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Can I get an overdraft fee refunded?

Often, yes, if you ask. Many banks can take back a fee as a one-time courtesy, but only if you call or message them. Here is what to say, what to ask for if they say no, and how to stop the next one.

Checked 2026-09-28 · All guides

What to say

Your ask fits in one sentence: first time (or first in a long while), how long you've banked there, what happened, and "can you refund it?" Have your account open in front of you so you can read out the date and the amount of each fee.

Call script

Get to a person. Use the phone number on the back of your debit card or on your statement. When you reach someone: "Hi, I'm calling about a fee on my checking account."
Say it in one go: "I was charged a $35 overdraft fee on September 22. I've had my account with you for six years and this is the first time this has happened. My paycheck landed a day later than usual. Could you refund the fee as a courtesy?"
Then stop talking and let them check your account.
If yes: "Thank you. Could you tell me when it will show on my account, and could I get a reference number for this call?" Write down the date, the name they give and the number.
If there were several fees: "Thank you. There were also fees on the 23rd and 24th from the same short balance. Could you look at those too?"
If no: "I understand. Is there anything you can do, like refunding one of them or part of it?" (More on this below.)

Change the dates, the amount, the years and the reason to match yours. Don't add a long story; one true sentence about what happened is enough.

Secure message or chat version

Most banking apps have a secure message or chat. Paste this and edit it:

Hi, I was charged a $35 overdraft fee on September 22. I've been a customer for six years and this is my first overdraft. My paycheck arrived a day late. Could you refund the fee as a one-time courtesy? Thank you.

Writing has one advantage: you keep a copy of what you asked and what they said.

What big banks charge, and their published ways to avoid or undo a fee

Each bank's own page, checked 2026-09-27. Fees can differ by account type; your account's fee schedule is the one that applies to you.

Bank	Overdraft fee	Built-in way to avoid or undo it	If the bank declines or returns the item
Chase	$34 per item, up to 3 a day ($102)	Overdraft Assist: no fee if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the day, or if you bring the account back to $50 or less overdrawn by 11 p.m. Eastern the next business day. Not on every account.	No fee
Wells Fargo	$35 per item, up to 3 a day	Extra Day Grace Period: pending fees are waived if your available balance is positive by 11:59 p.m. Eastern the next business day. No fee on items of $10 or less, or if you're overdrawn by $10 or less.	No fee
Bank of America	$10 per item	One-time debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals are declined, with no fee. The SafeBalance account has no overdraft fees.	No fee
USAA	$29, once per day per account	No fee if you're overdrawn by $100 or less at the end of the day, or on items of $5 or less. Overdraft Fee Refund Window (below).	No NSF fees
Capital One (360 Checking)	$0	No overdraft fees under any overdraft option. The option where it pays the overdraft needs at least $250 deposited in 2 of the last 3 months.	No fee
Citi	$0	No overdraft fees. Access Checking declines transactions that would overdraw.	No returned-item fees

Published refund policies. USAA is the only one of these banks that publishes a refund policy. Its Overdraft Fee Refund Window: "We'll refund overdraft fees if you bring your available balance to at least negative $100 by the end of the next business day", and "there's no limit to the number of Overdraft Fee Refund Window refunds you can get". Chase and Wells Fargo publish their next-day features in the table instead. None of the six publishes a policy for refunding a fee as a courtesy, or how often it will: a courtesy refund is the bank's choice, not a right.

When a refund tends to work

If a fee wasn't avoided or undone by the features above, asking is the way to get it back. These are what people commonly report makes a courtesy request work. They're not a promise: no bank has to refund a fee that was charged under the account's terms.

It's your first fee, or the first in a year or more. This is the strongest reason you can give.
You've been a customer for a while, or you have direct deposit or other accounts there.
The account is back above zero, or will be on your next payday. Mention it.
There's a clear one-off cause: a late paycheck, a double charge, a deposit on hold.
You ask soon, within days of the fee, not months later.

Because banks don't publish how often they grant courtesy refunds, this is a fair line for the call: "How often can a fee be refunded as a courtesy?" If you had a fee refunded recently, the answer may be no this time. That's normal, not personal.

What it's worth: the dollars

An example with a $35 fee, the highest per-item fee in the table above (Wells Fargo's). The same math works with your bank's fee: at Chase it's $34 each, at USAA $29 once a day, and at Bank of America $10 each.

Three overdraft fees in one week	Amount
Fees charged: 3 × $35	$105
They refund one: you save $35, you still pay	$70
They refund all three: you save $105, you pay	$0

Asking takes about ten minutes. Even one refund is $35 back toward groceries or the next bill.

If they say no

Ask for one of these, calmly, once each:

A partial refund. "Could you refund one of the three, or half of this one?"
A look at the timing. "Could you check whether my deposit posted after the charge? I'd like to understand why this overdrew."
Turning off overdraft coverage for debit card and ATM use. "Please remove overdraft coverage from my debit card and ATM withdrawals." (See the next section.)
A different account. "Do you have an account without overdraft fees that I could switch to?"

If money is tight for a longer stretch, a short hardship letter can help you explain it once, in writing. Asking a biller to drop a late fee works much the same way: see how to get a late fee waived.

Can you turn off overdraft fees on your debit card?

Yes. Under a federal rule (Regulation E), banks cannot charge you an overdraft fee on one-time debit card purchases or ATM withdrawals unless you opted in to that coverage. And if you did opt in, you can change your mind at any time: tell your bank you no longer want it. The bank has to put that into effect as soon as reasonably practicable, and it can't use your choice as a reason to stop paying your checks or automatic payments. (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB.)

What it prevents, in dollars: with coverage on, a $6 coffee that pushes you $4 below zero can cost the example $35 fee. With coverage off, the card is simply declined: $0 in bank fees, and you pay another way or skip it.

What it doesn't stop: checks and recurring automatic payments. A bank can still charge an overdraft or non-sufficient-funds (NSF) fee on those without your opt-in, and the company you were paying may add its own returned-payment fee. Moving due dates so they fall after payday helps there; the scripts for moving due dates can help.

Not sure whether you ever opted in? Ask: "Can you tell me whether I'm opted in to debit card overdraft coverage, and when I agreed to it?" Banks must send you a written (or, if you agree, electronic) confirmation when you opt in.

What happened to the overdraft rule from 2024?

In December 2024 the CFPB finalised a rule that would have changed overdraft fees at very large banks. In May 2025 Congress disapproved it under the Congressional Review Act (Public Law 119-10), and the CFPB says the rule "has no force or effect". So there is no new federal limit on overdraft fees: your bank's own fee schedule still sets the amount. The opt-in rule above still applies.

If a fee looks wrong

If you were charged a debit card or ATM overdraft fee and you don't believe you ever opted in, or a fee doesn't match your account terms, first ask the bank in writing. If that doesn't settle it, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, online or by phone at (855) 411-2372 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday). The CFPB says companies generally respond within 15 days. You fill it in and send it yourself.

What about overdraft "refund apps"?

You don't need one. The request is the call or message above, and you can make it yourself for free. If you're often short before payday, look at cheaper options before any paid service.

Sources

Sources checked 2026-09-28.

General information, not legal or financial advice. You send every message yourself; we never contact anyone on your behalf.