What Is an Overdraft Fee?
Huntington Bank issues you an overdraft fee when you don’t have enough money in your account to complete a transaction but the bank pays for the transaction anyway. This will cause your account to have a negative balance, and you will incur a fee because the bank spotted your transaction.
Transactions that can trigger an overdraft fee include:
- Checks or other transactions made using your checking account number
- Automatic bill payments (e.g. auto-pay utility bills, credit card payments)
If you do not want the bank to cover these types of transactions automatically and instead decline any purchases that would overdraw your account, Huntington Bank requires you to ask them to stop paying for these types of transactions.
Huntington Bank can cover other types of overdraft transactions, but you have to ask them to first. These transactions include:
- Everyday, non-recurring debit card transactions (e.g. gas, groceries)
- ATM withdrawals
Huntington Bank is not obligated to cover any transactions that overdraft your account, regardless of transaction type or overdraft protection status. The decision is ultimately at the bank’s discretion.
How Much Does an Overdraft Fee Cost at Huntington Bank?
According to Huntington Bank’s overdraft fee disclosure form, you can incur a $36 fee for each transaction that overdraws your account; however, you will only receive the fee if your account is overdrawn by more than $50 at the end of the business day.
Related Fees
If you overdraft your account, a number of scenarios could occur.
- Overdraft fee
- Return fee
- Overdraft protection transfer fee
Overdraft fee
Overdraft fees most often occur when you are not opted into overdraft protection and the bank allows you to overdraft your account on checks, automatic bill payments, and other transactions made using your checking account number.
Return fee
Huntington Bank issues return fees when you attempt to make a purchase but there are not enough funds in your account to cover the transaction. Instead of covering for you, the bank will decline the transaction, or return the item unpaid. Return fees are also referred to as returned item fees, non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees, or insufficient funds fees.
Huntington Bank charges $36 for each transaction that you attempt to make that would overdraw your account. The bank will not charge you a return fee for ATM or debit card transactions unless your are opted into the service, but can automatically charge you a return fee for checks, automatic bill payments, and other transactions made using your checking account number unless you’ve opted out.
Overdraft protection transfer fee
Overdraft protection transfer fees most often occur when you are opted into overdraft protection and the bank allows you to overdraw your account by automatically transferring money from a qualifying linked account to cover the purchase. Rather than a $36 overdraft fee, Huntington Bank charges a $12 overdraft protection transfer fee if you are opted into the program.
If you link a savings or money market account, line of credit, or credit card, Huntington Bank does not charge for overdraft protection transfers. However, you can receive a $12 monthly charge by connecting a checking reserve account.
Special Considerations
Huntington Bank limits the number of overdraft fees — including both overdraft fees and return fees — to four on a single day.
If you opt into overdraft protection, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your transactions can be covered even if you don’t have sufficient funds in your account; however, there are things to consider before opting in.
Overdraft protection is not mandatory. In fact, it can be in your best interest not to opt into overdraft protection, or opt out of Huntington Bank’s automatic overdraft services altogether. In a study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, accounts opted into overdraft protection end up paying more in bank fees than accounts that aren’t opted in. Do your research before opting in to decide whether it makes the most financial sense for you to opt into or out of Huntington Bank’s overdraft services.
Learn more about what you should know before opting into overdraft protection.
How to Avoid an Overdraft Fee
Overdraft fees are one of the most common charges detected on Cushion customers’ accounts, but there are small actions that you can take to avoid them:
- Keep an eye on your account balance and charges.
- Sign up for low-balance notifications.
- Carefully consider whether you should opt into overdraft protection.
Learn more about how to avoid an overdraft fee.
How to Get an Overdraft Fee Refund
Mistakes happen, and overdraft fees can unfortunately be inevitable. Luckily, it’s not the end of it if you do get hit with one. There are ways to reclaim that money.
Here are some things that you can do to increase your chances of success when you negotiate your bank fees with a financial institution.
Prepare your information
Name, address, bank account number, and the fees that you’d like to negotiate.
Introduce yourself
“Hello. My name is , and I recently received an overdraft fee while using my card. I’m contacting you to see if you would be willing to refund this fee.”
Have your points of leverage ready
Have you been financially affected by COVID-19? Is this overdraft a rare occurrence? Are you a loyal customer who has banked with Huntington Bank for an extended period of time? Do you have multiple accounts with them? Do you make regular deposits?
Be patient, persistent, and prepared not to get a refund every time
A little kindness goes a long way. The representative that you’re speaking with likely didn’t write the rules on refunds, so remember to be patient.
You also shouldn’t hesitate to stand up for yourself if you initially hear “no” — that’s what your points of leverage are for, to try to convince the bank agent why they should see things from your point of view. Sometimes, success depends on the bank agent that you speak with, so try calling back a few days later to speak with someone new or asking to speak with higher level management at the branch.
Finally, try to come to terms with the fact that you won’t win every negotiation. Don’t get discouraged; take the necessary steps to avoid overdraft fees in the future.
Learn more about how to get an overdraft fee refund.
Find Huntington Bank’s overdraft fee guide here.
