Processing fees. Service fees. Hidden fees.
It feels like most companies and services these days have found countless ways to sneakily squeeze money out of me. Even when it’s only a few dollars here and there, it’s the principle of the thing: Why am I being charged in the first place? What can I do to circumvent these fees and save my hard-earned money? Here are some of the most common fees that have been infuriating me lately, and what you can do to avoid paying 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 them: 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 to 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, .
