Berks Connect
Money & Insurance

Overdraft Fees and Free Checking at Berks County Banks

What an overdraft fee costs at Berks County banks and credit unions, how to stop debit card and ATM overdraft fees, and checking accounts that can't charge one.

Berks Connect Blog|Published October 9, 2026
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An overdraft fee is what your bank or credit union charges when it pays for something you didn't have the money to cover, and at banks and credit unions with Berks County offices it runs $15 to $39 as of 2026. You can stop the ones from ATM withdrawals and one-time debit card purchases by telling your bank or credit union no to that coverage, and you can stop overdraft fees altogether by moving your paycheck, Social Security or pension deposit into an account that can't charge one.

If you need your bank's number, or you're already thinking about a new one, it's in our list of banks in Berks County.

What an overdraft fee is, and why several can land on the same day.

When your balance can't cover a purchase, a check or a bill, the bank can pay it anyway, which leaves you owing back the shortfall plus an overdraft fee. Or it can refuse to pay it and charge you anyway, which is a returned-item fee, often shown on a statement as NSF, for non-sufficient funds.

Banks and credit unions can charge the fee for each item. So if a check, a car insurance autopay and a streaming charge all come through while you're below zero, that can be three fees on the same date. Many cap how many they'll charge in one day, somewhere between one and six. Some add another fee if the account stays negative for several days.

How much banks and credit unions in Berks County charge for an overdraft.

Among the ones with Berks offices that charge an overdraft fee, the published amount runs from $15 to $39. Where yours falls is printed on its fee schedule, the document that lists every charge on the account.

Does a small overdraft count? Several institutions skip the fee when the overdraft is small, but they don't agree on what small means. Some skip it when the purchase itself is only a few dollars. Some go by how far below zero you end the day. Some give you until the next business day to bring the balance back up, and then drop the fee. Your fee schedule says which rule yours uses.

Returned-item fees vary the same way. Some banks don't charge one when they send an item back unpaid. Others publish a fee of up to $39 per item. The same schedule tells you which kind yours is.

How to stop ATM and one-time debit card overdraft fees at your Berks County bank.

This is the fastest fix. A bank or credit union can't charge you an overdraft fee for an ATM withdrawal or a one-time debit card purchase unless you said yes to that coverage. Without your yes, it either declines the purchase or pays it and charges nothing. If you don't remember ever saying yes, ask your bank whether you did, because without that yes, an overdraft fee on an ATM withdrawal or a one-time debit card purchase shouldn't be there.

You can take that yes back at any time, the same way you gave it, which depending on where you bank means online banking, the app, a phone call, a signed form or a branch. Once you tell them, they have to act on it as soon as they reasonably can. The worst that usually happens afterward is a declined card at the register.

So will that stop every fee? It won't. Checks, automatic bill payments and recurring debit card charges, like a streaming service or a gym, can still be paid into overdraft with a fee. A returned-item fee doesn't need that yes at all. If the charges on your statement came from autopays or checks, one of the next two sections is what you need. And if the trouble is timing, with a bill coming out a few days before your money comes in, ask the company whether it can move your payment date to after your deposit arrives.

Covering checks and autopays with a linked savings account.

Overdraft protection usually means linking a savings account, or a credit line, to your checking so money moves over to cover a shortfall. The transfer fee is usually less than an overdraft fee, and at Berks institutions it's published anywhere from nothing to $12. A credit line charges interest on whatever it covers.

It works when the savings account holds enough to cover the item: then an overdraft fee becomes a smaller transfer charge, or none. If the savings covers only part, you can end up paying a transfer fee and an overdraft fee.

Be careful with the names. Institutions call these programs different things, and at least one institution with Berks offices uses "Overdraft Protection" as the name of the fee it charges each time it covers an overdraft. Before you turn anything on or off, ask which one you're changing: the transfer from savings, or the coverage that pays and charges a fee.

Checking accounts in Berks County that can't charge an overdraft fee.

"Free checking" means no monthly fee, and that's all it means. The fine print on some of those accounts says overdraft and returned-item fees can still apply.

What you want is an account that can't charge them at all. There's a national standard for low-cost accounts called Bank On, and a certified account can't charge overdraft or returned-item fees and opens with $25 or less. Many banks with Berks offices offer one, and Truist One Checking, which isn't a Bank On account, charges no overdraft fees either.

These are checking accounts at banks with Berks offices that can't charge an overdraft fee. It isn't every such account, but it's a good place to start.

Bank Account
Chase Chase Secure Banking
Citizens EverValue Checking
Citizens Student Checking
First Citizens Community Bank Budget Checking
First National Bank of Pennsylvania eStyle Account
Fulton Bank Xpress Account
M&T Bank MyWay Banking
Santander Santander Essential Checking
Tompkins Bank & Trust Smart Spend Checking
Truist Truist Confidence Account
Truist Truist One Checking
Univest Value Checking
Wells Fargo Clear Access Banking
Woodforest National Bank WBank Account

Every account here except Truist One Checking is certified under the national Bank On standard. Truist One Checking charges no overdraft fees. Accounts as listed in September 2026.

The Bank On standard caps a certified account's monthly fee at $5, or at $10 when the account also offers ways to avoid the fee, so ask what avoids it before you open one. If your paycheck or benefit comes by direct deposit, ask whether that deposit gets the fee waived. Truist One Checking's monthly fee can be waived too, so ask the same question there.

These accounts can still end up with a negative balance. There's no overdraft fee when that happens, but you owe the money back. Some are card-based accounts with no paper checks, so if you pay rent or a bill by check, ask whether the account comes with checks.

If you'd rather bank at a credit union, First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union, one of the county's credit unions, offers a Bank On account too. It's called Fresh Start Checking, and it's built for somebody who's had financial trouble before.

Once you've picked one, open it, then move your paycheck, Social Security or pension deposit over, along with any autopays. You can find the branch closest to you in our list of banks in Berks County before you go.

Getting overdraft fees you've already paid taken back.

Before you close anything, call your bank or credit union and ask them to waive the fees you've already been charged. It works best if fees aren't a regular thing on your account. At least one credit union with Berks offices will reverse one fee a year if you're a member in good standing and ask.

If you can't get anywhere, there are three offices to contact. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes complaints online. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities handles state-chartered banks and credit unions at 1-800-PA-BANKS (722-2657). The Consumer Assistance Center of the NCUA, the federal agency for credit unions, handles federal credit unions at 1-800-755-1030. If you're not sure which one fits your bank, start with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which sends a complaint on when another agency is better placed to help.

Overdraft fee questions from Berks County readers.

Is there a limit on how many overdraft fees a bank can charge?

Your own bank or credit union's fee schedule shows any daily cap it sets. A federal rule on overdraft fees at the very largest banks was overturned by a resolution of Congress signed into law on May 9, 2025.

Does free checking mean no fees at all?

No, free checking means no monthly fee. Overdraft and returned-item fees can still apply unless the account is one that can't charge them, like a Bank On certified account.

Is overdraft protection the same thing as overdraft coverage?

Not always. Overdraft protection generally means money moving over from a linked savings account or credit line, while overdraft coverage is the bank paying the item and charging you a fee. Some institutions use the names differently, so ask which one you're agreeing to.

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