10 Convenience Habits That Cost Ohioans More Than They Realize

The full 241-mile Ohio Turnpike crossing costs $27.75 in cash and $19 with an E-ZPass transponder.

That’s $8.75 every trip, for nothing but the way you paid.

These are the convenience habits that cost Ohioans more than they realize.

Note: This is general information, not financial or tax advice. Fees, rates, and toll prices are subject to change.

1. Ordering Delivery Instead of Pickup

DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub turn a fifteen-minute drive into zero effort, and that’s exactly what people are paying for.

Few people check the math.

A 2025 LendingTree survey of five major chains found delivery orders run 79.5% more than the same meal picked up in person, an extra $9.30 on average.

Delivery fees, service fees, and menu items marked up above the in-restaurant price all stack on top of a tip.

Skip two delivery orders a month instead, and that’s more than $220 a year back in a shopper’s pocket for the same food.

2. Skipping E-ZPass on the Turnpike

The Ohio Turnpike Commission says E-ZPass customers save an average of 33% on tolls versus paying cash or by toll-by-plate billing.

The gap is sharp on the full 241-mile crossing: $27.75 in cash or by toll-by-plate billing, compared with $19 for a driver running an E-ZPass transponder.

That’s $8.75 every trip.

Setting up E-ZPass takes a few minutes online.

Many drivers skip the setup because it feels like one more account to manage.

Ohioans who cross the state only a few times a year end up paying full price for a five-minute sign-up they never finish.

3. Grabbing Cash From Any ATM

An out-of-network ATM fee doesn’t show up until the receipt prints.

It’s already gone by then.

Combined bank and operator fees for pulling cash from a machine outside a customer’s network hit a record $4.86 in 2025, per Bankrate, the third straight year fees have risen.

A bank’s ATM, or a no-fee network many credit unions share, avoids the charge completely.

4. Paying a Tax Bill by Card

Franklin County’s treasurer accepts credit and debit cards for property tax bills, and that convenience adds a charge no paper check ever carried.

A credit card payment costs 2.19% of the bill, with a $1.50 minimum, while an e-check pulled straight from a bank account costs nothing.

Ohio law lets counties set up exactly this kind of charge for electronic payments, and Franklin County isn’t unusual in choosing to.

The fee is baked in.

Many Ohio counties offer both: No charge for an e-check, and a card fee for skipping it.

5. Choosing Grocery Delivery Over Pickup

Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, lets shoppers choose between paying for delivery or driving up for a free pickup.

Delivery costs extra every time.

A Kroger order runs $6.95 to $14.95 in delivery fees without a membership, or $99 a year for unlimited same-day Boost delivery.

Pickup on that same order is free once the cart hits $35, and only a $4.95 service fee below it.

It’s the same order.

It just costs more.

6. Cashing Out Venmo Money Instantly

Venmo lets a balance sit for free, or a user can cash it out to a bank account in about thirty minutes for a fee.

Both send the same money.

Instant Transfer costs 1.75% of the amount, at least a quarter and as much as $25.

The free option, called Standard Transfer, lands in one to three business days.

7. Buying Tickets the Easy Way

Ticketmaster sells a large share of the country’s concert and game tickets, and its checkout adds charges long before a seat number shows up.

The seat didn’t get better.

Service and facility fees can add at least 30% to a ticket’s face price, based on Ticketmaster’s account of what it and venues each charge.

A $50 seat can become $65 or more before checkout even asks for a card number.

A resale marketplace like TickPick advertises no added buyer fees at checkout, building its cut into the ticket’s listed price instead.

8. Taking a Credit Card Cash Advance

A credit card cash advance turns a card into an ATM, pulling cash against the credit line instead of a bank account.

Card issuers typically charge 3% to 5% of the amount, or a $10 minimum, whichever costs more.

There’s no waiting it out.

Interest starts immediately, without the grace period a regular purchase gets.

Pulling $200 from a credit card can add $10 in fees before any interest even accrues.

9. Splitting a Purchase Into Payments

Afterpay, Klarna, and similar buy-now-pay-later plans split one purchase into several payments spread over weeks instead of one charge at checkout.

A 2024 study in the Journal of Marketing tracked purchase data from a U.S. retailer to see what happens after shoppers start using buy-now-pay-later plans.

Purchase frequency rose by about 9 percentage points, and how much people spent per order rose by roughly 10%.

That’s not a missed payment.

It’s the plan working as designed: Splitting the price makes it feel smaller, so shoppers say yes more often and spend more each time.

Miss a payment on top of that, and Afterpay adds up to $8 per missed payment, capped at 25% of the order.

10. Parking Close to the Terminal

John Glenn Columbus International Airport prices parking in tiers, and the closest option costs the most.

The terminal garage and valet lot both run $30 a day.

A long-term section of that same garage costs $24 a day instead, for travelers who want covered parking without the valet price.

The Green Lot, reached by a short shuttle ride, costs $9 a day, with the first hour free.

That's $21 saved.