How To Get Rid Of Overdraft And Bounced Check Fees
Getting rid of overdraft and bounced check fees is a really important step if you happen to be one of the people who is at odds with this problem. Not only is this a very expensive problem, it should be regarded as a red flag for the very serious threat to your financial future because it denotes a poor grasp of basic money management.
What's an overdraft? An overdraft is simply the negative balance that shows up on your account balance after you're made one or several transactions and their total is superior than the amount of money that you had on your account. Check writing, ATM withdrawals, online bill payments, any transaction that reduces the money in your account can get you overdrawn.
At this point, your bank has two options. It either pays the amount of the transaction or it doesn't. If it chooses to pay in spite of you not having the money available, you will be charged an overdraft fee. If it chooses not to pay and returns the check, you will be charged a bounced check fee.
Getting rid of those fees means simply that you have to keep a tight grip on your account balance to avoid negative balances. The best way to achieve this is to keep track of how much money you have by keeping your account register up-to-date. Write down all your transactions as soon as they happen. And don't forget to subtract any bank fees that you incur.
Be on the lookout when it comes to transactions where you don't have to write a check or pay with cash: ATM withdrawals and fees, debit card purchases, and online payments just to name a few. Online bill payments on a monthly basis for utilities, insurance, or loan payments should also be thrown into the mix. Always be on top of your account balance and in case it shows a higher amount than what it's supposed to, be careful and look for transactions that haven't cleared yet.
Make balancing your accounts part of your monthly routine. If you need to check, at any given moment, which of your transactions have cleared and which ones haven't, make a phone call to your bank, view your account online, or visit an in-network ATM to avoid fees for checking your balance.
In the unfortunate case where you account is negative, make it a priority to deposit some money into it so as to have a positive balance once again. The bank will deduct its overdraft fee from the account, so keep that in mind when determining how much to deposit. At this time, you might also be offered other ways to cover any future overdrafts.
Odds are, you will be given two choices: linking your checking account to a savings account, or getting an overdraft line of credit. The first option involves linking your checking account to a savings account so that funds are automatically transferred from the latter to the former to prevent any overdraft situation. The second option involves filling out a credit application (which will be treated as a loan) for an overdraft line of credit. What this does is that you're allowed to withdraw funds that you don't have, up to your credit limit. The used portion of your credit line generates interest, and the line itself may be subject to an annual maintenance fee.
What's an overdraft? An overdraft is simply the negative balance that shows up on your account balance after you're made one or several transactions and their total is superior than the amount of money that you had on your account. Check writing, ATM withdrawals, online bill payments, any transaction that reduces the money in your account can get you overdrawn.
At this point, your bank has two options. It either pays the amount of the transaction or it doesn't. If it chooses to pay in spite of you not having the money available, you will be charged an overdraft fee. If it chooses not to pay and returns the check, you will be charged a bounced check fee.
Getting rid of those fees means simply that you have to keep a tight grip on your account balance to avoid negative balances. The best way to achieve this is to keep track of how much money you have by keeping your account register up-to-date. Write down all your transactions as soon as they happen. And don't forget to subtract any bank fees that you incur.
Be on the lookout when it comes to transactions where you don't have to write a check or pay with cash: ATM withdrawals and fees, debit card purchases, and online payments just to name a few. Online bill payments on a monthly basis for utilities, insurance, or loan payments should also be thrown into the mix. Always be on top of your account balance and in case it shows a higher amount than what it's supposed to, be careful and look for transactions that haven't cleared yet.
Make balancing your accounts part of your monthly routine. If you need to check, at any given moment, which of your transactions have cleared and which ones haven't, make a phone call to your bank, view your account online, or visit an in-network ATM to avoid fees for checking your balance.
In the unfortunate case where you account is negative, make it a priority to deposit some money into it so as to have a positive balance once again. The bank will deduct its overdraft fee from the account, so keep that in mind when determining how much to deposit. At this time, you might also be offered other ways to cover any future overdrafts.
Odds are, you will be given two choices: linking your checking account to a savings account, or getting an overdraft line of credit. The first option involves linking your checking account to a savings account so that funds are automatically transferred from the latter to the former to prevent any overdraft situation. The second option involves filling out a credit application (which will be treated as a loan) for an overdraft line of credit. What this does is that you're allowed to withdraw funds that you don't have, up to your credit limit. The used portion of your credit line generates interest, and the line itself may be subject to an annual maintenance fee.
About the Author:
Are you in ChexSystems because of overdraft fees? Read my report on banks that do not use chex systems on Money Galaxy, a personal finance blog I contribute to.
posted by Debt Consolidation Loan at
1:53 PM
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