Fees That Bite: A Rundown of What to Expect While Traveling

— -- If you’ll be traveling this summer, have a wonderful time. Just don’t let the fees bite as some can be particularly painful.

Here’s my list of some of the worst:

The overweight fee

How do you turn a $25 checked-bag fee into $125? On airlines like American, Delta and United it’s real easy: If the bag weighs in at more than 50 pounds these airlines won’t hesitate to ding you for an additional $100 and up to $200 for bags over 70 pounds. Don’t get bitten by fat bag fees, pack light and consider using a carry-on.

The last-minute fee

Of course, carry-ons aren’t always free, not on Allegiant, Frontier or Spirit. The biggest problem though is delaying payment because last-minute carry-on charges are steep. If you wait to pay at the airport gate, Frontier will charge you $60 while Spirit will ding you for a cool $100 so pay when booking when it’s only $35. It's another reminder that procrastination can be costly.

The seat selection fee

You will get a free seat, but more and more airlines charge for seats that are remotely desirable, including windows and aisles. Seat selection fees are all over the map these days, ranging from a few dollars to $100 or more. Suggestion: When booking choose the best seat available even if it’s a middle seat then keep coming back to seat selection because airlines often free up better ones as departure day nears (this is especially true in the final 24 hours before take-off). If you still can’t find a decent seat, try polite negotiation with the gate agent at the airport (sometimes you can pay very little to improve your situation). Or if you’re on a short-haul flight, it might be easiest to just tough it out for an hour or so; at least it’ll be free.

The boarding pass fee

Want a paper boarding pass for your Spirit flight? As far as we can determine, that’s the only kind of boarding pass the discounter offers (no mobile passes) and if you print it yourself, it’s free. The problem comes in when you don’t have access to a printer because it will cost you $2 to print it via an airport kiosk and $10 if a human Spirit rep prints it. There’s an easy solution to this dilemma: Even if you don’t own a printer, I bet you know someone who does so ask them for help.

The thirsty fee

You get on the flight and are looking forward to a nice cold one. Even if it’s just water or a Diet Coke, it’ll cost you $2 and up on Allegiant (and other discount carriers). Instead, bring an insulated mug or thermos or just an empty water bottle from home and fill it up at the airport after you go through security; an increasing number have water filling stations for just that purpose.

Don’t pay more than you have to for fees. This is money you could spend on something far more important like summer vacation fun.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare, and do not reflect those of ABC News.