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Dec 2, 2008 4:39 pm US/Pacific
Credit Card Pay By Phone Features Cost Consumers
You will Pay $10 to $15 Even Without Speaking to Customer Service
Reporting
Sue Kwon
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
A Mervyn's shopper complained on a consumer blog that while trying to pay a Mervyn's credit card bill, she had problems using the automated pay by phone system. She was told she'd have to pay a fee to get help from a live person.
Samir Kothari with Billshrink.com said that's not uncommon.
"You'd think it's good for the credit card company to get you to pay one way or another. But, everyone is trying to push you to go online which is the lowest cost path of handling the consumer," Kothari said.
He said these pay by phone charges are not new, but more banks are using them to push consumers toward paying bills online. So even if you don't need help from a live person, using an automated pay system by phone will cost you with the following banks: Chase, US Bank, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America.
Kothari said, "In their point of view you may want to hit zero and try to talk to an operator and that will cost them money, so they want it to be a disincentive so people won't pick up the phone."
Paying credit card bills online does not cost a fee. But paying late will.
So he advises consumers to set up an automatic online bill pay. If consumers wish to shop around for a new credit card with lower fees and interest rates, Billshrink.com has a free online comparison tool. However, keep in mind switching cards too often can hurt your credit score.
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