I finally caught the $18 monthly fee that sat on my checking account for a year

Ivan Ross · 2026-11-01T05:05:05.841654+00:00

So last month I was going through my statements with a highlighter, and there it was on every single page since last August: a $1.50 charge I had been ignoring because it looked too small to matter. It was from my bank in Phoenix, a paper statement fee I had opted into without knowing it when I opened the account at a branch on Camelback Road. I did the math on a napkin and it adds up to $18 a year for paper I never read, plus another $3 a month for a debit card I barely use. I called and the rep said the fee would stop if I switched to online statements, and she also pointed out a $5 monthly low-balance fee I had hit twice in the spring. In one 15 minute call I got about $46 back on the next cycle. Go through your last three statements and look for the charges under $5, that's where mine were hiding, then tell me what tiny fee has been quietly riding along on your account for months.

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I finally caught the $18 monthly fee that sat on my checking account for a year | Budgeting Wins - Babble Community