Banks charge fees on everything from monthly account upkeep to printing checks, and the average American household pays hundreds of dollars a year without realizing it. The good news: nearly every common banking fee is avoidable once you know what triggers it. Here are the seven fees most likely to show up on your statements and what to do about each one.
Monthly Maintenance Fees
This is the fee your bank charges simply for keeping your account open. The average monthly maintenance fee on a checking account has hit a record $13.51, according to the 2026 MoneyRates Checking Account Fee Survey. That works out to more than $162 a year for doing nothing wrong.
Most banks will waive the fee if you meet one of several conditions. Setting up a recurring direct deposit is the easiest path: minimum thresholds typically range from $250 to $500 per month. Alternatively, you can maintain a minimum daily balance, which runs around $500 for basic checking and $1,500 for interest-bearing checking. Premium “relationship” accounts that bundle checking with savings or investment accounts often require $5,000 to $20,000 across all linked accounts.
If those thresholds feel like a stretch, switch to an account that never charges the fee in the first place. Online banks like Ally, Capital One 360, SoFi, and Charles Schwab all offer checking accounts with no monthly maintenance fee and no minimum balance requirement.
Out-of-Network ATM Fees
Using an ATM outside your bank’s network usually hits you twice. Your own bank charges roughly $2.50 to $3 per withdrawal, and the ATM operator tacks on its own surcharge. Combined, out-of-network ATM fees average $4.64 per transaction. Use a random ATM twice a week and you’re looking at nearly $500 a year.
The simplest fix is to stick to your bank’s in-network ATMs, which you can find through your bank’s app or website. If you frequently need cash in places without a branch, consider an account that reimburses ATM fees. Charles Schwab’s Investor Checking refunds every ATM fee worldwide with no cap. Axos Bank reimburses unlimited domestic ATM fees. Ally reimburses up to $10 per statement cycle, and NBKC Bank covers up to $12 per month. You can also get cash back at grocery stores and retailers for no charge, which avoids ATMs altogether.
Overdraft Fees
An overdraft fee is what your bank charges when a transaction goes through even though you don’t have enough money in your account. These fees typically land around $35 per transaction, and some banks charge a continuous or daily overdraft fee for every day the account stays negative. A single bad weekend can stack up to well over $100.
For debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals, federal rules require your bank to get your permission (called “opting in”) before it can charge overdraft fees. If you never opt in, the bank simply declines the transaction and charges you nothing. Check your account settings. If you opted in when you opened the account, you can call your bank or change the setting online to opt back out.
Linking a savings account to your checking account is another layer of protection. If a transaction would overdraw your checking, the bank pulls funds from savings instead. There may still be a small transfer fee, but it’s typically much less than a full overdraft charge. Several online banks, including Ally, Capital One, and Schwab, have eliminated overdraft fees entirely. SoFi waives them as long as you have at least $1,000 in direct deposits per month.
Insufficient Funds (NSF) Fees
An NSF fee is the flip side of an overdraft. Instead of covering the transaction and charging you for going negative, the bank bounces the payment and charges you anyway. This happens most often with checks and scheduled bill payments. Unlike debit card overdrafts, banks do not need your opt-in to charge NSF fees, so they can appear without warning.
The best defense is setting up low-balance alerts through your bank’s app so you know before a payment tries to clear. Many banks let you set a custom threshold, like getting a text when your balance drops below $100. Linking a savings account as backup also prevents most NSF situations. If you want to eliminate the risk entirely, look for a “Bank On” certified account. These accounts, available at many banks and credit unions, are specifically designed to carry no overdraft or NSF fees.
Wire Transfer Fees
Wire transfers move money directly between banks, usually within one business day. That speed comes at a cost: banks charge anywhere from $16 to $35 per transaction, with international wires often running higher than domestic ones. Incoming wires sometimes carry fees too, though they tend to be lower.
Unless you’re closing on a house or sending a large, time-sensitive payment, you probably don’t need a wire. ACH transfers (the system behind direct deposits and bank-to-bank transfers through apps) are free at most banks and arrive within one to three business days. Peer-to-peer payment apps are another free alternative for sending money to individuals. Reserve wires for situations where same-day delivery or guaranteed funds are genuinely required.
Excessive Transaction Fees
Some savings accounts and money market accounts charge a fee when you make more than a certain number of withdrawals or transfers per month, typically six. This traces back to a former federal regulation that limited savings account transactions; even though the rule was relaxed, many banks kept the limit and the fee attached to it.
If you regularly move money out of savings, check your account’s terms for a transaction cap. Consolidating multiple small transfers into one larger monthly transfer is an easy workaround. If you need frequent access to your money, keep it in a checking account instead, since checking accounts don’t carry transaction limits.
Check Ordering Fees
When you need physical checks, your bank or a third-party printer charges $20 to $60 for a box of 200. That cost is easy to overlook because it only comes up once every year or two, but it adds up over a lifetime of checking accounts.
Third-party check printers online almost always undercut your bank’s price, sometimes significantly. Before you order, compare prices from at least one outside printer. Better yet, reduce how many checks you write. Most bills can be paid through your bank’s online bill-pay feature, which sends either an electronic payment or a bank-issued check at no cost to you. Landlords, contractors, and other payees who don’t accept cards or electronic transfers are usually the only reason to keep a checkbook around.
Switching to a Fee-Free Account
If you’re tired of managing waivers and watching your balance, the most permanent fix is moving to a bank that doesn’t charge these fees at all. Online banks operate with lower overhead than traditional branches, and they pass those savings along. Accounts from Ally, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, SoFi, Axos, and others charge no monthly fee, no overdraft fee, and provide access to large ATM networks or unlimited ATM reimbursements.
Opening a new checking account takes about 10 minutes online. Before you close your old account, move your direct deposits and automatic bill payments to the new one and let at least one full billing cycle pass to make sure nothing is still pulling from the old account. Once everything has migrated, transfer the remaining balance and close the old account in writing or in person to make sure it’s officially shut down. An abandoned account with a maintenance fee can quietly go negative and end up in collections.