Terms of Use    

"Grey charges" are charges made to your credit card that you may not even notice.  Some examples: 

  • Remember the free magazine subscription you started receiving?  It may have only been for an introductory period, then the paid subscription kicks in and your credit card is charged
  • What about the newsletter that let you sign up for a free trial?
  • How about an old domain name that you registered?
  • Did the kids sign up for a gaming membership?
  • Maybe you signed up for satellite radio with an auto-charge to your card?
These sneaky ongoing fees are referred to as "grey charges" that can take a bite out of your budget.  

If you're like most people, you don't carefully review the charges on your credit card statement.  Even if you do, you may be thinking that to dispute a small charge is too time consuming or you've just put it off.

Your credit card may even be charged for things like additional products or services tacked on to a legitimate transaction.  Perhaps you canceled a subscription or membership, but your card continues to be charged.

Let this be a reminder of the importance of reviewing each and every charge on your credit card statement before you pay it, especially if you are set up on automatic payments via withdrawals from your account.  

If you spot an unfamiliar charge, take it up with the merchant or credit card company.  Remember, even little charges can add up quickly:  $10 a month becomes $120 a year, etc, so it really is worth your time to protect your money.