Call the bank the same day and ask for a one-time courtesy refund. Ask for it in one sentence, before you explain anything. Banks often reverse the first fee a customer asks about, and the wording is doing most of the work.

Say this to the agent:

I see an overdraft fee on my account from [date]. I'd like to request a one-time courtesy refund. I've banked with you since [year], and this is the first time I'm asking.

Three things make that sentence work, so keep all three:

  • Courtesy refund, not complaint. Agents have a courtesy code they can use without a supervisor. A complaint goes to a queue and comes back in writing days later.
  • The date, read off your statement. A single overdraft fee runs about $35 (B9 internal research, September 2026), but use the number printed on your own account, not a number you remember.
  • First time I'm asking. That is the condition most refund policies are built around. If it isn't your first, say so and ask anyway.

If the agent says no, don't argue the charge. Say: Please note on my account that I requested a courtesy refund, and transfer me to someone who can approve one. The note matters. A second call goes better when the first one is on the record.

Then close the door behind you, in the same call. Ask the agent to turn off overdraft coverage on your debit card. It costs nothing. With coverage off, a card payment that would overdraw you gets declined instead of paid with a fee attached. A declined coffee is annoying. It is not a fee.

Two more free moves while you have someone on the phone: ask for a low-balance alert by text, and ask what time of night the bank posts transactions. Most overdrafts happen because a deposit and a debit land in an order you didn't expect.

If the real problem is that the money runs out before payday, a fee refund only buys you this month.