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"These days, it feels like everyone from your credit card company, to your airline, to your car dealership is looking for ways to siphon your hard-earned money out of your wallet and into their hands. The best way to keep your money is to know where it&amp;#039;s going, so read up on these five outrageous fees and learn how you can avoid them. 1. Annual Rewards Cards Fees:  The cost: Average of $50/year Why it&amp;#039;s outrageous: The 2009 Credit Card Act limited the ways in which credit card companies could charge their customers fees. Because of this, many credit card companies enacted monthly or annual fees to make up for the lost revenue. The average annual fee for a credit card is $50, but some are as high as $500 according to CreditCards.com. How to avoid it: Most companies will waive the annual fee for your first year hoping you will either forget about it in subsequent years or be too lazy to fight it. Try calling your credit card company and ask them to waive the fee. If they don&amp;#039;t budge, consider switching cards \u2014 there are plenty of no-fee options available.  2. ATM Fees:  The cost: About $150/year Why it&amp;#039;s outrageous: Everyone knows that if you use an out-of-network ATM you are going to be charged a fee (typically, about $2). But few people know that your bank will also charge you a fee for using a non-branch ATM. Suddenly, your $2 fee becomes $4 and you only notice it when your statement arrives. If you use an out-of-network ATM at least once a week, you&amp;#039;re looking at close to $200 in penalties a year. How to avoid it: Plan ahead. If you know you&amp;#039;re going to be needing cash, look up your bank&amp;#039;s nearest ATM on their website or via their mobile app. If you absolutely need cash and don&amp;#039;t have access to your bank&amp;#039;s ATM, get creative: Buy something small at the grocery store and ask for cash back. If you absolutely must use an out-of-network ATM, take out more cash than you need so that you don&amp;#039;t have to make multiple visits and rack up multiple fees.  3. Late Fees:  The cost: $25 to $35 Why it&amp;#039;s outrageous: Last year, consumers spent $80 billion on late fees. Not only is this an astronomical expense to the consumer, but racking up late fees can also hurt your credit score, which can affect your ability to apply for credit and up your interest rates. How to avoid it: To avoid a late fee, you only have to pay off the minimum balance, so make sure you do that first. One of the easiest ways to avoid late fees is to set up automatic payments so that you never forget to pay a bill. Use an account management service like Manilla.com, which provides automatic bill pay reminders so you never pay late fees. If you&amp;#039;re having trouble paying off even the minimum balance, consider changing your payment date to a time in the month when you have a bit more cash flow.  4. Airline booking fees:  The cost: $15 to $35 Why it&amp;#039;s outrageous: Want to speak to an agent on the phone or in person to book your travel plans? Need help figuring out what flight to choose? That will cost you. In an effort to reduce personnel costs, many airlines will charge you a &amp;quot;convenience fee&amp;quot; for using a ticketing agent. How to avoid it: The only way to avoid this fee is to book your travel online. Fortunately, many airline websites are user-friendly and make finding a deal easier than ever.  5. Airline luggage fees:  The cost: $15 to $35 for the first bag Why it&amp;#039;s outrageous: Delta Air Lines earned $733 million in baggage fees in 2010 alone, according to the United States Department of Transportation. With the increase in ticket prices, baggage fees feel like another way for airline companies to nickel and dime their customers. How to avoid it: If you cannot fit everything you need into a carry-on bag, consider shipping your luggage on Amtrak or by mail instead. With airlines charging $25 for the first bag, additional fees for a second, and overweight charges on all of them, it can be more economical to ship your luggage ahead of time than to travel with it.  More Great Advice From Manilla.com:  4 Financial Mistakes You Don&amp;#039;t Know Until You Make Them Quick Ways to Lower Your Monthly Bills 5 Financial Numbers You Should Know How to Take Control of Your Financial Life  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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