AT&T is sending messages to its prepaid customers to inform them that from February 14 onwards, if they make payments over the phone, they will be charged a $5 convenience fee. The fee will be applicable whether you talk to a customer service representative or use the automated phone system for making a payment. The same fee is already charged to postpaid customers for talking to representatives to make a payment.

Many people, especially senior citizens, are not comfortable using other methods for making payments or simply not knowledgeable enough to do so. There are also instances when making a payment in this manner is necessary, so the fee feels more like a penalty. It’s also hard to understand why the company would want you to pay the fee when you interact with an automated system.

If you don’t want to be charged an extra $5 when making payments, you should consider making payments online, visiting an AT&T store, enabling Autopay, or mailing in your payment. Keep in mind that you can still call the company for other purposes, it just doesn’t want you to call it for handling your payments.