Utilities Find Success in Reducing or Eliminating Credit Card Fees

Credit cards are a fact of contemporary life. Whether used as a tool for major or unexpected expenditures, budgeting, holiday shopping, or simply getting through the month, credit cards are a common and widely used form of payment. Utilities have long accepted payment by credit card, and generally they have passed on to customers the convenience fee that is charged by credit card issuers.

Chartwell data shows that in recent years, consumers have increasingly expected interactions with their utility to more closely resemble their interactions with other service providers, such as mobile phone carriers or online retailers. As a result, in recent years a growing number of utilities in the U.S. are reducing or eliminating credit card fees for their residential customers. As of 2022, 32% of utilities did not charge residential customers a fee at all to make payments by credit card, up from 25% in 2021.

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