10. Food delivery
Once upon a time, you actually didn’t have to pay extra to get your food delivered. In fact, a lot of pizza stores had ‘Free Delivery’ as their watchword for a long time – you wouldn’t hear that anywhere nowadays! However, with the ride of third-party delivery services like UberEats, consumers have found themselves paying extra for the convenience.
9. Twitter verification badge
In October 2022, business magnate Elon Musk acquired Twitter and become its CEO. This takeover brought several changes, including a new paid subscription service called Twitter Blue. This programme meant you paid $8 for a verification badge on the social media. Up until that point, the blue checks were used to identify public figures for free.
8. School sports
Engaging in school athletics has technically never been free. Back in the day, your parents would have to shell out a few bucks to buy the necessary gear for the sport, but the activity would be free. These days, parents have an additional cost to think about when it comes to school sports – the participation or ‘pay-to-play’ fee. These charges can range from $75 to $1000!
7. Online newspapers
We’ve all the devastating experience where you click on a news article online, only to be hit hard in the face by a paywall. While this is frustrating, some of us will remember a time when it wasn’t even a thing! Many online newspapers used to provide their content for free, but now the landscape of electronic publishing as evolved, and websites went from free to paid subscriptions.
6. Hotel amenities
Believe it or not, it was once the case that when you paid for a hotel room, you also got all the added amenities at no extra cost. However, nowadays, hotel can tack us on what they refer to as ‘resort fees’ or services used during your stay. These include Wi-Fi, swimming pools, gyms and even shampoo and towels!
5. Directory Assistance
In the past, a landline telephone was the primary means of communication, meaning you could just pick up the phone and find a number or address for free. In the U.S. this directory assistance was provided through calling 4-1-1, without any charge. However, telephone company’s has gradually transitioned from free calls, to a few free calls per month, until they charged a fee for every call.
4. Tire air pumps
For the longest time, gas stations served as a one-stop solution for everything from fuel, snacks to car maintenance. These services included getting a free tire air pump as a complimentary service. However, in most places these companies will now charge you anywhere from 25 cents to $1.50 to fill your tires.
3. Banking services
It can be particularly frustrating having to pay a fee to access the money in your bank account, although this is a sad reality for almost everyone today! However, there was once a time when banks didn’t charge you at an ATM or open a checking account. But years have passed and now certain regulatory bulls by the government have resulted in lower interest rates.
2. Flight extras
In the early days, it was normal for passengers to receive free checked baggage, in-flight meals, and unlimited beverages at no extra cost. However, time flies and nowadays carriers implement fees for some of these once complimentary services. These days, you pay more for things like more legroom and even choosing your own seat!
1. Television
Back in the day, it was the norm for families to convene around the TV as it was the only source of entertainment. Everyone relied on traditional over-the-air broadcasting, where channels were financed with advertising money and were free for viewers. However, due to the advent of cable and satellite TV, many households have to pay a subscription fee.