Over the last 10 years, automated tell transaction fees have gone up by more than a dollar on average. This means, each time you make a visit to a bank machine that is not a part of your own personal bank network, you are hit with a fee of $2.00 or more in fees. More of your hard-earned money is being shelled out simply for convenience. To make matters even worse, when you use the ATM and get socked with a fee, you are likely to get hit with ANOTHER fee by your own bank. Hardly seems fair, right?

Well, it is a fact. The banking industry makes billions of dollars in bank fees from automated teller machines each year. Sometimes the fees are hard to escape especially when you are desperate for cash when your bank’s machines are no where in sight, such as the times you are on vacation or getting some holiday shopping done. When you need the cash, you often may not consider the small fee at the time – but it does add up. When the ATM is about to charge you a fee for use, you will receive notification prior to completing your transaction. You can always opt to refuse the card and find another ATM.

There are other ways to avoid giving the banks more money than you need to be. Simply planning can help alleviate some of the issues. Make sure to keep a stash of cash on hand for whenever you might need it and plan out the amount you keep based on your budget. Another way to avoid the fees at the ATM is to use your banking debit card to make your purchases, if you choose to not carry cash. Be carefully when using your card though. It can be very easy to forget some of your purchases and screw up your checkbook. Mismanagement of your bank account can lead to even higher fees when you factor in the overdraft fees banks are now charging which can be as high as $40 or more for each item cleared through insufficient funds.

Expect to Pay More at the ATM was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

While it is no longer safe to rely on floating time, there are some ways you can help protect yourself and still pay your bills on time while living check to check.

Direct Deposit Your Paycheck

While the Check 21 Act may make it faster for companies to take your money, the measure did nothing to increase the speed of depositing a check into your account. You may still have to wait several days for a check to clear and allow the funds to be available in your account. Direct depositing your check will ensure not only that the funds will be available to you faster, most times your direct deposit will be put into your account ahead of those getting payroll checks. Generally, direct deposits will be available by midnight on the day of payroll.

Write Yourself a Check

$100, $500, $1000 – whatever you can afford at the time. Deduct the money from your account but don’t cash the check. You will always have a cushion in your checking account to help you avoid overdraft fees.

Bank Online

Most banks allow you to control your accounts completely online. You have access to your account activity at any time and you can always be aware of how much money you have and where it is going. Contrary to popular belief, banking online is safe due to encryption technology and you may be more likely to be “hacked” when sending payments through the mail.

Request New Payment Dates

Take a look at the due dates for all of your bills. If you see that they all fall in the same time period, contact some of your creditors and ask if you can change your due dates so you have a more even split between paychecks, making it easier to pay on time. Many companies will accommodate your requests but be warned – some may charge you a fee to switch the dates so ask about this when speaking to an authorized representative.

Use Email Alerts

Companies often offer account management on their websites. You can set up your account to notify you by email when a bill is due, when your balance reaches a certain point, and confirmations of payments made. Busy lives often make us overlook due dates so having an instant reminder will help reduce missed payments and the resulting late fees.

How To Deal With the Demise of ‘Floating Check’ Times was created by and is property of American Consumer News.