Banking » Guides » How Much Is PNC Bank Overdraft Fee and Can You Avoid It?
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How Much Is PNC Bank Overdraft Fee and Can You Avoid It?

The PNC bank overdraft fee is $36. You can avoid it by using overdraft protection, linking your savings to a checking account, and more.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
Interest Rates Last Update: June 3, 2024
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
Interest Rates Last Update: June 3, 2024

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

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PNC Bank logo on iPhone display (1)
(Photo by Burdun Iliya/Shutterstock)

It is usually a painful experience whenever you withdraw from your bank and get hit by expensive overdraft fees.

Yet, understanding the bank’s guidelines and keeping up with your spending can assist you in avoiding unwarranted charges.

If you have an account with PNC Bank, this article will unpack more about their overdraft fees.

Does PNC Bank Charge Overdraft Fees?

PNC bank overdraft fee is $36, and it can be charged up to 4 times in 24 hours. If you are PNC’s Virtual customer with a Spend account in the Low Cash Mode, you can be charged a maximum of $36 per day.

You will have a minimum of 24 hours before replenishing your account to $0. If you bring your Spend account balance up before the time elapses, you will not pay the overdraft fee.

Below are transactions that PNC declines without a charge if the balance is too low:

  • One-time debit card transactions
  • ATM transactions
Activate PNC Bank Overdraft protection
Activate PNC Bank overdraft protection (Screenshot from PNC app)

How Much PNC Bank Overdraft Fee Compared to Other Banks?

Many banks and especially online banks don't charge overdraft fees at all. Here are some of the banks that don't charge an overdraft fee:

  • Axos Bank
  • Ally
  • Citibank
  • Capital One 360
  • Discover
  • Chime

Most banks still charge an overdraft fee, but most of them offer a grace period and overdraft protection.

Bank/institution
Overdraft Fee
Max Per Day
bank of america bank logo
Bank of America
$10
4 per day
Learn More
TD_Bank logo
TD Bank
$35
3 per business day
Learn More
pnc bank logo
PNC Bank
$36
4 per 24 hours
Learn More
Wells_Fargo-Logo
Wells Fargo
$34
3 per business day
Learn More
us bank logo
US Bank
$36
4 times per day
Learn More
chase bank logo
Chase Total Checking®
$35
3 per business day
Learn More

When Does PNC Charge Overdraft Fees?

You will have at least 24 hours to bring your account from negative to avoid overdraft fees. You can also choose whether to pay certain transactions or return them when you have a negative balance.

As a PNC customer, you can use Low Cash Mode. Low Cash Mode is now available for all Virtual Wallet products and gives you more control when your balance is low – instant alerts that allow you to know when you have a low balance and a maximum $36 overdraft item fee per day.

How Does PNC Overdraft Coverage Work?

If you require PNC to pay overdrafts on debit card and ATM transactions, it would be best to opt-in to Overdraft Coverage. You can sign up for the service or change the overdraft options on your online account. Remember, standard fees apply, and you can reverse the choice anytime.

You can link these accounts to your PNC checking account if you choose the service:

  • Savings or money market account
  • Secondary checking account
  • A personal line of credit
  • Credit card

The above accounts will provide a backup for your primary checking account. PNC will transfer money from them to your checking account when the balance is meager, and you will not be charged for overdraft protection.

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How Can I Get PNC To Waive Or Refund Overdraft Fees?

You may find out that PNC charged you an overdraft fee, but that is no reason to fret. There might be a chance to refund or waive the overdraft fee. Below are different ways in which you can get your overdraft fee waived.

First, Call the Bank's Customer Service

PNC bank is lenient enough to understand that people make mistakes. Therefore, you can call the bank's customer service number if it is your first time getting an overdraft fee. You will then ask about waiving the overdraft charge.

If this is not the first time you get charged, you will have to negotiate with customer service. Below is an example of a conversation you can hold to negotiate your way out of an overdraft fee.

  • You: Hi, an overdraft fee has been charged to my account, and I would love to waive it.
  • Customer Service: I see there has been a fee charged. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to waive it because of xxx.
  • You: I apologize for my failure to ignore my balance. I want to remain a loyal customer of PNC. I have been a loyal customer for xxx years and rarely get an overdraft charge. Could you assist me in waiving it?
  • Customer Service: Give me one sec to see how I can help.

What If Contacting Customer Service Does Not Work?

If contacting support doesn't help, you can choose one of the following options:

  • Email: You can send an email to customer support, including all supporting documents and other details you couldn't provide over the phone.
  • Appointment – You can schedule an appointment if you'd prefer to discuss your case in person. In this scenario, a bank representative will speak with you and ultimately make a decision.
Contact PNC Customer support on app
Contact PNC Customer support on app (Screenshot from PNC app)

Does PNC Offer 24 Hours Grace Period?

Yes. You get a 24-hour grace period to rectify the situation if the balance is negative in case you opted for the Low Cash Mode.

PNC launched Low Cash Mode, a digital solution that assists customers in avoiding overdraft charges in their Virtual Wallet.

This service lets customers control when specific debits from their accounts are processed. Users receive alerts if their balance is meager. 

Customers can also prioritize payments by determining whether certain debits that may cause overdrafts are processed. This is a shift from industry practice where the bank makes the decision.

How Does PNC Overdraft Protection Work?

PNC offers overdraft protection, where they cover your transactions when your balance is not enough. You can choose overdraft coverage for each checking account and opt-out anytime.

An overdraft coverage is a service offered by PNC bank where your ATM transactions and one-time debit cards may process even if you have insufficient funds. However, the bank will cover the shortage until you repay, and you may incur an overdraft fee for the service.

On the other hand, overdraft protection is a service your bank offers where you may link one of your accounts to your primary account. Then, if the primary account has an insufficient balance, funds are transferred from the secondary account to cover the purchases.

What Else You Can Do To Avoid Overdraft?

It is always better to avoid something than work hard to rectify it. PNC provides tools that help you avoid paying overdraft fees altogether. You can take steps such as linking your account or finding cash advance options that allow you not to deal with overdraft policies. Consider the alternatives below to avoid overdraft fees with PNC bank.

  • Set up linked accounts. You can assign PNC accounts to transfer funds from another account to your negative one. You can also avoid overdrafts before they happen.
  • Set up alerts and use Low Cash Mode. You can create alerts when the account approaches $0.
  • Use a debit card and cash payments instead of checks. When you avoid paying with checks, you won’t have to worry about when they will clear. Many people forget about checks and spend money before the checks clear, thus leading to overdrafts.
  • Direct deposit. Using direct deposit for your paycheck ensures immediate access to your money.

FAQs

Yes, PNC has a grace period for overdraft. The grace period allows you to add funds to your account before being charged overdraft fees. PNC gives you at least 24 hours to bring your account balance to at least $0 before you are charged.

PNC charges $36 each time for an overdraft. They have a maximum daily charge of four times per day. You cannot be charged more than $144 daily since you can only have four overdrafts daily.

PNC Bank limits the number of overdraft fees and returned items fees, where you can have up to four on a single day. The bank may waives these fees if you make a request.

The amount you can overdraft will vary. This is because your overdraft limit is set at the bank’s discretion and may change daily. The limit is set according to your balance, history, and usage.

No. You will have at least 24 hours to replenish your account before PNC bank charges an overdraft fee.

PNC gives an allowance of a $5 error margin. They will refund the fees if you overdraw by $5 or less.

Also, you will not be penalized if you overdraw and deposit a $5 margin within the day. The bank will forgive these overdraft fees.

You must increase your account balance to $0 before your Extra Time Period expires. Failure to do this might result in a $36 fee each business day on which the ending balance is below $0.

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Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
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