Banking and Finance

How to Get Your Wells Fargo Overdraft Fees Waived? A Step by Step Guide

Elizabeth
July 27, 2021

It is very common that you forgot how much is left in your bank account and spent more than what you have in your bank. Unfortunately, most banks will charge you that “overdraft fee”, although you may have just overspent a few dollars. 


For example, Wells Fargo will charge you $35 per overdraft transaction. The good news is you can get it waived even they have charged you. Here is a guide to get your overdraft fee waived or get a refund from Wells Fargo.


About Wells Fargo 

Wells Fargo is an American bank based in San Francisco, California, with offices across the United States. Wells Fargo is the world’s fourth-largest bank in the US by total assists. 


Here is a quick snapshot about Wells Fargo: 


Headquarters 

420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California, U.S.

Revenue 

US$86.40 billion (2018)

Founded

1851

Website

www.wellsfargo.com

Customer Service 

1 (800) 869-3557


Resource: Wikipedia 


About Wells Fargo Overdraft fee

An overdraft happens when you don’t have enough money in your bank account to cover a transaction, but the bank still pays it. As a result, the bank will usually charge an overdraft fee on that transaction. 


Overdraft fees are charged per transaction, or per item. Every bank has a different overdraft fee. Here is a list of the overdraft fees of some top banks in the US (2020):

overdraft fee

Wells Fargo Overdraft Policies 

General Overdraft Fee: $35.

Daily limit of overdraft fees: $105

Overdraft Rewind Service: Your direct deposit may help you reverse yesterday's overdraft fees.


If your bank does not have enough money, Wells Fargo will usually decline your daily transaction, including ATM and debit card transactions, but will still authorize your auto bill payment. At the same time, Wells Fargo charges $35 per overdraft each time the bank pays an overdraft, and there is a limit of 3 overdraft fees per day, which means you won’t pay more than $105 per day if you keep overspending. 

Wells Fargo also offers an Overdraft Rewind, which is a free service that may waive your overdraft fee if a direct deposit is made one business day after the overdraft happens. Click here to know more about the Wells Fargo Overdraft Rewind service.

What should you do US bank has charged you an overdraft fee?

If you have over-drafted and got charged the overdraft fee by your bank account, don’t be upset. Most bank fees are mitigable and can even be refunded. 


So, you can still get your money back if you have already got charged. Here is how: 


Call the Bank Customer Service

If this is your first-time overdraft, most banks are willing to waive your overdraft fee to keep you remaining a customer. You can just call the Wells Fargo customer service phone number +1 (800) 869-3557 and ask for it. 


 If this is not your first time, you will need some tips to negotiate it. Here are some tips for the phone call: 

  • You will need to bring up your complaint with a reasonable explanation of the situation
  • You will need to show you are a good customer and you want to stay with Wells Fargo 
  • Be polite and firm


Here is an example of the phone script: 


  1. Customer: hi my bank account has an overdraft fee charge and I would like to have it waived. 
  2. Bank: I see the fee. Unfortunately, we are not able to waive the fee because xxx
  3. Customer: I have been a good customer for xx years and the overdraft is a rare occurrence. Can you help me to waive it? I will be happy to stay with Wells Fargo. 
  4. Bank: OK. Let me check. One sec, please. 


What Should Do If a Call Doesn’t Work?

Sometimes a phone call may not solve the problem and you will need to try other ways, such as: 

  1. Make an appointment with bankers at your local branch here: https://appointments.wellsfargo.com/maa/appointment/topic
  2. Mail a letter to Wells Fargo corporate office:

420 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

Click here for more information https://www.wellsfargo.com/help/addresses/

  1. Contact Wells Fargo executives

Mike Armstrong

Senior Vice President, Credit Card Customer Service

420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104

+1-503-614-2485

michael.armstrong@wellsfargo.com

  1. Contact the Board of Directors

Email: boardcommunications@wellsfargo.com

Send a letter to:

Wells Fargo & Company

P.O. Box 63750 or P.O. Box 63710

San Francisco, CA 94163


How to Avoid Overdraft Fee from Wells Fargo?

If you have experienced this overdraft fee, you know how annoying it is. How to avoid overdraft fees? The easier, and the best way is to keep track of your budget, and don’t spend what you have in your bank account. 


If overdraft happens, here are some tips to avoid overdraft fees from Wells Fargo:


  1. Have an overdraft protection plan 

Wells Fargo offers an overdraft protection plan, which allows your checking account linked to a saving account, so Wells Fargo will authorize the transaction using available funds from your saving account when your checking account does not have enough funds. However, this service will charge you a single daily fee of $12.50 per transaction, which is less than an overdraft fee of $35 per over-drafted transaction. 

over-drafted

  1. Set up direct deposit 

Setting up direct deposit allows your payroll directly to deposit to your Wells Fargo account, which is also a convenient way to avoid other bank fees from Wells Fargo. 


  1. Set up notifications 

Wells Fargo bank allows you to set up an email or text message notification when your account is running below a certain amount of funds in the bank account you specified. This setting helps remind you to take any action when your bank fund is running low to avoid the overdraft from happening. 


Try Debit Cards Without an Overdraft Fee

Are there other debit cards that do not have any overdraft fees? Fortunately, yes. With Cheese Debit Card, you will never worry about getting charged by the bank if you spent more than your savings. 

Not only are you able to get a Cheese Debit Card without an SSN, but it’s also designed with lots of perks to help you save your hard-earned cash. Up to 10% cash back on every purchase you made, up to a 3% deposit bonus, you can get all these without worrying about the minimum balance or monthly fee.

Recently, Cheese has partnered with Prizeout to provide up to 40% bonus value gift cards on brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Nike, Macy's, ULTA and etc. Lots of benefits are awaiting for you to unlock!


❌ No Monthly Fee                                      🧀️ No SSN Required   

❌ No ATM Fee                                           🧀️ Up to 10% Cashback with Every Purchase/Transaction

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❌ No Minimum Balance Requirement      🧀️ Early Paycheck

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