Paying to pay your bills. Gonna get worse?

[tvguy]

We use our checking account for property taxes and no fee, which is good.

Me too. E check is free.

 

[amcnj]

Here to pay property taxes the only free way is to drop off/pay in person. The online options are ach payment, which has a $3 fee, or credit card, which has a 2.95% fee.

The apartment my daughter had resided in switched to only accepting payments through their online system. She had the rent deducted from her checking account each month, and was charged a fee each month. That seemed wrong to me, that there was no way for a resident to pay their rent which did not involve an additional fee. They could not mail a check or drop off a payment somewhere.

Doctor offices affiliated with one of the local hospital systems stopped accepting cash at least a year ago now I guess. So far no charge for using a credit card though.

 

[SL6827]

Here to pay property taxes the only free way is to drop off/pay in person. The online options are ach payment, which has a $3 fee, or credit card, which has a 2.95% fee.

The apartment my daughter had resided in switched to only accepting payments through their online system. She had the rent deducted from her checking account each month, and was charged a fee each month. That seemed wrong to me, that there was no way for a resident to pay their rent which did not involve an additional fee. They could not mail a check or drop off a payment somewhere.

Doctor offices affiliated with one of the local hospital systems stopped accepting cash at least a year ago now I guess. So far no charge for using a credit card though.

This. This is what I worry about coming. You must pay a fee to pay almost all your bills. Such BS.

 

[barkley]

Here to pay property taxes the only free way is to drop off/pay in person.

they won't let you snail mail in a check? if that were the case here it would be sheer madness at the county treasurers office. as it is since it shares space with a number of other offices at the county courthouse everyone that is able avoids the building/parking lots like the plague the last 2 weeks of April and October. I think we must have a massive population that already pays personaly vs. via escrow accounts cuz on a couple of occasions I had to go to other offices there during those times periods and the line out the treasurers door went down a loooooong hallway and down an entire flight of stairs .

I mail my check the last week of the month prior to avoid the rush.

 

[amcnj]

they won't let you snail mail in a check?

Sorry, I also should have listed that a check/money order can be mailed with no additional fee.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

they won't let you snail mail in a check?

A lot of folks don't even own a checkbook anymore. We haven't had one in over 20 years. Can't tell you the last time I actually wrote a check. We use our debit card. As I said, both CCs charge a fee as does my car loan company ($5 at that). Very glad my water bill, electric bill or internet bill don't.

 

[barkley]

Sorry, I also should have listed that a check/money order can be mailed with no additional fee.

good-there's still some of us that use them

A lot of folks don't even own a checkbook anymore. We haven't had one in over 20 years. Can't tell you the last time I actually wrote a check. We use our debit card. As I said, both CCs charge a fee as does my car loan company ($5 at that). Very glad my water bill, electric bill or internet bill don't.

we don't use checks allot but I like them for our property taxes and medical bills b/c it's allot easier to resolve a claim that something wasn't paid (or timely paid) or resolve when medical billing applies something to the wrong date of service (or wrong patient when both dh and I have the same PCP) to have a check I can quickly pull up on line that i've noted all the details on in the memo section-i send it as an attachment to whomever and it's quick resolution. the less I ever have to deal with a credit card company rep (or bot these days) the better. i'm not a fan of using a debit card cuz oldest's card was stolen and in the less than 20 minutes it took to discover/call the bank and shut it down the thief had emptied the associated checking account and was almost done emptying the overdraft associated savings (that's when we learned to put a cap on overdraft max). the bank reimbursed all the funds but it took a good couple of weeks.

oooh-i pay my twice per year Sirius subscription by check too. I get hit with a $2 billing fee but that way they can't renew my subscriptions automatically and I can negotiate a much lower rate.

 

[Tiggr88]

good-there's still some of us that use them



we don't use checks allot but I like them for our property taxes and medical bills b/c it's allot easier to resolve a claim that something wasn't paid (or timely paid) or resolve when medical billing applies something to the wrong date of service (or wrong patient when both dh and I have the same PCP) to have a check I can quickly pull up on line that i've noted all the details on in the memo section-i send it as an attachment to whomever and it's quick resolution. the less I ever have to deal with a credit card company rep (or bot these days) the better. i'm not a fan of using a debit card cuz oldest's card was stolen and in the less than 20 minutes it took to discover/call the bank and shut it down the thief had emptied the associated checking account and was almost done emptying the overdraft associated savings (that's when we learned to put a cap on overdraft max). the bank reimbursed all the funds but it took a good couple of weeks.

oooh-i pay my twice per year Sirius subscription by check too. I get hit with a $2 billing fee but that way they can't renew my subscriptions automatically and I can negotiate a much lower rate.

FWIW, there should be an option on the Sirius site to turn off autorenewal. You can then still call and get a better rate at renewal time. You can then pay over the phone with a credit card and avoid the hassle of sending a check or paying a fee. That's what I do anyway.

 

[FreeTime]

Here to pay property taxes the only free way is to drop off/pay in person. The online options are ach payment, which has a $3 fee, or credit card, which has a 2.95% fee.

The apartment my daughter had resided in switched to only accepting payments through their online system. She had the rent deducted from her checking account each month, and was charged a fee each month. That seemed wrong to me, that there was no way for a resident to pay their rent which did not involve an additional fee. They could not mail a check or drop off a payment somewhere.

Doctor offices affiliated with one of the local hospital systems stopped accepting cash at least a year ago now I guess. So far no charge for using a credit card though.

On our state it is illegal to not offer renters at least one fee free way to pay rent.

As a small business owner “the cost of doing business” as some have said is to pay the fees. We do. Of course, we just raised our rates by 4% and charge it to all. So if a customer pays by check, we are making the 2.9-4.6% we pay per cc transaction. It has been a friendly approach with the consumer as they don’t see the fee. When advertising the fee and charging them, people would try to negotiate it off when paying by cc. If a customer paying cash asks, we do take some money off. But administratively it costs quite a bit of time and back office admin costs so we don’t offer the discount across the board.

 

[amcnj]

On our state it is illegal to not offer renters at least one fee free way to pay rent.

I had wondered about that, if it was legal to not offer a way to pay your rent without a fee. I had told my daughter to contact the state. But she didn’t want to rock the boat and was planning on leaving there. If it had been me I definitely would have checked into it.

 

[reddog21]

I love how in other counties the work on trying to protect added fees, here we just rationalize like it ok because the business gets charged so should we. It's hysterical.
Maybe we should just get charged for all of.
Coming to a restaurant near you:

The "Bare Necessities" Surcharges​

• Silverware Rental Fee: A per-piece charge for the use of forks, knives, and spoons.
• Napkin Subscription: $1.00 for the first paper napkin; $5.00 for a "premium" cloth upgrade.
• Ambient Lighting Tax: A surcharge for the cost of electricity used to light the area above your specific table.
• Furniture Maintenance Levy: A fee for the "wear and tear" your presence causes to the chair cushion.

Service & Logistics Fees​

• Oxygen Filtration Fee: For the luxury of breathing climate-controlled, filtered air inside the establishment.
• Menu Consulting Fee: Charged if you ask the server, "What’s good here?" or "What do you recommend?"
• Water Hydration Premium: Even for tap water, because the glass had to be washed by a human.
• The "Split-Decision" Fee: A penalty for taking more than 5 minutes to look at the menu before ordering.

The "Post-Dining" Penalties​

• Bathroom Access Tier: * Standard: $2.00 (Cold water only).
  
  • Executive: $5.00 (Includes 2-ply tissue and a mirror).
• Leftover Storage Surcharge: If you ask for a box, you’re charged for the cardboard, the folding labor, and the "plastic bag footprint."
• Table Lingering Fine: A "rent" charged every 15 minutes after the check has been delivered to encourage high turnover.
• Card Processing Processing Fee: A fee to cover the administrative cost of calculating the credit card convenience fee.

​

• Ice Geometry Fee: A premium for "artisanal" square or spherical ice cubes instead of the standard "cloudy" chips.
• Acoustic Management Fee: A charge for the background playlist (specifically to pay for the Spotify Premium subscription).
• Server Eye Contact Bonus: An automatic 3% "Connection Fee" for every time the waiter smiles at the table.

 

[Turn the Page]

A lot of companies here are charging a credit card fee, also. The one that really grinds my gears is our local pizza place tries to spin it by saying they offer a discount to cash paying customers but all advertised prices reflect the cash discount. Well, then, it is a fee. Just call it what it is.

 

[FreeTime]

I love how in other counties the work on trying to protect added fees, here we just rationalize like it ok because the business gets charged so should we. It's hysterical.
Maybe we should just get charged for all of.
Coming to a restaurant near you:

The "Bare Necessities" Surcharges​

• Silverware Rental Fee: A per-piece charge for the use of forks, knives, and spoons.
• Napkin Subscription: $1.00 for the first paper napkin; $5.00 for a "premium" cloth upgrade.
• Ambient Lighting Tax: A surcharge for the cost of electricity used to light the area above your specific table.
• Furniture Maintenance Levy: A fee for the "wear and tear" your presence causes to the chair cushion.

Service & Logistics Fees​

• Oxygen Filtration Fee: For the luxury of breathing climate-controlled, filtered air inside the establishment.
• Menu Consulting Fee: Charged if you ask the server, "What’s good here?" or "What do you recommend?"
• Water Hydration Premium: Even for tap water, because the glass had to be washed by a human.
• The "Split-Decision" Fee: A penalty for taking more than 5 minutes to look at the menu before ordering.

The "Post-Dining" Penalties​

• Bathroom Access Tier: * Standard: $2.00 (Cold water only).
  • Executive: $5.00 (Includes 2-ply tissue and a mirror).
• Leftover Storage Surcharge: If you ask for a box, you’re charged for the cardboard, the folding labor, and the "plastic bag footprint."
• Table Lingering Fine: A "rent" charged every 15 minutes after the check has been delivered to encourage high turnover.
• Card Processing Processing Fee: A fee to cover the administrative cost of calculating the credit card convenience fee.

​

• Ice Geometry Fee: A premium for "artisanal" square or spherical ice cubes instead of the standard "cloudy" chips.
• Acoustic Management Fee: A charge for the background playlist (specifically to pay for the Spotify Premium subscription).
• Server Eye Contact Bonus: An automatic 3% "Connection Fee" for every time the waiter smiles at the table.

You do get charged for most of these in the prices that are set. I know some of these you are trying to make humorous, so we will exclude them. Everything else from the dishwashing to the extra napkins and the cost of the silverware is being charged to you as it is wrapped in the cost.

 

[reddog21]

You do get charged for most of these in the prices that are set. I know some of these you are trying to make humorous, so we will exclude them. Everything else from the dishwashing to the extra napkins and the cost of the silverware is being charged to you as it is wrapped in the cost.

I get that, my point is that when you add it as a "fee" it's interpreted differently. People don't want to know what there necessarily paying for, if you bake it into the price people are no wiser. If you add a line item for napkin charges people freak out even though there paying for those things anyway. If your going to charge a service fee for using a cc then just include it the price don't add it as a separate line item. If you service fee is 3% then add 3% to all your prices and if they pay cash you win if they don't then you break even.

 

[focusondisney]

You do get charged for most of these in the prices that are set. I know some of these you are trying to make humorous, so we will exclude them. Everything else from the dishwashing to the extra napkins and the cost of the silverware is being charged to you as it is wrapped in the cost.

Of course it is, that’s expected. The owner/ manager takes their costs into account when they set their prices. Adding on fees for each component? Then I would expect a very low base cost. Maybe I’ll save some money & bring my own napkins & silverware. Or bring my own bottle of water? How do you think that would go over with a restauranteur? Start breaking down components to add as fees & patrons will try to find ways to avoid them.

I can certainly understand small mom & pop places not taking credit cards. But I don’t see more expensive places refusing or charging for them. Average Americans aren’t carrying a couple hundred dollars cash when they want to have a fine dining experience. All those profit boosting extras like liquor or desserts are likely to be the first things customers cut back on.

 

[barkley]

Silverware Rental Fee: A per-piece charge for the use of forks, knives, and spoons.

Leftover Storage Surcharge: If you ask for a box, you’re charged for the cardboard, the folding labor, and the "plastic bag footprint."

a few years ago when the state I live in banned bundled packs of plastic utensils (banned giving out ANY single use utensils unless a customer specifically requests them) along with strafoam containers we saw new charges at some eateries. some places tried using paper based to-go boxes but I think there were allot of complaints due to leakage and with heavier items outright collapsing of containers so most opted for what I imagine are more expensive/heavier duty packaging which pretty quickly we saw reflected through an uptick in pricing. with the utensils-many places now charge extra for them. some places bundled into their prices the mandatory per bag fee the state put in place but others charge separately and ask if you wish to decline bagging and have the fee waived (for hygiene reasons it's not like you can hand a restaurant your reusalbe tote bags so it's either use theirs or go without).

we live near the state line and there's been an explosion at the entry of the other state of new builds of fast foods and to-go type eateries. these places seem to be doing tremendous business as compared to the identical places 3 miles down the road in our state. I get the appeal-prices are a smidge lower (not even factoring in 3% lower sales tax), you don't have to think about asking for utensils and no extra fees added for those utensils or the bags they pack the food in (that state has no bag fees).

 

[tvguy]

A lot of folks don't even own a checkbook anymore. We haven't had one in over 20 years. Can't tell you the last time I actually wrote a check. We use our debit card. As I said, both CCs charge a fee as does my car loan company ($5 at that). Very glad my water bill, electric bill or internet bill don't.

My daughter bought a house in 2019 at age 28 and had to get checks printed because a lot of the service people she needed were cash or check only. (Landscaping, fence replacement, power washing of the house). Power wash guy did take Venmo or some Cash App but offered a 10% discount for cash or check.
I had all the siding on my house replaced last year, painted the house and had dual pane windows installed. $50k in total and the contractor offered a 2% discount for cash or check. Saving $1,000 was well worth paying by check.

 

[DCLGirlie]

they won't let you snail mail in a check?

If the online fee is under $0.78 it is cheaper to use the online pay option than it is to send a check via mail

 

[SL6827]

If the online fee is under $0.78 it is cheaper to use the online pay option than it is to send a check via mail

Yep!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Haven't seen much of this, only with taxes in Pa when we had a home there and maybe for car excise here in Ma but it was explained in Pa that this was because the municipalities weren't at liberty to use taxpayer funds to pay fees.

I have been noticing more and more restaurants and hair cut/ salon businesses switching to cash only and now I guess I know why.

Maybe it is just as well, we were all getting too reliant on cards and paying interest to use them. It is shocking to think that the 29% or so interest most people pay on cards could jump another 4% or so at the point of sale, that is a huge chunk of income and once people get caught up it is very tough to detach Whole system is out of hand, hopefully this will be a deterrent for new younger consumers to avoid the whole mess, terrible situation.