Americans spend billions of dollars every year on stealthy fees that are added to bills for everything from airline seats to concert tickets.
The Biden administration has targeted so-called junk fees as part of its effort to fight inflation, but some of its initiatives, such as a cap on credit card late fees, have been challenged in court.
Here are steps you can take to minimize fees or skip them altogether.
Travel fees
Airline seat-selection fees
Typical amount: $10 to $50 for standard seats; $20 to $100 or more for seats with extra legroom or in preferred locations, such as at the front of the plane or in exit rows
Southwest Airlines recently announced that it is shifting from an open seating policy to assigned seats and seats for purchase — the model other major airlines use. The primary way to avoid a seat-selection fee is to opt out of choosing a seat. But if you’re not willing to risk being placed in the middle seat on a cross-country flight, you can purchase a ticket that includes seat selection.
With the exception of budget airlines such as Spirit, most major airlines include some degree of seat selection with main-cabin tickets. You’ll usually have your pick of many seats on the plane, especially if you book well ahead of time. However, you may still have to pay extra for the most-favorable seats. And if you book a basic economy fare, fees are usually unavoidable if you want to choose your seat.
Some airlines, including American and JetBlue, guarantee that parents can sit next to their children on a flight at no extra charge. With others, family members who want to be sure that they’ll be seated together have to book tickets that include seat selection or pay fees to choose their seats.
That may soon change: The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a rule that would require airlines to allow children age 13 or younger to sit next to a parent or accompanying adult for no extra fee.
In the meantime, if you’re flying with an airline that doesn’t offer such a guarantee and you don’t pony up for seat selection, you can try asking to be seated with your family at the gate before boarding the plane.
Airline baggage fees
Typical amount: $25 to $35 for first checked bag; $50 to $150 each for additional checked baggage. One checked bag per ticket is typically included with the fare for an international flight; additional fees for international flights vary widely.
Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge for a checked bag, but with other airlines you’re generally on the hook for a fee to check luggage when flying domestically. You can usually avoid baggage fees by packing everything you need in a carry-on and a personal item that fits underneath the seat in front of you. (Some airlines, including JetBlue and United, do not include a carry-on bag with basic economy tickets.)
Some credit cards that are co-branded with airlines — including Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express ($150 annual fee, waived the first year), United Explorer ($95, waived the first year) and Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite ($99, waived the first year) — offer a free checked bag as a perk. And if you have elite status with the airline, you can often check bags at no extra charge.
In-flight Wi-Fi fees
Typical amount: $8 to $10
Overall, in-flight Wi-Fi has gotten faster, better and less expensive, says Sean Cudahy, aviation reporter for travel website The Points Guy. JetBlue has offered free Wi-Fi for years. Delta Air Lines plans to have free Wi-Fi on most of its domestic mainline flights by the end of 2024 and on most international and regional flights by the end of 2025. You need a Delta SkyMiles account to access it, but there’s no charge to join.
If you’re flying with an airline that charges for Wi-Fi, see whether your credit card will reimburse or discount the fees. For example, the United Quest card ($250) offers up to $125 in statement credits each year for United purchases you make with the card, including in-flight Wi-Fi.
Hotel resort fees
Typical amount: $20 to $50 per night
About 6% of hotels and resorts charge resort fees, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. These properties — which are typically located in cities that are popular with tourists, such as Las Vegas, Miami and Orlando — tack on the charges to cover amenities such as Wi-Fi and access to a fitness center.
At ResortFeeChecker.com, you can look up properties to see how much they charge. If you don’t expect to use the amenities the fee covers, ask the hotel to remove it from your bill. Hilton and Hyatt hotels waive the fee if you book a stay with loyalty rewards points or a free-night award.
Rental-car insurance
Typical amount: Between $13 and $30 per day
If you own a car, you likely don’t need additional insurance when you rent a car in the U.S. because your own auto insurance policy will cover loss or damage to the rental car. However, if your personal auto policy lacks collision and comprehensive insurance, your rental car may be underinsured in an accident or mishap.
For travel both inside and outside of the U.S., you might be covered if you pay for the reservation with a credit card that offers rental-car insurance, although most cards exclude Italy, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, Israel, Jamaica and New Zealand. Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) and Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550) offer some of the strongest car-rental benefits among credit cards.
Additional-driver fees
Typical amount: $5 to $15 per person, per day
Many rental car companies charge a fee to allow someone other than the person listed on the contract to drive the car. But some, including Dollar, Hertz, Sixt and Thrifty, don’t charge the fee to spouses or domestic partners who are members of their loyalty or rewards programs. Avis and Budget waive the fee for Costco Wholesale members who rent through Costco Travel. Alamo and Enterprise don’t charge the fee in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Ireland and Spain.
Foreign-transaction fees
Typical amount: 1% to 3% of the transaction amount
When you make a purchase with a merchant outside the U.S. or withdraw money from an ATM abroad, you’re often subject to a foreign-transaction fee. To avoid the fee, use a debit or credit card with no foreign-transaction fees.
Many travel-focused credit cards offer this perk, and Capital One and Discover don’t charge the fee on any of their credit cards. Among checking accounts, customers who use Schwab Bank Investor Checking or Capital One 360 Checking don’t pay foreign-transaction fees when they use their debit cards.
One more tip: If a merchant abroad asks whether you’d like to pay in U.S. dollars or in the local currency, always choose the local currency. Otherwise, you’ll likely be charged a dynamic currency-conversion fee, which is typically higher than a standard foreign-transaction fee because you are being charged for the convenience of paying in your home currency.
Dining and entertainment
Food-delivery fees
Typical amount: Delivery fees range from about $2 to $8, and you may pay a service charge of 15% to 30%, too
You’ll pay extra for the convenience of having services such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats deliver restaurant meals to your doorstep. You may be able to dodge delivery fees by searching for deals in the “offers” section of the delivery service’s app. Restaurant chains such as Cheesecake Factory and Jimmy John’s, for example, offer free delivery when you place your first order with them on DoorDash.
If you order takeout frequently, consider joining a subscription plan such as DashPass, Grubhub+ or Uber One (all are $9.99 a month), which waive the delivery fee on eligible orders. Check whether any of your credit cards or other memberships come with free or discounted subscriptions. Amazon Prime members, for example, can use GrubHub+ free. Some Chase credit cards provide a free DashPass subscription.
Ordering food directly from restaurants’ apps and websites may help you skip extra fees, too. Applebee’s delivers food free if your order totals at least $40, for example, and McDonald’s provides free delivery for new users of the McDonald’s app.
Peer-to-peer transfer fees
Typical amount: 3% of the amount transferred to send money with a credit card; about 0.5% to 1.75% for an instant transfer from the app to your bank account
Peer-to-peer payment apps, such as Cash App, Venmo and Zelle, make it remarkably easy to transfer money to friends and family — say, to split the bill after a dinner out. However, if you use a credit card to send money through a payment app, you’ll often pay a fee of about 3%. You can often skip the fee by transferring funds directly from your bank account or debit card (note, however, that PayPal charges a fee for debit card transfers).
When your friends send money to you, be aware that an instant transfer from the app balance to your bank account costs extra in most cases. If you’re not in a hurry, use a standard transfer instead — it may take one to three business days for the funds to reach your bank account, but you pay no fee.
One exception: Zelle allows customers of participating banks to send money instantly to each other’s checking accounts — even among different institutions — typically for free.
Ticket convenience fees
Typical amount: An average 27% of the ticket price, according to the Government Accountability Office
Online sellers of tickets for concerts, movies and other events often charge service or convenience fees, as well as a facility charge to cover the venue’s costs. If you resell a ticket on Ticketmaster’s platform, you’ll pay a resale fee, too.
Try buying tickets at the venue’s box office instead. It may be less convenient than purchasing tickets online, but you’ll likely pay less in fees.
Credit cards
Late-payment fees
Typical amount: An average of $32, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Credit card companies usually charge a late fee if you fail to make the minimum bill payment by the due date. To avoid paying late, arrange automatic payments, or put a monthly reminder on your calendar.
If you miss a payment, ask your card issuer to remove the fee, says Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. A 2024 LendingTree survey found that 89% of cardholders who asked their card company to waive a late fee were successful.
As a policy, some issuers, such as Discover, will waive the fee the first time you make a late payment. But missing a payment by 30 or more days will likely hurt your credit score, so you shouldn’t make a habit of it.
Annual fees
Typical amount: $105, according to the CFPB
Some credit cards charge an annual fee in exchange for rewards that are more plentiful than those you’d get with a no-fee card, such as travel perks or extra cash back, points or miles on certain purchases. Consider whether the value of your card’s rewards outweigh the annual fee. If they don’t, switch to a card that charges no annual fee.
Another idea: Try asking the issuer to remove the fee for one year, Rossman suggests. If you’re a long-term cardholder and pay your bills on time, you may have better odds of getting the fee waived, he says.
Cash-advance fees
Typical amount: The greater of 3% to 5% of the transaction amount or $10
A cash advance is a quick way to tap into your credit line if you need to get cash in a pinch, but you’ll typically pay a hefty fee for the convenience. Worse, interest starts to accrue immediately. Whenever possible, withdraw cash from your bank account instead.
Likewise, if your card issuer mails you convenience checks, don’t use them, says Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for LendingTree. If you cash one of these checks, it will likely be treated as a cash advance, which means you’ll pay fees and higher interest rates on the money.
Surcharges for credit card purchases
Typical amount: 1.5% to 3.5% of the transaction, according to Bankrate
In states where it’s legal, some restaurants, gas stations and retailers impose a surcharge when customers pay with a credit card. The surcharge covers the fees that merchants pay to card networks each time a customer uses a credit card. Pay with cash or a debit card instead — legally, businesses can’t charge you extra for using a debit card.
Banking
Overdraft fees
Typical amount: About $35
If you overdraw your checking account, your bank may hit you with a costly overdraft fee. You can opt out of overdraft protection to avoid the fee, but be aware that if you attempt a debit card purchase that would cause your account balance to go into the red, it may be declined.
Another way to circumvent overdraft fees is to link your checking to your savings account. If you make a payment and there are insufficient funds in your checking account, you can have funds automatically withdrawn from your savings account, if your bank offers this service. While some financial institutions impose a fee for these transfers — often of $10 to $12 — it’s significantly cheaper than a $35 overdraft charge.
ATM out-of-network fees
Typical amount: An average $4.73 in combined charges from the bank and the ATM’s owner, according to Bankrate
When you use an out-of-network ATM, your bank may hit you with a fee, and the ATM operator will likely charge you, too. You can beat the charges by limiting withdrawals to ATMs within your bank’s network. Your bank may operate its own machines, participate in a broad network such as Allpoint or MoneyPass, or both.
If you can’t find an in-network ATM, you may be able to sidestep ATM fees by making a debit card purchase with a merchant and asking for cash back. Many stores will do this for free, but some charge up to about $3.
A final option: Use a checking account that reimburses you the fees for using out-of-network ATMs. Axos Bank, for example, provides unlimited domestic ATM rebates with its CashBack and Rewards checking accounts.
Monthly maintenance fees
Typical amount: For interest-bearing checking accounts, an average $15.33, according to Bankrate; $5.31 for checking accounts that don’t pay interest
The easiest way to skip monthly maintenance fees is to open an account that doesn’t charge them. Several online banks offer free accounts. Ally Bank, for example, charges no monthly fee on its checking, savings or money market deposit accounts.
If your account does levy maintenance fees, you may be able to bypass them by meeting certain requirements, such as keeping a specified minimum balance or making a certain amount in monthly direct deposits.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
