this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2024
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"I kept overdrafting my account even though I opted out"
Is this some SovCit shit where they think "opting out" of the terms of service for their bank account is an option?
I was able to opt out of overdrafting here in Germany, so instead of going negative it just declines.
No, there's a US law now where they have to allow you to opt out of overdraft "protection". They just decline the transaction but don't charge you any fees.
If only they didn't charge fees. My bank charges an insufficient funds fee that's conveniently the same amount as the overdraft protection fee. So my options are eat the fee and get my stuff, or eat the fee and not get my stuff.
I'm not entirely sure this is legal, but I was told directly by a representative that these were my options. It's quite literally a poor tax.
I use a credit union and they don’t penalize for either one. There’s a small “get gud with money” fee for the transfer if you use overdraft protection, something like $1.50 or whatever, but I don’t think there’s an insufficient funds fee at all. They just decline the transaction. I mean it’s not like it actually costs them anything to compare the incoming charge to your account balance, so a fee for not being on the ball is silly.
So your options might actually be “eat the fee, or switch banking institutions”, but they won’t tell you that, ofc.
Well, yeah, switching institutions is always an option, unfortunately it's not a great one here. I've used a few, and unfortunately this one seems to be the best in my area.
Sorry to hear. Have you considered looking for one that does app-based banking and isn’t local?
I mean some 15 years ago I had a credit union that was very very regional, and I moved. But they had good online options (keep in mind this was like.. 2009-2011 or so and things have moved so far since) so I kept using them for several years until I found a better local credit union.
Maybe that would be an option for you as well, assuming you don’t need to go in in person for stuff frequently.
I haven't actually looked into any that weren't local. Well, I did, but none that I found I could qualify for at the time. It may be worth looking into again.
If you are in any sort of unique demographic, like you aren’t a straight white male office worker, you might look for credit unions that serve your specific population.
Like if you do trade work, there’s options. If you are Hispanic there’s options. Veterans have several options, women and feminists have several as well. Just sort of look for whatever fits you and see what might be available on a more national scale.
And if you are a cishet white male office worker with nothing to distinguish you from anyone else there’s probably a credit union for that, too. The theme of the day is themes. Credit unions that aren’t regionally based are nonetheless community based, and I’m sure you fit a community.
Really tho I hope you find something that fits so you can buck the bank. Banks are horrible and we can do better! Through unions!
Edit: I looked up Star Trek credit union just for giggles and there’s a NASA credit union, hence the theme being themes.
multiple gov & military credit unions and specialized banks - navy credit, usaa, geico etc
Not the best places to look tbh. Nothing personal, ofc, but stuff to be aware of. Nothing comes up for geico news search but as a major company I don’t trust them in the slightest. But navy fed and USAA have both proven to be garbage piles.
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-orders-navy-federal-credit-union-to-pay-more-than-95-million-for-illegal-surprise-overdraft-fees/
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-04-26/fraud-bank-usaa-louisiana-13665723.html
eh, USAA has been stellar for me for 3 decades. A gaggle of call center employees going bad (and getting caught) is hardly wells fargo levels of garbage for example.
I guess if you are already with them you can overlook it because it’s easier, but I certainly wouldn’t encourage new people to be potentially swindled along with you, wtf?
Certainly not with an “eh”, like that’s normal shit to have happen (it isn’t at all, for the record)… comparing it to a more egregious actor doesn’t help your case either.. those bad things are still really bad even if someone else is worse.
How did random low level call center employees even manage to steal that much, if not poor organizational security?
Wait is there a gay credit union lol? I just use a regional one.
Yes, there is. It’s called superbia. Looks like it was founded in 2019.
I've used the free online banking from Charles Schwab as well as Capital One for years and don't see any fees. Schwab refunds any ATM fees for withdrawing cash, even internationally last I tried. Capital One also has a large partner ATM network.
I'm similar, but I'm with Fidelity instead of Schwab. Using a brokerage as a bank account is an awesome cheat code to getting awesome interest w/o any extra effort. My "checking" is a brokerage account and the cash sits in a money market fund making ~4.5%, which is awesome.
The main downside w/ an online bank/brokerage is lack of access to branch services, like depositing cash or withdrawing specific denominations. I maintain a local bank that doesn't entirely suck to get access to branch services and leave like $50 in there so they don't close it, and then just transfer money to/from as needed. All of my regular expenses go through my brokerage "checking."
Dude you need a new bank, or credit union, or GameStop.
An insufficient funds fee!?! Fuck me, America.
Yeah, when I look into a new bank for whatever reason, the first place I go is the fee schedule and I look for BS. Most big banks have a ton of BS in there, so avoiding them is usually sufficient if you don't want to read a table of fees.
Just don't be poor. Those bootstraps are there for a reason.
Since I opted out of overdraft protection several years ago with my credit union, I've never been charged insufficient fund fee. Sounds like banks are doing shady/shity things to their consumers again. When will people learn to leave banks and go to a credit union that cares about their people before profits?
I love that last line that shifts the onus of responsibility to the consumer.
Really, though, I've gone through a few banks, and am current with a credit union. They're better than what I got with the banks, but they're still shady, still wont to charge whatever fees they can get away with. There's very little oversight, and in a lot of cases you're kinda stuck with what you get.
Well capitalism only works if we let it. Don't want micro transactions in games, stop playing them. Don't want stupid fees, don't use them. They only way they learn is to hit their bottom line. The government isn't going to fix it, as we have learned over and over again they are ran by oligarchs. Anything that makes them more money they will do.
Just curious. Why not just get a different bank or credit union?
Mentioned in another post, but I don't qualify for many credit unions beyond my local one that I currently use. I've used a few different bank options, but none of them have really been any better, and usually worse.
Your current one as in, your credit union is the one charging you these "insufficient fund" fees?
I'm admittedly not educated in the law of banks and credit unions, but I have a feeling they aren't meant to be doing that.. not that the little man like you or I could do much about it 🤷🏾♂️
Yeah, like I said, not entirely sure it's legal, but that's the boat I'm in. The other banks did the same shit, charged me more, and offered me worse rates on loans. At least this one spits on it before going in.
That's rough buddy. Time to get a fake identity and open an account in a different state with stricter banking laws
what do you mean? If I try to pay with an empty bank account the transaction is simply denied.
Nothing sovcit about not wanting the bank to give you what's essentially a small expensive loan.
In fact, overdraft protection is typically opt-in, so just don't sign up for it and you're golden.
The only overdraft I use is self-funded overdraft where it pulls from savings instead of a tiny bank loan. I have it send me a notification when that happens so I can tell when my cash flow is wonky.
They mean opting out of overdraft protection. Banks typically allow you overdraft protection, where instead of denying your sale at point of sale, they'll pay it, charge you a fee, and let the transaction go through.
If you opt out of overdraft protection, it should instead deny the sale, and you don't get to buy whatever. At my bank, they do this and then charge an insufficient funds fee, which is the same as the overdraft fee. It's bullshit.
Some banks allow you to choose- If you overdraft, do you want us to pay the vendor, and then hit you with a overdraft fee? Or do you want us to reject the charge?
Yeah. I’m in the latter group. I’ve got my secret gas cash, but if I run out of money I get rejected. It hasn’t happened since college, but I keep it in case