Consumers don’t know why banks are raising fees for debit card use, but they know they don’t like it.

“I think it’s aggravating because it’s your money. It’s not the bank’s money,” said Nora Klein of Orange Grove. She charges her purchases on a credit card and pays the balance each month to avoid fees. Her children use debit cards. She understands interest charges for unpaid credit card balances. “You expect that,” she said. “It’s the bank’s money you’re using.” She doesn’t understand why the banks are now charging for debit card use.

Blame it on Congress for passing legislation that caps debit card fees at about half the previous rate, or banks for trying to recover the billions in lost revenue by charging customers processing fees that were paid by businesses. As of Oct. 1, the swipe fee dropped from an average of 44 cents to 24 cents per transaction.

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