Spent 2 years paying a $10 monthly fee I didn't need on my checking account

I bank with a regional branch in Ohio and I always thought the $10 monthly maintenance fee was just how it worked. Then a teller pulled up my account history and asked if I ever set up direct deposit, something I do for my paycheck every month. Turns out they waive the fee with direct deposit, I just never read the fine print on the sign-up papers. Has anyone else realized they were paying for something they could get free? What tipped you off?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_chen618d ago

You ever get that feeling where you realize you've been paying the "I can't read good" tax for two years? I once paid for Pandora Premium for 18 months before I noticed my buddy had been sharing his family plan with me the whole time. What finally clued you in besides the teller?

smith.ray18d ago

Hold on, I gotta disagree a little. That $10 fee stings, sure, but I don't think it's a "can't read good" thing. It's the bank's job to be upfront about fees, not to hide them in a stack of papers you sign at the counter. I got hit with a $7 monthly "account maintenance" fee on my credit union account for six months before a customer service agent casually mentioned I could avoid it by keeping a $500 minimum balance. Nobody told me when I opened the account.