What Is An Acquisition Fee (Bank Fee)?
The acquisition fee is also known as a bank fee and is always added to the cost of the lease, however, it is up to the dealer to disclose the amount of this fee. I have signed four lease agreements and every one of those agreements clearly indicated the amount of the acquisition/bank fee. However, when negotiating with various dealers, dealers rarely disclosed the amount of the acquisition fee unless I specifically asked for the amount.
This fee is nearly impossible to negotiate since it is not the dealers that come up with the number. Dealers get this number from the lease companies, but it is up to the dealer to decide whether to mark up the acquisition fee for dealer profit. Acquisition fees vary from car maker to car maker. This fee is not a scam and I’ve never encountered a dealer that marked up the acquisition fee for additional profit. It’s just one of those things that you have to accept when leasing a car, but be sure you realize what the acquisition fee is so you can account for this fee.
Here is a link to a list of lease acquisition fees.
