It’s a phenomenon that Bob Sullivan, who runs the consumer blog “Red Tape Chronicles” for MSNBC, calls “Gotcha Capitalism” - the title of his recent book, which catalogues the growing use of sneaky fees by service companies from banks to hotels to airlines:

In early February, United Airlines began to charge customers $25 for an extra bag. Some rental car companies charge an airport concession fee if the lot is conveniently located near the airport. A hotel in Las Vegas now bills customers for any item they take out of the minibar for more than 60 seconds, even if it is not consumed. Some bank gift cards lose part of their value if not used by a certain date.
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banks collect up to a 3 percent processing fee for third-party credit transactions. Most of that 3 percent is called the “interchange fee.” That fee has outraged merchants in continental Europe, where credit card use is sparse and consumers are accustomed to debit cards. In December the European Commission won a case against Mastercard that requires it to eliminate interchange fees within the next six months.