How Your Bank’s Overdraft Protection Service Works
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How Your Bank’s Overdraft Protection Service Works
It can happen due to a small recordkeeping error, mismanagement of funds, or an unanticipated hold on a deposited check. There is always a risk of accidentally overdrawing your checking account. Many banking institutions will allow you to overdraw your balance in order to pay the incoming checks you’ve written. There is usually a small fee for doing so, but it lets you avoid enormous headaches (and embarrassment) down the road.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at overdraft protection services and how they work. You’ll learn the difference between these services and using a line of credit. We’ll also provide a few tips for finding the best plan.
How Your Overdrawn Account Is Protected
Let’s suppose that your checking account balance is $500. You deposited a $3,000 check earlier in the day through your bank’s ATM, mistakenly believing the funds would be available immediately. Instead, your bank places a short hold on your check. Unfortunately, based upon your assumption of having the funds available, you already wrote a $600 check.
When the $600 check is presented to your bank for payment, your $500 balance will be insufficient. Luckily, your checking account’s overdraft protection plan will compensate for the difference (in this case, $100). Your bank will honor the check that you have written and charge you a small fee for the overdrawn event.
Lines Of Credit
A line of credit works similarly, but with a twist; in effect, it is a loan. To explain how it works, let’s return to our previous example. Your checking account balance is $500 and you have written a $600 check. When your bank receives your check, the line of credit attached to your checking account provides overdraft protection. But, instead of paying the fee that is triggered by the overdrawn event, you simply “borrow” from your line of credit.
There is an interest rate attached to the amount of money you borrow. It works in the same manner as using your credit card. That is, you will need to repay the amount of credit used in order to cover the check as well as interest on that amount.
Finding The Best Plan
Ideally, you will seldom need your overdraft protection plan. The fact that you need it implies that you’re spending more money than you have available. Using that feature frequently often implies a habit. That said, you can reduce your costs by looking for the plan with the lowest per-item fee. Also, many banking institutions will allow you to attach your checking account to your savings account. That way, if your checking account balance is overdrawn, the money required to pay outstanding checks will be taken from your savings before your overdraft protection is triggered.
Overdrawing a checking account can happen to anyone. Take advantage of your bank’s overdraft protection services in order to avoid embarrassment and headaches.