Two jobs here, and the second one is worth more than the first: get this fee back, then remove the mechanism that created it.

Getting the fee back

  • Call and use the phrase. “I'd like to request a courtesy refund of this overdraft fee. I've been with the bank a while and I'd like to keep the account in good standing.” Short, polite, no story. Costs nothing, and a reversal usually posts on the same call or within the next statement cycle. If the first person says no, ask to speak with a supervisor — the authority to waive sits one level up at many banks.
  • Ask once, not repeatedly. Most banks treat a courtesy reversal as something that happens occasionally, not monthly. Save the ask for the fee that actually hurts.

Stopping the next one

  • Turn off overdraft coverage on debit purchases. With it off, a card purchase you can't cover is simply declined instead of going through and costing $35 (B9 internal research, September 2026). A decline at the register is annoying; the fee is worse. This is a setting in your bank app.
  • Turn on low balance alerts. Free in every major bank app, and it's the difference between noticing while the balance is still positive and noticing after the fee.
  • Move autopay dates to the day after payday. Most of the fees people pay come from a payment that hit one day early. Billers move dates on request, for free.
  • Keep a small buffer, built out of the fee you just saved. Even a token amount sitting untouched absorbs the timing mismatch that causes most overdrafts.
  • Use an advance instead of an overdraft. An advance moves your own pay forward with no interest. B9's stated terms: “Up to $250 on B9 Basic and up to $1,000 on B9 Premium. Subject to approval — advance limits depend on your direct deposit history and plan”, with “No credit checks”, “No interest”, “No late fees”. One thing to be clear about: the free transfer is the slower one, and an instant transfer is a paid option — Earnin states it the same way, “Expedited transfers available for a fee.” Compare that fee against $35 before you choose.
  • Switch to an account without overdraft fees. Several banks and credit unions have dropped the fee entirely. Free to open, and it removes the problem instead of managing it.

Questions people ask

Will they really refund it? Nobody can promise that — it's a courtesy, not a right, and each bank decides case by case. Asking costs one phone call.

Can I be charged more than one fee in a day? Yes. Each item that goes through on a negative balance can carry its own fee, which is how a single bad day becomes several times $35 (B9 internal research, September 2026).