These cut into your return, so pay close attention to them. Most fees are flat fees, so you'll pay the same regardless of the size of your purchase. This is especially important if you'd like to invest small amounts. To get around this, consider consolidating some purchases. Most DRIP plans still require you to own only a single share, but a few companies are setting higher minimums.
Many plans have minimum and maximum additional investment amounts.
Some plans allow you to invest monthly, others only quarterly. And still others let you buy additional shares only if you choose to reinvest your dividends. While most plans allow you to automatically reinvest dividends, some do not. Of those that do allow dividend reinvestment, some require you to reinvest ALL of the dividends, while others will let you reinvest a portion of the dividends, and receive the rest as income. Most DRIPs let you sell your stock directly from the plan.