Got 2 new Samsung phones in Dec 2021. When I signed up initially, I wanted to pay for the phones outright, but doing that would have cost more than their monthly payment plan. So, I went with the monthly payment plan, plus a discount of $10/line when signed up for auto-pay by CC. Everything is fine and dandy until this week. Just received email from them saying that, if you want to keep your $10/line discount, you need to change to a bank account instead of CC. If you want to continue using CC, the discount will drop to $5/line. Sons of bitches, I'm not giving you access to my bank account.

T-Mobile just did the same thing.

Companies are not liking the credit card interchange fees and they can do a bank debit for no charge. As a retired banker, I wouldn't be afraid to give out my bank's routing number and my account number. I am forced to do it for a number of merchants, including the IRS.

Perhaps you could set up a second account for this purpose only and keep a few hundred dollars in it for this merchant alone. What they are really doing is raising the price by reducing expenses.

I have T-Mobile and got the notification too. I am sure they have verbiage in the contract that we never read that allows them to unilaterally change the terms.
Ugh.

Agreed, AT&T has totally sucked, since 1982 (the consent decree that broke up the corporate structure).

Re bank payments vs. credit card -- if you're using a "cash back" card, does the cash back offset the five dollar loss from this change?

I had a similar situation, not with cell phone, but with a monthly membership plan for something that required payment via access to a bank account. I opened an account at a bank where I did no other business (thus preventing "overdraft protection") and kept just enough in the account to cover two month's worth of membership fees. Some time later, I terminatated the membership plan, handed them a letter in person, they assured me that my membership was terminated effective with that letter. I closed the account. Sure enough, the next month, on the membership payment date, they attempted to pull the new month's membership fee from the account that I had closed. The organization I'm discussing is Planet Fitness -- gym membership, which I terminated during the height of the COVID thing, did not want / need unnecessary exposure to The Virus.

I pay all my bills including T-Mobile electronically monthly from a bank account. To insure payments are made if something happens I set up overly estimated payments a month ahead & change the amounts when I see the actual charge. I never allow any company to automatically debit my bank account & never use a debit card.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Anush,

Just had my ATT internet bill go up $5 2 months in a row. No explanation why. Calling Monday to bitch but don't expect to get anywhere.

Will probably hear them tell me to sign up for paperless billing and have them pull from my bank account to reduce the price. Really tired of their crap.

I already initiate the payment from my checking thru my banks system. Waiting for them to screw with my phone bill next.

It seems like any of the large telco and cable companies play a game of raising and inserting charges on the bet most people won't notice or will give up waiting on customer support.

We do it the other way, auto transfer from NFCU to t-mobile

I particularly despite AT&T.

When my father-in-law died 2 years ago, my wife and I helped my mother-in-law get a handle on their finances. Apart from her writing checks, he had handled everything for their entire marriage.

One of the first things I dug into was their bills. They had AT&T landline telephone service (yes, they were old school) but, the amount of their monthly bill fluctuated wildly even though their usage was pretty consistent. I spent hours trying to figure it out before giving up and going to a local AT&T store.

It turned out that, due to an error on AT&T's part, they had under-billed my in-laws for months. Then, when the error was discovered, and without any notice or explanation, AT&T just doubled the amount of their bill so they could "catch up".

The happy ending was that we convinced my mother-in-law to dump AT&T and get a cellphone. And, it costs half the price of AT&T's landline service.

Just yesterday received a call on my cell phone (not at&t affiliated) about our at&t service upgraded services available....Spam scam as home at&t home line dropped 7 years ago.... told them to go pound sand...................... drill sgt.

I've said here multiple times, "AT&T is the Debil". From customer service and price reasons.
Sorry for everyone who has to deal w/ the Debil.

Who remembers The Good Old Days, when this phone was the latest and greatest? When you interacted face-to-face with a customer service person at The Phone Company's office? When you got a monthly bill in the mail and paid it either in person at The Phone Company's office, or mailed a check in an envelope with a four-cent first class stamp?

You could dial 411 for information, and the human information operator would connect you. 211 was the Long Distance operator, who placed the call for you.
I remember all of that.

It’s not AT&T it is the credit card processors.
So far this year our kid’s pediatrician, occupational therapist, the place where I got my MRI, TONS of eating establishments, our HOA, and many many more are now charging credit card processing fees.
Gun stores and GB have been doing it for years.
Mr. Softee charged me 3% last night as well.

The credit card companies kept the cost fairly low to get everyone to swipe their card and quit carrying cash.
Now they have their teeth in they raise the price figuring most folks will just suck it up.

But I agree it sucks $5 A LINE!!!
We’re on the family plan and I have my mom and grandmother so we have 5 lines, that is $25 a month if we don’t switch

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Mr. Softee charged me 3% last night as well.

The credit card companies kept the cost fairly low to get everyone to swipe their card and quit carrying cash.
Now they have their teeth in they raise the price figuring most folks will just suck it up.

More and more, I'm believing the old adage, "cash is king."

quote:

So far this year our kid’s pediatrician, occupational therapist, the place where I got my MRI, TONS of eating establishments, our HOA, and many many more are now charging credit card processing fees.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A better business policy for the doc would be to offer a cash discount. Three or four percent adds up and cuts into slim margins.

Just this week T-mobile added a $5 charge if you pay your bill in person at one of their stores.

T-Mobile Now Charges A Fee For Paying Your Bill In Stores

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

But I agree it sucks $5 A LINE!!!
We’re on the family plan and I have my mom and grandmother so we have 5 lines, that is $25 a month if we don’t switch

If all five are on the same bill, one payment for all five, there is absolutely no justification for adding the credit card fee for each phone. If they are adding the fee, it should be per billing statement, not per phone.

That's like saying if I order 100 widgets, on one order, the merchant would charge me a credit card processing fee for each one of the 100 widgets. Pure and simple bullshit.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
T-Mobile just did the same thing.

I checked at my T-Mobile store. They said I could still get the discount if give them my debit card number for monthly auto payments. That also comes directly out of my checking account, but I don’t have to give them my checking account number.

I know the gov forced the likes of AT&T and Comcast a few years ago to simplify their very-purposefully incoherent bills but it seems like they still try their best to bury all these “fees” so that you aren’t aware of how they’re gouging you.

The one from AT&T that really burns me up is the $1.99 “ Wireless Administration Fee” that they charge EVERY phone on the plan EVERY month. They’ve got to be raking in hundreds of millions of dollars with this bullshit “fee” that is pure profit for them.