Current Events > It's so BS that there's a $0.40 fee to pay utilities via online check.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Credit Card: 2.95% of the transaction amount, or $1.95 fixed, whichever is higher
EFT (eCheck): $0.40 transaction fee

What a load of bullshit. How is it cheaper to have employees cut open mail and deposit a physical check than an online transfer?
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i notice this too

i actually work in the billing industry and anyone charging markups on card transactions is violating law.

factoring, as its called, is actually illegal.

but considering every utility does this bullshit there must be a provision where they get away with it unlike other merchants.
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It isn't but they prey on people just accepting a bullshit fee and paying it.

The amount of people petty enough to mail a physical check is outweighed by the thousands they're making off of the $2 fee

Hanky_Bannister posted...

i actually work in the billing industry and anyone charging markups on card transactions is violating law.

Never thought of how that might apply to utility bills. In the retail world, I see this, but the opposite (i.e. "cash discount", instead of "credit card surcharge").
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IdiotMachine posted...

Hanky_Bannister posted...

i actually work in the billing industry and anyone charging markups on card transactions is violating law.

Never thought of how that might apply to utility bills. In the retail world, I see this, but the opposite (i.e. "cash discount", instead of "credit card surcharge").

yeah thats the loophole they use to avoid the violation. otherwise visa/mc would not allow them to accept their cards.
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MachineJaipur posted...

The amount of people petty enough to mail a physical check is outweighed by the thousands they're making off of the $2 fee

I was one of those petty people. I sent them a check via mail with a postage stamp and envelope every month (for a couple years), until my bank started offering free bill pay (where they do that for you). Then I started doing that for a couple years.

But now, I'm just so tired of it... w/e, I'll just pay $5/year for the "convenience" of not having to log into my bank account to digitally write a physical check for the bill. -___-
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