Despite our best efforts, sometimes we overdraft our accounts. It’s a fact of life that living beyond our means can happen more often than we want it to, especially with so many options for getting into debt.
Most banks will charge overdraft fees to keep their customers from considering it as an option. Recently, however, large banks like Capital One have done away with overdraft fees to give their customers breathing room and a chance to recover.
Looser restrictions, however, don’t mean that overdraft fees are no longer applicable. It simply means that consumers like you and me can more quickly recover from an overdraft than previously.
Are you ready to find out more about the banks that let you overdraft immediately? Let’s get started!
How to Find Banks That Let You Overdraft Immediately
Part of learning about finances is asking yourself, “What is an overdraft fee and how can I avoid bank fees like it?” After all, earning your own money is about spending it on what you want, rather than on pesky overdraft fees.
All the same, debt and fees are part of the financial experience as well. Here’s how you can find banks that let you overdraft immediately so that you can better manage your money without losing out on purchases:
- Shop around for the best overdraft coverage you can find. Like life insurance, it’s best to have it and not need it than not have it and need it.
- Research what overdraft options are available. Can you link your savings account, tap into a line of credit, or even get an extension on how much time you have to pay back the overdraft before you incur a fee?
- Ask your friends and family. Chances are they’ve had to use overdraft protection in the past and their experiences can tell you more about the benefits of coverage than any bank pamphlet.
- Talk to customer service at several banks. Inquire as to what overdraft options they offer and recommend given your situation.
Asking a bank how much they’ll let you overdraw your account can be an awkward conversation. However, most banks make a killing on overdraft fees so it’s a win-win either way.
17 Banks That Let You Overdraft Immediately
If you need to take out more money than you have, the following banks will let you overdraft immediately. You’ll find many of the best national banks as well as the best digital banks on our list below.
1. Chase
Many Chase bank promotions help you do more with your money, and the same can be said for Chase’s overdraft services.
Unless you choose Chase First BankingSM, Chase High School Checking℠, or Chase Secure BankingSM, you will be automatically enrolled in Standard Overdraft Practice.
This overdraft coverage provides payment on overdraft charges at Chase’s discretion to cover automatic payments, checks, and any recurring debit card purchases. If you withdraw your Chase account by more than $50, you will receive a $34 insufficient funds fee each time a charge goes through.
However, you can avoid overdraft charges if you bring that balance back to $0 or more by the end of the next business day. This service is provided as part of the Chase Overdraft Assist program.
Chase allows you to withdraw money over your account balance up to three times per business day (for a potential fee of up to $102 per day). You can also choose Overdraft Protection to link your savings account or Debit Card Coverage to tell Chase how you’d like them to handle overdrawing your account with your debit card.
Best way to get started? If you’re new to Chase and open a Chase Total Checking® account, you can earn up to $300 as a welcome bonus. To complete the requirements for this consumer checking account, set up a direct deposit within 90 days. You’ll receive your bonus within 15 business days.
Open a Chase Total Checking® account and earn a $300 bonus after meeting simple requirements. This offer is available for a limited time only, so don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity!
- Largest bank in the U.S.
- More than 15,000 ATMs and 4,700 physical locations
- New customers can qualify for a $300 intro bonus
- User-friendly online and mobile banking tools
- No minimum deposit to open
- Chase Overdraft Assist and Zero Liability Protection
- $12 monthly maintenance fee that can be waived
2. Axos Bank
Axos Bank is an online bank that offers no overdraft fees in addition to no monthly fees, up to 3.30% APY, and the chance to earn up to a $300 Axos bank promotion with qualifying direct deposits and maintaining a minimum balance.
If you’re looking for banks that let you overdraft immediately, look no further than Axos Bank.
There are many overdraft protection programs you can choose from with Axos Bank. You can either link your savings account or access an overdraft line of credit.
Axos charges 18% APR on overdraft line of credit charges. You’ll also pay a $25 charge if your overdraft is due to an automatic electronic transfer, with a maximum of three charges allowed per day.
However, you can avoid an overdraft fee if your balance is less than negative $25. With Axos Bank, you can overdraft immediately with the right permissions and still avoid an overdraft fee.
3. Fifth Third Bank
If you overdraw your account with Fifth Third Bank by less than $5, you won’t pay an overdraft fee. However, you can choose Overdraft Protection if you want to link your checking to your savings account, Equity Flexline, or credit card.
Automatically transferring funds to your main account with Overdraft Protection will incur a $12 fee for specific accounts. Accounts such as Fifth Third Momentum Checking, Fifth Third Enhanced Checking, and Fifth Third Preferred Checking do not incur overdraft fees.
Explore the benefits of Fifth Third Bank's Momentum Checking: no monthly fees, no minimum deposits or balance requirements. Get paychecks and tax refunds faster with Early Pay, and access quick cash advances with MyAdvance, without credit checks. You can also get a $300 bonus when you open an account and make direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more within 90 days of account opening.
4. SoFi
There are many SoFi promotions to take advantage of in addition to the overdraft coverage this bank offers. SoFi also offers up to 2.5% APY with no minimum balance, no monthly fees, and the chance to earn up to $250 with direct deposit.
SoFi does not charge overdraft fees and gives you two options for overdraft protection. You can choose to automatically transfer money from your savings account to cover your overdraft balance, or you can choose no-fee overdraft protection if you overcharge your account for less than $50.
To qualify for no-fee overdraft protection, you’ll need to make deposits of $1,000 or more per month. This protection also covers debit card transactions as long as you qualify.
- Up to $325 welcome bonus for new accounts
- No minimum deposit requirements
- No monthly account fees
- Competitive rates of up to 4.50% APY
- Direct deposit amount must total $5,000 or more within 25 calendar days to receive $325 bonus
5. U.S. Bank
Besides the various U.S. Bank promotions available, there are many overdraft programs to choose from when it comes to U.S. Bank. This bank offers Standard Overdraft Coverage with most checking accounts, as well as ATM & Debit Card Overdraft Coverage and Overdraft Protection.
U.S. Bank does charge $36 per overdraft transaction, with a limit of four allowed per day. If you overdraw less than $50, you won’t incur an overdraft penalty.
You can also use the U.S. Bank Overdraft Fee Forgiven program to avoid paying overdraft fees. If you pay your balance down below $50 by the second day at 11 p.m. eastern time, no fees will be assessed.
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Related: U.S. Bank Overdraft Fees
6. Bank of America
Bank of America promotions run throughout the year, but it’s also a great bank for immediate overdraft protection. Simply opt in to the Balance Connect service to link your checking and savings accounts, or link your checking to a credit card, line of credit, or separate checking account altogether.
You can set up Balance Connect by going to your account online, through the banking app, or by calling customer service. There’s no cost to set up this overdraft service and you won’t pay a transfer fee if you use it.
The only fee you might incur is a Withdrawal Limit Fee, though you’d have to make more than your six allowed withdrawals in a single statement cycle. Balance Connect is also not available for Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking.
If you don’t have enough money in your linked accounts to cover the cost, you will end up paying overdraft fees should the transaction go through. Bank of America reserves the right to decline payments in this case as well.
Related: Bank of America Overdraft Fees and Limits
7. Capital One
As we mentioned, Capital One recently instituted its No-Fee Overdraft program that doesn’t charge customers for overdrafts stemming from check payments, recurring debit card payments, and electronic payments.
This program only applies to the Capital One 360 Checking, Total Control Checking, and Simple Checking accounts. You can open accounts by using various Capital One promotions.
Eligibility for this program requires that you deposit at least $250 in your account in two of the three previous months. You cannot defer payment, though you can request that Capital One consider approving ATM withdrawals and one-time debit card purchases as well.
Should Capital One not approve these overdrafts, you won’t be charged a fee.
Related: Capital One Overdraft Limit and Fees
8. PNC Bank
You can choose between Overdraft Coverage and Overdraft Protection with PNC Bank. Overdraft Coverage gives PNC Bank permission to accept ATM and everyday debit transaction overdrafts at their discretion, though overdraft fees do apply.
Choose Overdraft Protection instead to link a credit card, line of credit, savings or money market account, or a secondary checking account to cover your overdraft charges. You can link up to two accounts and are automatically enrolled if you have a Virtual Wallet.
However, Overdraft Protection is not available for Reserve and Growth accounts. Finally, PNC Bank offers Low Cash Mode, which alerts you when your balance is below an amount you set.
To avoid paying overdraft fees with PNC Bank, simply bring your account balance back to negative within 24 hours of making the charges.
Related: PNC Overdraft Fees and Limits
8. Alliant Credit Union
Overdraft protection is optional at Alliant Credit Union, but once you opt in, this credit union will approve your overdrafts (except for ATM transactions) by transferring funds automatically from your savings account. Both the Alliant Savings and Supplemental Savings accounts qualify.
You can also choose Courtesy Pay, which requires enrollment but doesn’t come with any fees. Your account has to be in good standing and open for at least six months to qualify, in addition to making qualified deposits of at least $600 within the previous month.
Courtesy Pay covers debit card charges, ACH items, and checks up to an approved limit. However, the full amount is due immediately with this overdraft protection service.
Alliant Credit Union offers one of the best CD rates if you are looking for a jumbo certificate and can get started with a deposit as low as $1,000.
Alliant Credit Union offers share certificates, which are a credit union's version of a certificate of deposit (CD). Alliant's CDs range from three months to five years, and are available with a minimum deposit requirement of either $1,000 or $75,000. Alliant's CD rates range from 3.65% to 4.30% APY, which is higher than the average CD rate.
9. Ally Bank
Ally Bank’s overdraft protection is just one of the many perks this bank offers in addition to being one of the easiest bank accounts to open online. You don’t need a minimum deposit to open an account with Ally Bank, and there are no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.
There are also no overdraft fees, even if you have to link your savings or money market account to your checking to transfer funds. Ally transfers funds after rounding to the nearest $100 so you don’t have to worry about overdrafting your account.
You can also choose CoverDraft, an overdraft service that provides up to $250 towards your overdraft. Basic CoverDraft coverage is $100 after you’ve deposited that same amount in the last month.
If you make a deposit of $250 or more in that month and an additional month, you’ll qualify for the full amount of overdraft protection. When you make your next deposit, Ally will pay back your CoverDraft amount first.
If you want to avoid overdraft fees, you’ll need to bring your account balance back to the positive side within 14 days. Note that ATM withdrawals are not covered by Ally’s overdraft protection services.
10. BMO Harris Bank
There’s no need to enroll in the Overdraft Program for ATM and Everyday Debit Card Transactions with BMO Harris. This coverage, however, is not available for the BMO Harris Smart Money Account.
Through the Overdraft Program for ATM and Everyday Debit Card Transactions, BMO Harris pays your automatic bill payments and other transactions at their discretion. This bank will also approve overdrafts for ATM and everyday debit card transactions if they so choose.
If you opt in to the Overdraft Program for ATM and Everyday Debit Card Transactions, you agree to repay your overdraft amount immediately in addition to any incurred fees. However, if you overdraw by less than $50 either the first day of overdrawing or by the close of the day on the second business day, you won’t incur an overdraft fee.
BMO Harris suggests their Smart Money Account with no overdraft fees if you want to avoid these costly penalties. You can also set up Overdraft Funding and link an account to draw from if you overdraw your main account or apply for an Overdraft Protection Line of Credit.
11. Citizens Bank
You can choose from several overdraft policies with Citizens Bank, which charges a $35 overdraft fee. Here’s a list of the available coverage:
- Savings Overdraft Transfer: Choose this option and you won’t pay any fees to automatically transfer funds from your linked savings account to cover overdraft balances.
- Debit Card Overdraft Coverage: This coverage lets Citizens Bank know how you’d like them to handle overdraft charges with your debit card, should they approve them. There is a maximum of five charges per day at $35 each for overdrafts, in addition to a $30 fee charged on the 5th, 8th, and 11th day if you have a remaining balance.
- Overdraft Line of Credit: Pay your overdraft balance with a line of credit and you’ll avoid overdraft fees if you transfer $5 or less with the $5 Overdraft Pass. There is a $30 annual fee associated with this line of credit, as well as an interest rate of 21% and a $12 transfer fee.
Take advantage of Citizens Peace of Mind to gain additional time to pay back your overdrawn account balance and reverse overdraft fees.
12. Discover
Overdraft Protection from Discover links your savings or money market account to your checking account to automatically transfer funds in case of overdrafts. This overdraft protection package doesn’t cover ATM charges or debit card transactions and you do have to manually opt in if you want to take advantage of the service.
13. Huntington Bank
Overdrafting doesn’t have to be a big deal with Huntington Bank. Take advantage of the 24-Hour Grace program to earn more time to bring your balance back into the positive.
Otherwise, Huntington Bank charges a $15 overdraft fee, unless you overdraft less than $50 with the $50 Safety Zone program. You can sign up for these programs at any Huntington Bank branch or by calling customer service.
15. TD Bank
TD Bank offers several overdraft services, depending on what you’re looking for. Here’s a quick rundown of their overdraft programs:
- Standard Overdraft Service: This automatic coverage is included with most checking accounts and allows you to overdraft for a $35 fee.
- TD Overdraft Relief: Overdraw your account by $50 or less to avoid paying an overdraft fee.
- Decline All: Choose this option to decline all overdrafts to avoid overdrawing your account and incurring fees.
- TD Debit Card Advance: This service pays for one-time debit card or ATM transactions up to three times per day. Choose Savings Overdraft Protection as well to avoid transfer fees for covering overdraft balances.
- Grace Period: As long as you bring your balance back up to $0 or more by 11 p.m. the next business day, TD Bank will refund your overdraft fees.
You may be required to enroll in some of these programs. Be sure to update TD Bank on what overdraft protection you want as a safety net.
16. Truist Bank
Overdraft coverage and protection with Truist Bank make it easy to understand how you’ll be charged if you take out more than you have available. Truist Bank charges $36 per overdraft transaction, up to three times per day.
However, you won’t pay for overdrafts if they’re less than $5. If you go over this amount, you can either link your checking and another Truist account, credit card, or line of credit, or opt in to have Truist pay for ATM and debit card purchases.
17. Wells Fargo
Take a look at Wells Fargo’s overdraft services to see how you can use them to your advantage if you need to overdraw your account. Standard coverage comes with most checking accounts but you can also opt in to Overdraft Protection and Optional Debit Card Overdraft Service.
If you want to avoid overdraft fees altogether, choose the Clear Access Banking account. This account comes with a $5 monthly fee and you’ll need $25 to make it yours.
Like many of the other banks on our list, Wells Fargo allows you to pull your balance back into the positive within 24 hours to avoid an overdraft fee. This Extra Day Grace Period can certainly help if you temporarily don’t have enough funds in your account.
Best Banks for Overdrafts FAQs
Overdraft limits are not necessarily something banks will advertise. However, you can obtain a higher overdraft limit if you have a higher credit score, more money in your bank account, or have an established relationship with that bank.
It’s not typical for banks to let you overdraft your brand-new bank account. Instead, you’ll need to wait a certain amount of time before you can overdraw your account.
Some banks let you overdraft your account from an ATM. However, you’ll need to make sure you’ve set up permissions for this to happen, though you’re still at the mercy of the bank as they have to approve the charge first.
Know Your Overdraft Coverage
Having to overdraw your account is never a fun thing. If you do find yourself in a pickle and need to use this resource, it’s at least a good idea to know what you are getting into before you take the plunge.
We hope this article has helped you to see that there are banks that let you overdraft immediately. While they may not all have the same policies, you can easily compare the banks you prefer to work with to see what options you have.
Looking for ways to avoid overdraft fees and be more financially responsible? Check out more of our blog posts to find out how you can better manage money and achieve the financial success you’ve always wanted.
