Late payment fees for consumer credit cards have finally broken the $30 barrier. Fleet Credit Card Services is assessing a $35 late fee on all its card products including the new Fusion smart VISA. Advanta was the first card issuer to institute $35 fees for holders of its business card products, according to CardWatch. Advanta charges a $35 fee for late payments as well as exceeding the credit limit.  Fleet is continuing to assess a $29 fee for going over the credit limit.  Industry wide late payment fees currently average $26.95 and over-limit fees currently average $25.87, according to CardData. The most commonly charged late and over-limit fee among major issuers is $29.

                    THE CARD FEE MARCH 
                LATE FEES        OVER-LIMIT FEES 
Oct 94        $12.44                     $12.69 
Oct 95        $12.95                     $13.10 
Oct 96        $13.86                     $13.52 
Oct 97        $19.10                     $18.03 
Oct 98        $21.58                     $20.44 
Oct 99        $25.04                     $24.36 
Oct 00        $26.95                     $25.87 

Source CardData (www.carddata.com)