There is one thing that’s certain about your local bank, and that is that they love their fees. They rely not only on their fees to help maximize their profits but they also rely on you being ignorant of them. Often times in order for you to find out about these fees and the ways that you can avoid them, you need to take out a magnifying glass and pour over the fine print on your bank statement.
If you are not aware of these fees you could be letting your hard earned money slip right out of your hands unnecessarily. Here is a list of the most common fees that you may or may not be aware of and ways that you can avoid them.
Overdraft Fees
An overdraft fee is a fee that your bank levies on your account when you write a check or swipe your card for something that you don’t have the money in your account to completely cover it. Depending on your financial institution, these fees can be anywhere from $20 to $35.
The good news is that these types of fees are the easiest for you to avoid.
It just means that you have to be an active participant in managing your bank account. When writing a check, you need to log that check in your check register or when making a debit card payment you need to jot down that payment in a little note pad so that you don’t go over your balance.
Also many banks offer some type of overdraft fee protection plan usually for credit worthy customers and some may charge an additional fee for the use of that service.
Published: October 5, 2025
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ATM Fees
ATM Fees are typically $1.00 - $4.00 fees that your account is charged when you use an ATM that is not affiliated with your particular bank. The sinister thing about ATM fees, is that they can hit you twice, as you can be charged a fee from the bank whose ATM you are using, and then another fee on top of that from your own bank. The way to avoid these fees is to find out what programs are available from your bank to help you – many banks will waive these fees if you meet certain requirements like using direct deposit or keeping a certain minimum balance in your account each month.
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Minimum Balance Fees
A minimum balance or administrative fee as it may be called is a fee that your bank may be charge you when you don’t keep the minimum balance required in your “free” checking account. These fees can be anywhere from $7 - $12 depending on your bank.
There are two basic ways to avoid this fee, they are to either never let your checking account balance go lower than the minimum required amount or to find a bank that does not charge such a fee.
Statement Reprint Fee
A statement reprint fee is just what it sounds like, a fee charged to reprint either a full statement and have it remailed to you, or to print a snap shot statement right from the ATM. These fees can be as high as $10.00 depending on your bank. The best way to avoid these fees is to set your account up with online banking so that way you can view your statements online at anytime.
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