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Every time a company tries to raise their prices by a significant amount, a portion of the population notices and raises an uproar about the increases.  To prevent this turn of events, many companies have adopted a sneaky way to increase their prices; they have began using hidden fees to increase the amount that people pay for their items.  There are hidden fees everywhere, but you can avoid having to pay them if you are a savvy consumer.

Convenience Fees

One of the most notorious hidden fees that consistently picks peoples pockets is the convenience fee.  Convenience fees can appear anywhere, from purchasing entertainment tickets online to paying your bills over the phone.  Most convenience fees are only a small portion of the entire ticket price so many individuals do not complain about them.

The easiest way to avoid a convenience fee is to determine what actions the fee will be charged for an avoid taking that action.  For example, many ticket sellers will charge a convenience fee if the entertainment tickets are purchased online but will not charge the fee if the tickets are purchased at the ticket window of the venue.  If a convenience fee is added to bill payments made over the phone, take the extra time to ensure that you pay these bills early enough so you can mail the payments and avoid the charge.

Service Charges

Another trend that is sweeping many companies is charging a fee for a person, and not a machine, to help you.  Many banks have instituted a cap on the number of teller transactions that a single account can have in a specific time period and will charge a fee to the account if a teller is used more often.  The same is true for some government departments that will charge an additional fee if the service you need is conducted in person instead of by mail or over the phone.

It is difficult to know what services will trigger the service fee to come into effect as each company may have a different preferred method of operation and will charge a service fee if other methods are used.  Some companies charge for transactions conducted over the phone while other companies charge for transactions conducted online.  It is important to read the fine print for any account or service agreement to see what actions will result in a service fee added to the account and which actions are exempt from the charge.