Most Annoying Fees On Earth
What annoys you? When asked, most can quickly fire off a list of things that get under our skin – long lines, rude people, lengthy red lights (or red lights period), and tailgaters just to name a few. Typically, the most annoying things are those that negatively affect your time and finances. Here are several things that annoy my time and wallet:
Timeshare Presentations. My wife and I learned first-hand how annoying and misleading these presentations can be…visiting the “Happiest Place on Earth” no less. We left the presentation feeling everything, but happy. We were pulled in by an offer of a $50 gift card for each of us for “only 45 minutes of our time and a free breakfast.” Unless you’re looking to take on a second mortgage or have free time during your vacation, just say no!
Activation Fee. Cable, a new smartphone, internet service – all require activation. How it works and the true costs behind it remains a closely held secret by service providers. They maintain the fee is needed to balance the costs of activating new services or devices. Don’t want to pay the activation fee? Look for a plan that offers free activation or simply request the fee be waived.
Credit Card Annual Fee. Paying an annual fee anywhere from $25 to $100 on a high-rate credit card can definitely get annoying. The only comfort may be in getting something in return like reward points, cash back or airline miles, but you can still find all this with a lower rate card featuring no annual fee. I love the no annual fee Visa® cards offered here – and they feature a great low rate as well.
Airline Baggage Fee. According to a CNN Money article, U.S. airlines raked in nearly $1 billion in baggage fees in 2014. It’s become such a moneymaker that Southwest Airlines is now the only major
U.S. airline that doesn’t charge to check your first bag. That’s why, I always check Southwest first when planning a trip and for shorter trips, pack all my belongings into my carry-on!
Bank Fees. As I mentioned in, 10 Ways to Keep More of Your Money, 11 of the 31 Worst Fees in America are bank fees (by the way, airline baggage fee is #13 and activation fee is #24). Which means, depending on how much you have in your account or the types of transactions you make, you’re likely to get hit with at least 3 of these fees as a bank customer. The easy fix for annoying bank fees…JOIN A CREDIT UNION. You won’t be overwhelmed with fees for opening a basic checking account or doing common transactions.
Now, just for fun here are a few of the top (non-financial) irritations of Americans: Parents who let their disruptive children run wild. Misuse of common words (your and you’re). People who talk loud in public places. Emails in ALL CAPS. Tailgaters and slow drivers in the passing lane.
As far as your finances go, what annoys you and how do you C.U. avoiding it? Share below.
