Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else have to look up "usurious" for its actual meaning?

And why would OP use usurious and then cray cray, which must be the dumbest phrase ever.

Anonymous wrote:Class action lawyer here. Just out of curiosity, would you say the fees are prominently and clearly displayed on the website?

Absolutely not but please don't sue DCPS!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are paying with a credit card, the CC company charges them at least 3% so that's right off their bottom line plus some $1 per charge fee I think

Then the fee should be 5% or so. For a $10 payment, the fee would be $0.50, not $2.25.

Minimum fee structures like this simply take advantage of the poor, who can't afford to pay a large amount in advance.

You don't get it. The cost is the transaction.

No, you don't get it, PP. It does not cost $2.25 to process a $10 transaction. It's not the cost. It's the fee. Of that $2.25, something close to $2.00 is pure profit.

Class action lawyer here. Just out of curiosity, would you say the fees are prominently and clearly displayed on the website?

Did anyone else have to look up "usurious" for its actual meaning?

For APS, I sign up for some kind of "membership" that is I think $12 per year. Then I just reload money as needed. I also use it to pay for before care. No other fees.

Gaia wrote:I can't afford to put that much on at once. I don't remember the last time I had that much money sitting in my bank account for more than 10 minutes after payday.

I have to put two week's worth of food $ on every two weeks for two kids. Those transaction fees add up.

It sucks.

Unless you qualify for a reduced price lunch, you'd save money by making your kids' lunches instead of buying them. Sure, it's more work on a daily basis but it's usually less than the $2-$3 that the school charges.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are paying with a credit card, the CC company charges them at least 3% so that's right off their bottom line plus some $1 per charge fee I think

Then the fee should be 5% or so. For a $10 payment, the fee would be $0.50, not $2.25.

Minimum fee structures like this simply take advantage of the poor, who can't afford to pay a large amount in advance.

You don't get it. The cost is the transaction.

$10 at a time? I put $100. It's a flat service charge. You'll burn through $10 in 3 days.

I put $100 cash in the school kiosk the first day of school. I could have easily used the website, but I refuse to pay the $1.95 fee. That's almost another meal.

I can't afford to put that much on at once. I don't remember the last time I had that much money sitting in my bank account for more than 10 minutes after payday.

I have to put two week's worth of food $ on every two weeks for two kids. Those transaction fees add up.

It sucks.

Anonymous wrote:If you are paying with a credit card, the CC company charges them at least 3% so that's right off their bottom line plus some $1 per charge fee I think

Then the fee should be 5% or so. For a $10 payment, the fee would be $0.50, not $2.25.

Minimum fee structures like this simply take advantage of the poor, who can't afford to pay a large amount in advance.

We put the maximum we could (I think $140) and said to put more money on when it gets below $5. You pay the same glee no matter how much you put on.

Same as another person noted. Don't use the "recurring payment" function. Just set a min balance alert and put a substantial amount onto the account. I put $70-100 on it at a time. It'll carry over to the next year if you don't use it. When you get an alert, replenish. The fee is then totally worth it. Otherwise, there should be a "kiosk" at your school, where you can add cash to your child's card or approach the lunch lady to do the same. I think both is fee-less.

This is the same fee structure as the previous system. It is a fee per transaction. For this reason I put $50 on at a time. I am sure there is a way to pay by check if you don't want the fee.