13 Fees You Shouldn’t Pay—And How To Avoid Them
Like it or not, some payments are unavoidable.
But some are overwrought, insulting and just plain disgusting. You don’t have to love them – and you don’t have to pay for them.
Here’s a look at the fees you should never have to pay.
1. Coin conversion fee
As paying in cash has become the norm, it has become more expensive to convert your change into bills.
Many banks have cash machines that account holders can use for free. Now, those who have them usually charge for the service.
And, of course, most of us don’t actually visit banks anymore – so the only coin counters we encounter are the ones used by Coinstar at grocery stores.
Coinstar charges a hefty 12.9% service fee and a 99 cents fee so you can enjoy sitting through all that drooling, bending and feeding a few stubborn coins into the machine multiple times.
However, you can avoid or reduce costs in two ways. First, you can redeem your eGift card change at a variety of retailers and services including Apple, DoorDash, Lowe’s and Southwest Airlines. These redemption options do not charge transaction fees.
Second, you can edit the coin yourself. Your bank may still provide you with free money wrappers, or you can find them at the dollar store.
If sorting and rolling coins doesn’t sound worth your time but you still hate the fee, you can reach a middle ground by purchasing your own coin filter —
this is a one-time deal, for as low as $23 on Amazon.
2. ATM fees
Do you want the right to access your personal money? That would be $4.86, please.
That’s the average cost of an ATM transaction not managed by your bank, according to a recent study. It covers the fees charged by the ATM owner and your bank.
The good news, from the same study, is that most banks have at least one fee-free account for customers using out-of-network devices. So keep complaining, and take your money to the bank that removed the ATM fees.
If you’re not willing to switch, you can freely use your debit card to get a little cash back at most retail outlets or make sure you use your bank’s ATMs regularly.
3. Foreign transaction fees
Traveling abroad can be exciting and fulfilling — but it can also be a challenge with finances, languages, transportation schedules, and more.
Credit cards should solve part of that problem, bringing to other countries the ease of making the same payments you’re used to. Unfortunately, some of them charge more to do the same thing in a new location.
It’s called an international transaction fee, and it can be as high as 3% every time you swipe.
Avoiding this fee is as easy as having a no-fee credit card.
4. Other credit card payments
Few industries enjoy being paid more than credit cards. Annual fees and early fees are just a few of the more common ones.
Many can be avoided with a little diligence. For example, make sure you compare fees when choosing a credit card – they don’t all charge the same types.
You should also always know how close you are to your credit limit, what your full statement balance is and when the due date is — that will avoid the three biggest fees we list in “6 Credit Card Fees You Shouldn’t Pay.”
5. Late fees
Almost all of us have experienced a late payment at some point – sometimes due to not having the money to pay on time. So “you don’t have to pay” in this case may be a stretch.
But assuming you have the means to pay what you owe, there is no reason not to do so on time. Most debt payments can be made automatically through your bank or scheduled in advance through a billing company.
6. Hotel Wi-Fi charges
Paying to use something that many airports, coffee shops and other businesses offer for free seems like a no-brainer, right?
Sometimes joining a hotel’s loyalty program offers free in-room Wi-Fi as a benefit. You can also bring your own Wi-Fi hotspot — though that may mean paying your phone provider instead.
We have more ideas on “11 Tips to Avoid the Most Unreasonable Hotel Fees.”
7. Late check-out and early check-in fees
It used to be – a recurring theme, you may have noticed – that hotels are happy to screw you up about check-in and check-out times. Now, they are usually willing to cut the deal.
Early check-in requests can incur a fee of up to $75 while late check-outs can cost up to $150, the Wall Street Journal reported. Even loyal members can’t resist this hidden payment.
The key to avoiding it is to never assume that the hotel is flexible on time. Make sure you know the hotel policy and plan accordingly.
Of course, the unexpected happens and delays are common. (Don’t you wish you could charge the airlines late fees?)
Another possible solution is to ask the hotel to safely store your luggage so that you can move around until the appointed time. Some places still do this as a courtesy. Some may charge a fee, but it’s probably cheaper than the other.
8. Entertainment fees
Of course, Wi-Fi is only one piece of the hotel budget puzzle. You may never argue why hotels want to charge you for a pool, gym or business center you don’t use, breakfast you don’t eat and a newspaper you don’t read, among other mysterious amenities.
But you don’t really need to understand travel finance — the general catch-all term for this kind of nonsense — to avoid it. Check the fine print before booking a room.
9. Bank overdraft fees
Most overdraft fees are paid by people who live paycheck to paycheck – the very people who can’t afford them. They are a mess, and thankfully some banks are getting rid of them.
So another way to avoid this type of money, also called insufficient money, is to change banks.
Another is to tell your bank that you are not interested in paying almost $25 every time you don’t have $1 to spare – federal law allows you to opt out of this type of “protection” from banks. Just be aware that opting out means your card will be declined at the register if you don’t have enough money in your account to cover the charge.
10. Mutual fund sales charge
Mutual fund sales charges, also called load fees, are “similar to commissions,” according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. You may be charged this type of fee in various circumstances, depending on the fund:
- If you buy shares (front loading fee)
- If you sell shares (backload fee)
- If you are holding on to shares (level loading fee)
They’re a liability, right – these fees are a percentage of your investment. That means they are equal to the amount of work you put into making the money, not the amount of work a particular merchant puts into removing it.
Another way to avoid paying these large fees is to invest with no load. Money Talks News founder and former stockbroker Stacy Johnson explains how in “Ask Stacy – How Do I Invest in a Mutual Fund?”
11. Baggage fee
Believe it or not, flying without paying for your baggage is not a lost cause yet. Fight the good fight. There are several ways to reduce the cost of bags and possibly avoid them altogether.
As we explain in “6 Ways to Avoid Paying to Check Baggage When You Fly”:
“Perhaps the most painful cost of these airline fees is what travelers have to pay to check baggage.” Even the budget company Southwest Airlines started charging this fee in 2025.
But if you plan ahead, you can avoid those costs and save cash.”
One strategy? Find a credit card that comes with free cashback benefits.
12. Seat selection fee
When we fly somewhere, it is assumed that we will pay for parking our car, our luggage and our luggage. But airlines have also started trying to charge for the right to choose whichever seat you want to squeeze into when booking a flight.
The way seat selection is presented in the system can make these charges seem inevitable – but there’s usually a link or button somewhere on the page to skip seat selection and let the airline assign you one.
13. Credit report fees
Now, everyone can enjoy virtually unlimited free access to their credit reports from all three major credit bureaus. At first, these free reports played a part in the pandemic, but credit reporting companies announced in 2023 that they would continue to offer free weekly reports indefinitely.
So that’s one fee you don’t have to pay again.
