How to Avoid a PNC Overdraft Fee and Get a Refund if You Do

One of the most common issues for American consumers is overdraft fees. Similar to the other bank institutions in America, PNC Bank can charge you as per its overdraft policy if you don’t have enough money in your account to cover your purchase. Overdraft fees can accumulate quickly and eventually constitute a significant unforeseen expense.

Can you avoid overdraft fees or get a refund if you have been charged? Definitely, yes. Learn about the PNC overdraft fees and get to know all the steps you have to take to get an overdraft fee refund now.

What Are the Most Common Bank Overdraft Policies and Fees in America?

It is common for most American banks to impose the same fee for both overdrafts and non-sufficient funds (NSF), providing grounds for possible confusion and misinterpretations of the two types of service they offer.

How Can I Distinguish Between the Overdraft Fee and the NSF Fee?

You are charged an overdraft fee when the bank pays an overdraft for an item you have purchased through your bank account with insufficient funds available to cover the expense. This results in a debit balance on your account, driving it into the red. In the case of an insufficient funds fee (an NSF fee), your bank does not cover the overdraft item but returns it unpaid due to insufficient available funds in your account. You may opt out of overdraft services, but you will still be assessed a fee for insufficient funds.

You Should Be Aware That Banks Are Not Legally Obliged to Cover Any Overdraft Item

Whether your overdraft purchases will be covered or charged an NSF fee is a decision your bank makes. Overdrafts on transactions using your checking account number, automatic bill payments, and checks may be paid. In contrast, debit card and ATM transactions may not be covered, and your operation will be declined at the ATM or the POS (point of sale).

What Overdraft Fees Do Some Top Banks in America Charge?

Let’s take a look at the figures compiled for some of the most popular U.S. banks.

Comparing the figures for the largest banks nationwide, we can identify the following trends:

• Overdraft fees for each transaction causing a negative account balance generally range between $34 and $36.

• The major U.S. banks have a maximum number of overdraft fees of between 3 and 5 per day.

• The lowest among the most popular banks is the Chase overdraft fee.

• The Wells Fargo overdraft fee, the TD Bank overdraft fee, and the Bank of America overdraft fee are the same.

• The US Bank overdraft fee equals the amount charged by PNC Bank, and both banks provide for the same number of overdraft units per day.

To prevent high accidental costs due to overdraft item fees, you must carefully consider your bank overdraft policy and overdraft protection.

What Do I Need to Know About the PNC Bank Overdraft Fee Policy?

Like every bank institution, PNC Bank has established and announced its policies and procedures regarding PNC overdraft fee protection. Here are the most important points you may want to consider.

What Is Typical of PNC Overdraft Services?

PNC bank approves and pays overdrafts at their discretion for the following types of transactions:

• Checks and other transactions using your checking account

• Automatic bill payments.

On the other hand, the bank may refuse to pay certain overdrafts. For example, unless you ask PNC Bank for coverage, there are two cases in which the bank will not authorize and pay overdrafts.

• ATM transactions

• Everyday debit transactions

If you want PNC Bank to pay such transactions, you can use some of these options:

• Call 1-877-588-3605 and click option 1.

• Change your Overdraft Solution settings in PNC Online Banking or the PNC mobile app.

• Visit your local PNC branch.

If you change your mind and want PNC Bank not to authorize and pay the transactions mentioned above, you can use the same steps to opt out.

What Is the Overdraft Fee for PNC Bank and How Much Can I Expect to Be Charged?

Each time PNC Bank covers your overdraft transaction, they charge you $36 with a limit of 4 charges per day. The same amount is assessed for your PNC virtual wallet overdraft fee as well. This means that PNC bank can not charge you more than a $144 overdraft fee per day. In addition, you will be assessed a fee of $7 per day if you fail to notice the overdraft item fee PNC attached to your account for over five days, with a limit of $98.

In addition, if you bounced a check when trying to purchase with insufficient funds available in your bank account, you will be charged the standard PNC Bank NSF fee of $36 per check.

An important point to make is that PNC does not impose an overdraft fee for purchases under $5. Luckily, this eliminates the risk of being frustrated to find out that you have had a 37 dollar coffee a few days later.

How Do I Get My PNC Overdraft Fee Waived?

Suppose you accidentally buy items exceeding your balance, irrespective of whether you have opted in or out of PNC Bank overdraft protection. In that case, you can try to get your overdraft fee waived.

You just need to make a phone call to the PNC Bank customer service dialing 1 (888) 762-2265 or write an email and politely ask for waiving your overdraft fee. In fact, your chances are greater if you are a loyal customer.

No matter whose fault has led to assessing the fee, however, it’s quite likely that you have your overdraft fee waived as the fee amount is far less significant than keeping you as a bank customer.

How Do I Get My PNC Overdraft Fee Refund?

To get your refund for the accidental overdraft fee PNC has charged you, again, you have to reach out to the PNC Bank customer service following the steps below:

1. Get prepared to provide any specific information. The bank customer service representative may ask you some questions, so if you want to make it quick and easy, it’s important to have the following information handy before making the call:

   • Your bank account number

   • Your home address on file with the bank

   • The date of the overdraft fee

   • Your most recent transaction (date, merchant, amount).

2. Call the PNC Bank customer service (1 (888) 762-2265).

3. Explain politely that you have an accidental overdraft fee and you would like to get a refund. And remember that being firm and civil may be critical for having your request fulfilled.

How Can I Avoid the PNC Overdraft Fee?

You can avoid facing overdraft or NSF fees by adopting some simple and effective strategies:

1. Sign up for overdraft protection. PNC Bank offers overdraft protection that impedes debit card transactions, check, or ATM account’s balance to trigger an overdraft fee or an NSF fee.

PNC Bank offers overdraft protection that impedes debit card transactions, check, or ATM account’s balance to trigger an overdraft fee or an NSF fee.

The PNC Bank overdraft protection service allows you to link:

• Any PNC credit card

• A money market deposit account or PNC savings account

• A PNC personal line of credit

• A secondary PNC checking account

When you don’t have sufficient funds to pay for an item, your checking account will automatically receive money from the connected account. Thus you will avoid the hustle of constantly transferring money from your saving account and will not risk being charged $36 if you’re just $0.50 shorter for a cup of coffee.

Note that you’ll still be charged with PNC overdraft protection fees, such as transfer and service fees. Opening a PNC overdraft line of credit, for instance, you will be charged an annual service fee of $50, which is waived for holders of Performance Select Checking accounts, and the credit rate will vary depending on credit approval. Such fees, however, are generally lower than overdraft fees.

1. Opt for alerts. PNC Alerts service notifies you when the balance in your checking account drops below a minimum by your choice. In order to do that, you have to opt for getting alerts using the PNC online bank service.

2. Track your accounts. Check your bank accounts regularly so that you are constantly aware of your available funds. You can keep track of your balance upon every transaction, saving the entries in a spreadsheet or even writing the figures in a notebook. This regular effort of logging incoming and outgoing amounts will save you a lot of possible costly pain later.

Bottom Line

Charging overdraft and insufficient funds fees is standard practice with all major American banks. The availability of helpful information can save you a lot of stress and confusion. As a PNC Bank customer, knowing the PNC overdraft policy will help you avoid facing extra fees by taking the proper steps at the right time.