget the exorbitant booking fee for using miles for one of our tickets. The actual FLIGHT was only $280 round trip per ticket, but with the booking fee TO USE THE MILES TO PURCHASE A TICKET, we wound up paying over $500.
By 10.28.08
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The price of jet fuel is down, but those fuel surcharges? Nope. They’re up. [USAToday] (Thanks, J!)
How Would You Like Your Inflation Served?
By 7.20.08
The Mexican restaurant chain Chachos is now charging a 7.5% inflation surcharge on all meals with cheese. Skyrocketing commodity prices present restaurants with a menu of unappetizing choices: raise prices, levy surcharges, reduce portions? How would you like your inflation served? Vote in our poll, after the jump.
Is This $0.10 Credit/Debit Surcharge On Gasoline Allowed?
By 7.15.08
Reader Brian wants to know how to tell a “surcharge” applied to a credit/debt card transaction vs a convenience charge?
