Processing fees. Service fees. Hidden fees. Things have never been more expensive, and the addition of a laundry list of inexplicable fee is like rubbing salt in the wound. Whether you’re trying to book a flight, buy a car, or simply withdraw some cash, all these sneaky charges add up.
Even when it’s only a few dollars here and there, it’s the principle of the thing—why are you being charged a bullshit fee in the first place? Because someone thinks they can use it to wring a few more dollars out of you. What can you do to circumvent these fees and save your hard-earned money? Here are 10 of the biggest bullshit fees, and what you can do to avoid them.
Concert “service” fees
If you’ve tried to buy a concert ticket in recent history, you’ve been slapped with a shocking string of processing, commission, or transaction fees. From secondary sellers like StubHub and Vivid Seats, to primary sellers like Ticketmaster, AXS, and SeatGeek, these fees are built into the modern business model of ticketing live events. Of course, that doesn’t mean we have to sit back and take it. Ticketmaster in particular has been hit with multiple class-action lawsuits for the company’s lack of transparency.
How to avoid it: First, check out discount and no-fee ticket sites like TickPick or Goldstar.com. Unfortunately, there’s only one guaranteed way to avoid concert service fees: contact the box office look into about buying your tickets in person. Sure, it’s old-school (and might prove tricky for in-demand shows), but it’s a surefire way to avoid the “convenience” fee that comes with online transactions.
Airbnb fees
Next to the cost of concert tickets, Airbnb has gained notoriety for its bullshit fees. The growing consensus that Airbnb simply isn’t worth its exorbitant service fees. You might remember the booking site facing some backlash in 2021 from a viral tweet with a screenshot of a $99/night listing that ended up totaling $413.95 for two nights after fees and taxes were added at checkout.
How to avoid it: After you find a listing on Airbnb, try searching for the property description on other sites for offerings that don’t come with Airbnb’s fees. You can also reach out to the host directly and see if they would be interested in conducting business outside of Airbnb in order to avoid fees. For instance, you could arrange to book the property for just one night through Airbnb, and pay for additional nights in person. There’s certainly some risk involved here, but considering how much of a cut Airbnb takes from hosts, you might be able to strike a win-win deal.
Seat selection and airline fees
Of all the bullshit airline fees these days, “seat selection” might be the shadiest. Paying an additional $20 for my seat? Isn’t that what the ticket is paying for in the first place? During the booking process, it’s not always clear that the seat selection fee is completely avoidable.
How to avoid it: When the option pops up to select a seat on your flight, simply skip past this screen. The skip button may be hidden, but it’s there. The airline will automatically assign you a seat for no extra charge. If where you sit is still a concern for you, you can request specific seats if you politely ask the gate agent when you arrive at the airport. CNTraveler recommends that you show up an hour early to do this. For more information, here’s our guide to avoiding seat selection fees.
ATM fees
When you need cash fast, ATM fees are tough to avoid. It’s utter bullshit to be charged three dollars to access my own money, but, alas, the big banks don’t seem to be listening to my ramblings.
How to avoid it: Ideally you can find an ATM owned by the bank you use, so that it doesn’t cost you to withdraw your money. Otherwise, consider moving your money to a bank that refunds these fees. Another tactic is to take steps to have fee-free cash on hand by using the cash back option when you grocery shop. Personally, I always take out a ten or a twenty on top of my groceries, and I rarely have to resort to finding an ATM when I need cash.
Car dealership fees
If there’s someone you can trust to be honest and no-bullshit, it’s a car salesman, right? From advertising fees, delivery fees, undercoating fees—it’s easy to get lost in all the additional charges that get tacked on at a car dealership.
How to avoid it: When you buy a new car, you’ll be able to see a factory invoice. Any charges listed there are, unfortunately, legitimate. However, if the dealership charges you a bullshit fee that doesn’t appear on the factory invoice, you can avoid paying it. Getting rid of these fees is often as simple as asking the dealer to strike them. Somehow, questioning their legitimacy seems to make them all but disappear.
Gym initiation fees
When you join a new gym, your first bill might come with an “initiation fee.” This sucks, and you should try to get out of it.
How to avoid it: Similar to our tip with the car dealership, you should simply ask the gym to waive the fee. Bonus points if you express doubts about your membership, or even make it a condition of signing up for a yearly membership. The gym wants to keep you as a customer, so they’ll be more likely to waive one fee in order to hold on to you.
Credit reports
Make a habit of checking your free credit score from sites like Credit Karma or Experian. What you shouldn’t make a habit of is paying a fee for a credit report literally ever, since this likely means you’re falling for a scam.
How to avoid it: Head to AnnualCreditReport.com and check your credit health for free. Some banks and credit card companies also offer free credit reports as part of having an account with them.
Overdraft fees
“Overdraft protection” sounds like a positive thing to stop you from taking out more money than you have in your account. However, when the bank offers overdraft protection, they charge quite the fee for it. You accidentally overdrawing your account by a few cents could turn into an outrageous $50 charge.
How to avoid it: An alternative to your bank’s overdraft protection is to link your savings account to your checking account. This way, any overdrafts get pulled from your own funds. If this isn’t possible at your bank, at least set up low-balance alerts so that you avoid overdrafts altogether.
Bank statement fees
A paper bank statement can come with a wild $2 or $3 monthly fee. Those dollars add up, and for no reason other than, what, receiving mail?
How to avoid it: Go paperless. It’s as simple as checking a box in your account settings. Good for the environment, and good for your wallet.
Coinstar fees
There’s an undeniable, nostalgic satisfaction that comes with converting a gallon full of pennies into cash. The go-to coin-to-cash tool is a Coinstar machine, which can most likely found in your local grocery store. Tragically, you don’t get to reap all of the rewards of your hard-earned loose change, since Coinstar machines eat nearly 12% of the value of your coins in fees.
How to avoid it: Instead of choosing the cash option on the Coinstar machine, choose to convert your coins into a gift card. Gift card options are limited, but at least there’s no cash fee.
Otherwise, consider going to the bank instead of using Coinstar. They might not take your dirty pennies, but you can get free coin rolls from them and then roll the change yourself. Then, your properly rolled change can be deposited in your account easily enough.