The dark patterns around auto-pay are part of the problem. One that bit me a couple of times this year was my bank's offering the ability to set an auto-pay li

The dark patterns around auto-pay are part of the problem. One that bit me a couple of times this year was my bank's offering the ability to set an auto-pay limit. Which you would think means "auto-pay the lesser of the account balance or the specified limit," to help smooth out payments for a larger purchase. But instead it means, "short-circuit auto-pay if the account balance rises above the limit." It's easy to miss the notification about this, which blends in with other emails from the bank. Voila, late charge!