Here are 50 ways banks are earning from you through bank fees, penalties or charges.
This list is not to condemn banks. We need banks.
This is just to make you aware there are a lot of bank fees and what these fees are, so you can be smart about them.
These bank fees are not only charged in the Philippines -- most of these fees are also charged by banks in other countries.
Here are 50 Ways You're Making the Banks Richer with Bank Fees:
ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE FEES
1. Below-maintaining-balance fee
This is among the most common fees charged by banks, based on complaints online. One OFW wrote to this blog, saying she was charged 300 pesos for 15 months for a total of 4,500. She did not know that the minimum Monthly Average Daily Balance (MADB) or maintaining balance was increased.
2. Dormancy fee
This is common among OFWs who are too busy with their work abroad they forget to remit to their accounts. A savings account becomes dormant if there's no deposit or withdrawal within 2 years. The time frame for a checking account is only one year.
3. Interregional-branch over-the-counter deposit fee
It's great to say that BPI, BPI Family, Union Bank, EastWest Bank, Sterling Bank of Asia and some big RCBC branches do not impose this fee. This is one of the reasons why many online sellers use BPI accounts for collecting payments from their customers. Their customers will not have to pay deposit fees.
4. Fee for exceeding maximum number of monthly withdrawals for special accounts
This is usually imposed on higher-interest accounts.
5. Lost passbook replacement fee
6. Dollar withdrawal fee (withdrawing more than maximum amount)
7. Dollar deposit fee (depositing more than maximum amount)
8. Early account closure fee
Fee for closing your account within one month from opening date
9. Bank statement or certification fee
ATM or ATM CARD OR DEBIT CARD FEES
10. Another-bank's ATM withdrawal fee
This is perhaps the most common fees charged by banks, and the most ignored by cardholders ("15 pesos lang naman...").
11. Another-bank's ATM balance-inquiry fee
12. Same-bank ATM withdrawal fee for special accounts
13. Over-the-counter withdrawal fee for ATM accounts
Banks say your ATM account is ATM-based, so you should use only the ATM for withdrawals.
Your withdrawal should be free if the machine is out of order, or if you need more than the daily maximum ATM withdrawal amount.
14. ATM card or debit card replacement fee
15. Overseas ATM withdrawal fee
This usually costs US$3.50 per ATM withdrawal. Some ATMs abroad also charge their own fees.
16. Overseas ATM balance inquiry fee
This usually costs US$1.00.
17. Overseas ATM withdrawal rejection fee
These fees for overseas withdrawals are in addition to fees charged by some ATMs abroad for foreign-issued ATMs.
18. Fee for exceeding maximum number of ATM withdrawals (for special debit cards)
Usually, you are limited to 2 to 4 free ATM withdrawals a month.
19. Funds transfer to another local bank
20. Foreign-issued ATM card fee
CASH CARD or PREPAID CARD FEES
21. Cash card or prepaid card over-the-counter deposit fee
22. Cash card inactivity fee
Fee for not doing any transaction for more than 12 months
23. Same-bank cash card ATM withdrawal fee
24. Another-bank cash card ATM withdrawal fee
25. Cash card replacement fee
26. Visa or Mastercard prepaid card annual fee
This is charged for Visa or Mastercard prepaid cards not linked to a savings account.
REMITTANCE or FUNDS TRANSFER FEES
27. Fee for inward remittance from overseas
Nagbayad ka na sa remittance company sa abroad, may bayad pa sa bangko? Yes!
In some cases, banks get their remittance fee through their foreign exchange conversion rate.
28. Fee for outward remittance to overseas
29. Correspondent bank fee for outward remittance to overseas
30. Intermediary bank fee for inward remittance to another local bank
31. Fee for outward funds transfer to another local bank
32. Fee for incoming funds transfer from another local bank
33. Fee for funds transfer using debit/credit memo over-the-counter
CHECKING ACCOUNT FEES
34. Returned check fee
This could range from 2,000 to 2,500 pesos
35. Stop payment order fee
This is usually also 2,000 pesos.
36. Fee for depositing a returned dollar check
37. Check retrieval fee
38. Over-the-counter check encashment
(Isn't this free? It has always been, but now some banks want you to deposit the check, not encash over the counter.)
39. Manager's check fee
CREDIT CARD FEES
40. Late payment fee
If your due date is a holiday, Saturday or Sunday, pay before your due date.
If you're paying by check, pay several days before to allow for the 3-day to 7-day check clearing period.
41. Over credit-limit fee
You spent more than your available credit limit.
(Why don't the banks decline the card usage? Well, you might sue them for embarrassment or for loss of business opportunity, so they might as well allow you to go over your limit, and just charge you a fee. Isn't that clever?)
42. Annual fee
43. Fee for making multiple payments per month
Fee for making more than 2 or 3 payments to your credit card within a month
Pinapagod mo raw kasi yong teller nila or yong system nila :)
Bakit daw hindi ka minsanan lang magbayad? Huh!
44. ATM cash advance service fee
45. Over-the-counter cash advance fee
46. Foreign transaction service fee
47. Returned check fee
48. Sales slip retrieval fee
49. Credit card replacement fee
50. Installment pretermination fee
Notes:
. Foreign banks usually do not impose maintaining balance requirements for each account. What they use is Total Relationship Balance (TRB), the overall total of the balances of all your bank and investment accounts with them.
. The 50 bank fees above are not the only bank fees charged. There are other bank fees.