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LoadingSomething is loading. What is a monthly maintenance fee?A monthly maintenance fee (sometimes called a monthly service fee) is money a bank charges you for working with the company. The fee is usually automatically withdrawn from your account each month. In some cases, you'll pay the fee no matter what. But many banks let you waive the fee if you meet certain requirements. For example, you may pay $10 each month — unless you maintain a $1,500 daily balance, in which case you'll pay $0. If a bank has multiple types of checking or savings accounts, different ones will probably come with different fees. Often, a more robust account charges a higher fee. A basic checking account may charge $5 per month, while a rewards checking account may charge $12 per month, for instance. How to avoid a monthly maintenance feeMost banks make it possible to waive monthly maintenance fees. In many cases, you'll need to maintain a certain balance. You could waive the fee if you keep a minimum daily balance or an average daily balance over the course of the month. Some checking accounts let you waive the charge if you make a minimum number of purchases with your debit card each month. Others waive it if you make a certain amount in direct deposits. Your ability to avoid the service fee renews every month. Maybe you don't qualify to waive the fee one month because your balance drops below a certain amount. You can still waive it the following month if you keep a higher balance. Monthly maintenance fees can add up quickly, especially if you have multiple accounts. So you probably want to choose a bank where you're eligible to waive the fees. Or go with a company that doesn't charge monthly service fees at all. Monthly maintenance fees at biggest banksHere are the largest banks in the US by number of branches. We've listed their monthly maintenance fees for checking and savings accounts, as well as how to waive them. For institutions with more than one checking/savings account, we've listed the monthly maintenance fee for the most basic or popular account option. Wells FargoChecking fee: $10 for Wells Fargo Everyday Checking. Waive it by maintaining a $500 minimum daily balance, making $500 in direct deposits, linking a Wells Fargo campus ATM or debit card, or being ages 17 to 24. Savings fee: $5 for Wells Fargo Way2Save Savings. Avoid it by maintaining a $300 minimum daily balance, automatically transferring $25 from your Wells Fargo checking account, automatically transferring $1 per business day from checking, making one Save as You Go transfer from checking, or being under age 24. ChaseSavings fee: $5 for Chase Savings. To waive it, start each day with a $300 balance, autosave $25, link it to Chase College Checking℠ for overdraft protection, be under age 18, or link it to a variety of other Chase accounts. Bank of AmericaChecking fee: $4.95 for Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking® Account. Waive it by signing up for the Preferred Rewards program or by being a student under age 24. Savings fee: $8 for Bank of America Advantage Savings. Avoid it by keeping a $500 daily balance or by linking this account to another Advantage account. US BankChecking fee: $6.95 for US Bank Easy Checking Account. Waive it by setting up $1,000 in direct deposits per month, maintaining a $1,500 average balance, or being age 65 or older. Savings fee: $4 for US Bank Standard Savings. No fee with a $300 daily balance or $1,000 average balance, or if you are under age 18. PNC BankChecking fee: $7 for PNC Bank Virtual Wallet®. Avoid it by having a $500 monthly direct deposit to the Spend account, having $500 monthly balance in Spend + Reserve, or being age 62 and older. Savings fee: $5 for PNC Bank Standard Savings. Avoid it by keeping a $300 average monthly balance, automatically transferring $25 per month into savings, or being under age 18. Regions BankChecking fee: $11 for Regions Bank LifeGreen® Checking Account. Waive it by maintaining a $1,500 average monthly balance, making one $500 direct deposit, or making $1,000 combined in direct deposits. Savings fee: None for Regions LifeGreen Savings. TD BankChecking fee: $15 for TD Bank Convenience Checking. Avoid it by maintaining a $100 daily balance or by being age 17 through 23. Savings fee: $5 for TD Simple Savings. No fee if you keep a $300 daily balance, or if you're under age 18 or over age 62. There's no fee for the first year if you set up recurring $25 transfers from your checking account. Banks with no monthly maintenance feesThankfully, there are plenty of banks and credit unions that don't charge monthly fees at all, which makes banking more affordable and less confusing. Most institutions without monthly maintenance fees are online companies. There are a few brick-and-mortar banks that don't charge fees on certain accounts, so those could be good options if you're set on in-person banking. Here are the companies that don't charge monthly maintenance fees:
Monthly maintenance fees can cost you a lot of money. Ideally, you'd choose a bank that doesn't charge monthly fees, or one that makes it easy for you to waive them.
Laura Grace Tarpley, CEPF Personal Finance Reviews Editor Laura Grace Tarpley (she/her) is a personal finance reviews editor at Insider. She edits articles about mortgage rates, refinance rates, lenders, bank accounts, wealth building, and borrowing and savings tips for Personal Finance Insider. She is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF). She has written about personal finance for six years. Before joining the Insider team, she was a freelance finance writer for companies like SoFi and The Penny Hoarder, as well as an editor at FluentU. You can reach Laura Grace at . See below for some of her work. Today's 30-year mortgage rates Here are the best mortgage lenders right now The pros and cons of paying off your mortgage early The best online high-yield savings accounts Chase checking accounts: Compare all 5 options Learn more about how Personal Finance Insider chooses, rates, and covers financial products and services » Read more Read less How do I avoid monthly fees with Bank of America?Monthly Fee. No monthly maintenance fee for each statement cycle that you:. Maintain a minimum daily balance of at least $500.. Link your Bank of America Advantage Savings account to your Bank of America Advantage Relationship Banking® account (waiver applies to first 4 savings accounts). Does Bank of America charge a monthly maintenance fee?Bank of America Checking Account Fees
There is a $4.95 monthly maintenance fee for Advantage SafeBalance Banking®, a $12 monthly maintenance fee for Advantage Plus Banking® and a $25 monthly maintenance fee for Advantage Relationship Banking®, but only Advantage Relationship Banking earns interest.
What is the $12 monthly maintenance fee Bank of America?Bank of America Core Checking Account has a $12 Monthly Maintenance fee which is waived with at least 1 direct deposit of $250 each month or maintain a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more.
How can I get my monthly maintenance fee waived?You could waive the fee if you keep a minimum daily balance or an average daily balance over the course of the month. Some checking accounts let you waive the charge if you make a minimum number of purchases with your debit card each month. Others waive it if you make a certain amount in direct deposits.
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