Bars and restaurants can charge you a "walkout fee" if you forget your credit card

If you accidentally leave your credit card at a bar or restaurant, they can charge you a hefty "walkout fee." The Street asked financial advisors at NerdWallet and WalletHub about this, and they said this practice is legal, provided the establishment has a "prominently displayed sign" about the fee.

If, when you show up to retrieve your card from the bar and they have already run your card without your permission, that's definitely a point to challenge, as you did not authorize the transaction.

"If you didn't sign to approve that transaction, that's not legal. You do have rights around how your card is used," Yuann says. "If you dispute the charge, then your credit card company would reach out to that merchant or that merchant's bank to remediate the issue."

It really depends on how badly you want to fight the charge, Yuann says. If the bar is totally inflexible about removing or waiving the charge and you genuinely don't feel as if you were notified of the policy, it's time to start the dispute process.

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