Banks typically charge a monthly maintenance fee and an overdraft fee on checking accounts, and both are usually avoidable with a few simple habits.

Monthly maintenance fee

Banks may charge a monthly maintenance (service) fee just for keeping a checking account open, often around 5–15 dollars for standard accounts. Many banks will waive this fee if you meet certain requirements, such as:

  • Maintaining a minimum daily or average balance in the account.
  • Setting up qualifying direct deposits each month (for example, payroll going straight into the account).
  • Using specific “free checking” or student/senior checking products that have no monthly fee when eligibility rules are met.

So, to avoid the monthly fee, you can:

  1. Choose a no‑fee or “free checking” account when possible.
  1. Set up direct deposit from your employer or government benefits if the bank uses that to waive the fee.
  1. Keep at least the required minimum balance, using alerts to warn you if you drop too low.

Overdraft fee

An overdraft fee is charged when you spend more money than you have in your checking account, and the bank covers the transaction, pushing your balance negative. The average overdraft fee is a little over 27 dollars per incident, and some banks may charge more than one fee in a single day if multiple transactions go through while your account is overdrawn.

Common ways to avoid overdraft fees include:

  • Opting out of overdraft coverage on everyday debit card purchases, so those transactions are simply declined instead of approved with a fee.
  • Setting up low‑balance alerts by text or email so you know when your balance is close to zero and can transfer or deposit money.
  • Regularly checking your account and keeping a small buffer so that automatic payments and pending card charges do not accidentally push you negative.

TL;DR:
Two common checking account fees are the monthly maintenance fee and the overdraft fee, and you can usually avoid them by choosing a no‑fee account or meeting waiver rules, opting out of overdraft, and using alerts plus good balance tracking.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.