It's ridiculous. If I don't have "Autopay" on my cell bill, they charge me an additional $20 a month (nearly doubling it). I think they charge an additional fee if you want a paper bill actually mailed to you, but you are free to print it at your own expense (how kind of them /s).
Oh, and now telecoms are thinking of bringing back data limits when they roll out 6G. https://www.lightreading.com/climate-change/could-6g-mark-return-to-usage-based-pricing-/a/d-id/777099?
Credit cards also hassling me whenever I login to tell me to sign up for autopay and paperless billing. I know they DGAF about the environment, the motivation for the paperless is to eliminate any actual employees and raise the profit margin. Legally, banks have to send you a paper statement and bill if you request it, and my guess is that if they get enough people to do the "paperless" option they will lobby the government to get rid of this requirement, then they can do whatever they want to customers with no paper trail.
autopay is a shitty deal. I am not giving blanket authorization to pull from my checking account. especially when utility/billing companies have overbilled. it's a better negotiating position to argue over a bill you haven't paid than one you have, just like it's harder to get your bank to go after money you don't have anymore. all this is why they "discount" the service: because it gives them all the power. in a dispute. look up those horror stories of water companies meter fuckups or bogus leaks, where somebody gets autodrafted like $6,000 and it totally fucks up their life to the point they are calling the local news.
I never pay through their apps or sites anymore, with their b.s. convenience fees. my bank lets me set up ACH payments through them, which don't cost me anything extra than what was on the bill. and the routing info is one-time, so it's more secure than a check. it takes 1-2 business days, but otherwise it's ideal.
autopay is evil!
