We all make mistakes. But money mistakes come with a price.
Recently Wells Fargo made a change to its overdraft charge policy that makes those mistakes a little easier to swallow!
In the near future (the final date’s still TBD), your account will not be assessed overdraft fees if you become overdrawn by $5 or less. Also, no more than four overdraft charges will be charged per day.
Also, in the coming months, customers who want to opt out of overdraft coverage will have that option — you’ll be able to specify that you don't want your transactions authorized or paid into overdraft if you don't have funds to cover the transaction.
That's all good news, but more importantly, how can you avoid overdrawing your bank account in the first place? Just a few simple ideas:
- Bank online. Get yourself set up for online banking, so you can view your account any time. You can see pending transactions and easily transfer balances from one account to another, which can help you avoid overdrafts.
- Sign up for overdraft protection. At Wells Fargo, enrollment in overdraft protection is free, and can dramatically reduce the fees you're charged for overdrawing your account.
- Sign up for mobile banking. Right now Wells Fargo is offering this service for free. It allows you to keep track of your account, like check balances, review recent activity, and transfer funds — all from your mobile phone.
- Go low-tech. Although many online tools are helpful, you don't have to be high-tech to keep good track of your bank account. Use a good old-fashioned check register to record all your account activity: check card purchases, deposits, ATM withdrawals, etc. You can also use this as a backup, even if you're banking online.
So tell us: How do you keep track of your bank account?
UPDATE: Oops, we jumped the gun on our original post! We recently learned these changes to our overdraft policies are a work in progress, which means they’re not yet available. We’ve updated our post to reflect that! We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and will let you know when those services are up and running.



OK, so paper or plastic might not be the question on your mind when you whip out your wallet at the grocery store (or at any store for that matter), but you may find yourself pulling out your debit card (aka check card) more often than writing a check or paying with cash.
So when BudgetWatch became available, I went though the motions to create my budget. Couldn't hurt, right?
And the proof is in the
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