Philly has the worst bank fees in the country
Philly may be cheaper than other cities when it comes to cost of living, but its bank fees top the list.
Philly may have a cheaper cost of living than most large cities, but there’s one category where the city, unfortunately, comes out on top. A new Bankrate survey found that out of big U.S. cities, Philadelphia has the highest overdraft fees and the fifteenth highest ATM surcharges.
The average Philadelphian pays $34.80 a year in overdraft fees. The fees, which essentially charge account holders for trying to use money that they don’t have, are completely avoidable. A four-year-old federal law now requires banks to ask customers first if they would like to opt into overdraft protection with the stipulation that account holders can opt out of protection at any time. By default, debit cards are simply declined when they run out of money.
On top of overdraft fees, the average ATM fee in Philly is a whopping $4.23, which is nothing to sneeze at when you consider how many pretzels you could buy. As if claiming the country’s top fees isn’t enough, the city's ATM charges have been rising consistently by around 20 cents a year. At least the city has access to both Wawas and 7-Elevens with no surcharge ATMs.
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