I have raved about you for years. But the trick you pulled this year, with the 39.99 fee at the last step for efile was dirty and dishonest. That is low salesmanship.

[Critter]

Sadly this refund processing fee has been a staple of the entire DIY industry and many of the Store front preparers as well for many many years ... you had the choice to pay the TT fees with a credit/debit card  OR   for an EXTRA fee have the fees withheld from your federal refund ... a feature you had to agree to 4 times.  If you did not read the screens or agreements prior to clicking yes then you have only yourself to blame ... see some of the screenshots below that you must have viewed ... 

[bjmoney16]

Critter#2, thanks for all the screen shots of multiple pages of the contract. My only question is if it’s so clear cut why does it have to be broken down a total 5 times, in different ways. With total bill only showing at the last screen. Doesn’t seem so simple to me.

[Critter]

Sadly because users miss  the first screen so the TT lawyers have it put in multiple times. I am really surprised that you are not required to download the contract and not just click a box saying you read it.

[Critter]

Do yourself a favor ... never use the overpriced service if you can help it.   If you do not have a CC to use then go to the store and for $5 pick up a pre paid debit card and load it with just enough to pay the fees  then use that same debit card to get the refund ... for the unbanked this is a valid alternative.

[macuser_22]

The "convenience fee" for paying from your refund is not a TurboTax fee but a separate bank fee for making an unsecured loan to you to pay the TurboTax fees from your refund.  That fee is from the Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG)

 Unsecured loan rates can be high because if you do not actually get the refund (the IRS denies it or there is a tax offset levied) then it can be difficult or impossible for the bank to get it's money back so the high fees reflect the risk involved.

Other payment methods such as a pre-paid credit card are usually much cheaper and does not delay the refund by being sent to the SBTPG bank first.

Contact the SPTPG this way

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3129412-why-is-my-federal-refund-on-hold-with-santa-barbara-tax-pr...>