I decided to call in my payment to Duke Power instead of using my credit union’s free bill pay. This would allow my payment to be received today rather than waiting until tomorrow for my bank to process it.

I called in to Duke Power, entered my account number, and selected the payment option. Do you know what they said? There would be a fee of $3.50! Hahahahaahahaaha. Gee, no thanks. Duke Power, you’ll just have to get your payment tomorrow. I also checked the back of my gas bill. Their fee is $4.95. No thanks.

Paying fees for quick bill pay would only be beneficial if the interest payment or late charge fee was higher than the bill pay fee. For example, if your credit card company is going to charge you a $29 late fee, then it might be worth paying their phone payment fee. It’s just another lesson in being organized (oops) and paying your bills on time.

Do you pay fees to make payments? What’s the highest fee you’ve ever seen?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy