Growing up, there were certain things we never thought of as perks because they were simply part of the experience. You bought something and the accessories came with it, booked a flight and checked your luggage, or stopped at a gas station and put air in your tires without wondering how much it would cost.
Over time, a lot of those little freebies have quietly disappeared. Companies found ways to separate things that were once included and turn them into upgrades, subscriptions, service fees, convenience charges, or individual purchases.
Some changes make sense because businesses and technology have changed. Others still leave you wondering, “Wait…when did we start paying for that?”
Here are 17 things people remember getting for free or at least having included in the original price that can now cost extra.
Choosing Your Airplane Seat
Buying an airline ticket once generally meant you’d also get assigned or choose a regular seat without being shown a map filled with different prices. Seat selection can now become another expense, particularly for preferred locations, exit rows, extra legroom, or certain sections of the plane.
Checked Bags on Flights
Checking a suitcase used to be one of those things travelers expected to be included with the price of a plane ticket, and Southwest famously held onto that perk long after most major airlines started charging.
Even Southwest ended its longtime “bags fly free” policy in 2025 for most passengers, making free checked luggage yet another travel perk that went from standard to something many travelers now have to pay extra for.
Hotel parking
Parking at your hotel used to feel like an obvious part of staying there. Now many hotels, particularly in cities and tourist areas, tack on a nightly parking charge that can make the room considerably more expensive.
Grocery Bags
Cashiers once automatically packed your groceries into store-provided bags without adding anything to the receipt. Bag fees are now common in some places, making reusable bags something many shoppers keep permanently stashed in the car.
Hotel Wi-Fi
Paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel room and then discovering internet access costs extra was once particularly common at upscale properties. Free Wi-Fi is more widespread today, but some properties and packages still put faster or premium access behind a fee.
Password sharing for streaming services
Sharing a streaming login with family members was once treated as a normal part of having an account. Some services now restrict sharing outside your household or ask you to pay for additional users.
Phone Chargers and Headphones
Buying a new phone once meant opening the box and finding a charger, headphones, cables, and most of what you needed to start using it. Now some phones come with little more than the device and a cable, leaving customers to purchase compatible charging blocks and headphones separately.
Getting Into State Parks to Camp
Camping has always been one of the more affordable ways to get away for a weekend, and some people remember being able to enter many state parks without paying admission. Today, depending on the park, visitors may encounter entrance, parking, reservation, or camping fees before they’ve even pitched the tent.
Driving on Certain Highways
You used to be able to get in the car and drive most routes without thinking much about paying for the road itself. Tolls, express lanes, and other pay-to-drive options have made road fees a much more noticeable part of getting around in some areas.
Using an ATM
Getting cash from an ATM was originally sold as an incredibly convenient extension of your bank. Use the wrong machine today, and you can potentially encounter a fee from the ATM operator and another from your own bank.
Buying Event Tickets Without All the Extra Fees
The price printed on a concert or event ticket once felt much closer to what you actually paid. Now convenience, service, processing, facility, and delivery charges can make the final checkout price look very different from the number that initially got you interested.
Meals on Airplanes
There was a time when getting on a plane could mean receiving an actual meal as part of the trip. Complimentary meals are much less common on many flights today, with food often limited to small snacks or available for purchase.
Air for Your Tires
Pulling into a gas station and filling a low tire with air once felt like one of those basic conveniences nobody thought twice about. Depending on where you live and the station you visit, you may now find an air machine asking for payment before anything happens.
Parking
Free parking certainly wasn’t available everywhere, but it once seemed much easier to find, and businesses frequently offered validation. Parking has increasingly become its own expense at attractions, airports, entertainment venues, events, and busy downtown areas.
Fast-Food Sauce Packets
Need another barbecue or dipping sauce? Extra sauce packets once seemed like such an insignificant request that plenty of restaurants handed them out without a second thought, while some locations today limit the number included and charge for extras.
Paying a Bill
Paying a company money should be as easy as possible, but even that can come with a fee. Depending on the business and payment method, customers can encounter processing or convenience charges for making certain payments online or through a representative.
Pizza Delivery
Calling the neighborhood pizza place and having dinner delivered once commonly felt like part of ordering pizza, not a separate service. Delivery charges are much more common now, and that’s before adding a tip or any additional costs associated with third-party ordering services.
