Not saying I trust them with my checking account info, but I do understand why they’re doing this. Out of the three, credit card payments incur the highest fees for them – so they’re trying to discourage credit card payments to avoid having to pay those fees. Debit card payments incur a fee for them also, but lower than credit cards. And I may be wrong, but I think they don’t have to pay any fees with taking it out of your checking account. If they do it’s very minimal.
While AT&T has not yet made an official announcement on this matter through its usual channels at the time of this writing, the consistency of reports from various users suggests that this policy shift is indeed taking place. It’s common for companies to adjust their discount programs over time, but changes that affect recurring customer savings often draw attention and can lead to dissatisfaction.
It’s understandable why some customers might feel this alteration is inconvenient. While encouraging the use of debit cards or direct bank transfers can reduce processing fees for companies, it removes a level of flexibility that many consumers have come to expect.
We have reached out to AT&T for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
