Banks are raising noncustomer ATM fees - again.

Bankrate.com reports that folks are paying 13% more in fees to use ATMs that are not operated by their own banks. The combined fee, which is the "foreign" fee that the ATM owner charges, combined with the fee charged to customers by their banks, has increased to an average of $3.43, compared to $3.03 last year.

Remember when WaMu offered surcharge-free ATMs to everyone? Those days will probably never return (alas, WaMu didn't fare so well, either).

Atlanta's consumer advice guru Clark Howard says that people who pay high fees don't do their homework. At Directo, we agree. The Directocash Card is very economical when used wisely. Used at a point of sale and paired with a cash back request, the Directocash Card knocks out two transactions for under a dollar. Pay bills online, and you save even more. Electronic billpay is worth a blog entry of its own.