Yes, you can overdraft a Bank of America checking account, but only if you have overdraft protection turned on

Bank of America allows overdrafts on most checking accounts through a feature called overdraft protection. Without it enabled, transactions that would take your balance negative are simply declined at the point of sale or ATM. With it on, the bank covers the shortfall and charges you a fee.

The decision to turn overdraft protection on or off is yours to make. Bank of America does not automatically enroll new accounts, though you may have it enabled already if you set it up during account opening or if you linked it to a savings account. You can check your current settings online, through the mobile app, or by calling customer service.

Overdraft protection is not the same as a line of credit. The bank is not lending you money—it is covering individual transactions and charging a flat fee each time it does. Understanding how much that costs and when it triggers is the difference between an occasional safety net and a recurring expense.

Key Takeaways

  • Bank of America charges $35 per overdraft transaction if you have overdraft protection enabled, with a maximum of four overdraft fees per day.
  • Overdraft protection must be turned on in your account settings; it is not automatic, and you can disable it anytime to prevent overdrafts.
  • The bank covers overdrafts from your linked savings account first if you have one, then from overdraft protection; if neither is available, the transaction is declined.
  • You have until the end of the business day to deposit funds and avoid an overdraft fee, but the bank processes transactions in its own order, not necessarily the order you made them.
  • Repeated overdrafts can result in your account being closed or flagged by ChexSystems, which affects your ability to open accounts at other banks.

How overdraft fees work at Bank of America

When you make a transaction that would take your account below zero and overdraft protection is on, Bank of America covers it and charges you $35. This fee applies to each overdraft transaction, not to the total amount overdrawn. If you overdraft three times in one day—say, three separate debit card purchases—you pay $35 three times, for a total of $105 in fees.

The bank caps overdraft fees at four per day, meaning the maximum you can be charged in a single day is $140. This limit resets at midnight. If you overdraft five times on Tuesday, you pay $140. If you overdraft twice on Wednesday, you pay $70.

The fee is charged immediately when the transaction posts, not when you make it. A purchase you swipe at 2 p.m. might not post until 11 p.m. that night, so you cannot always predict when an overdraft will occur based on the time of day.

Turning overdraft protection on or off

You control whether overdraft protection is active on your account. Log into your Bank of America online account or open the mobile app, go to Account Settings, and look for "Overdraft Protection" or "Overdraft Services." You will see a toggle or checkbox to enable or disable it.

If you do not have online access, call Bank of America customer service at the number on the back of your debit card and ask them to turn it off. They can make the change over the phone in minutes.

Turning off overdraft protection means transactions that would overdraft your account will be declined instead. You will not be charged a fee, but the transaction will fail—your card will be rejected at checkout, or the ATM will not dispense cash. Some people prefer this because it forces them to stay within their balance. Others keep it on as a safety net for unexpected shortfalls.

What happens if you do not have overdraft protection

If overdraft protection is off and you attempt a transaction that exceeds your balance, the transaction is declined. No fee is charged. Your debit card will not work, the ATM will not give you cash, and the check will bounce.

A bounced check is different from an overdraft. When you write a check and there are not enough funds to cover it, the bank returns it unpaid and may charge you a returned check fee (also $35 at Bank of America). The person or business you wrote the check to may also charge you a fee for the bounced check, typically $25 to $50.

If you receive a notice that a check bounced, contact the payee immediately to arrange payment. Some will redeposit the check once you have funds available; others will ask you to pay in cash or by another method.

Overdraft protection linked to savings accounts

If you have a Bank of America savings account linked to your checking account, you can set up savings transfer overdraft protection. When your checking account would overdraft, the bank automatically transfers funds from savings to cover it, rather than charging an overdraft fee.

This transfer is not free—Bank of America charges $10 per transfer—but it is cheaper than the $35 overdraft fee. The transfer happens automatically and instantly, so the transaction goes through without being declined.

To set this up, go to your account settings and select the savings account you want linked. You can choose a minimum balance to keep in savings (the bank will not transfer below that amount) and a maximum number of transfers per month. If you hit the monthly limit, overdraft protection reverts to the standard $35 fee.

Transaction order and timing

Bank of America does not process transactions in the order you make them. The bank groups transactions by type—debit card purchases, ACH transfers, checks, ATM withdrawals—and processes each group at different times during the day. This means a purchase you made at 9 a.m. might post after a transfer you initiated at 2 p.m.

This matters because it affects which transactions trigger overdraft fees. If you have $100 in your account and you make a $60 purchase at 9 a.m. and a $60 transfer at 2 p.m., you might expect the purchase to post first, leaving you with $40 to cover the transfer. But if the transfer posts first, both transactions overdraft your account, and you pay $70 in fees instead of $35.

You cannot control the order transactions post in, but you can check your pending transactions in the mobile app or online to see what is waiting to clear. If you see overdrafts coming, deposit funds before the end of the business day to stop them from posting.

Overdraft fees and your banking history

Repeated overdrafts can have consequences beyond the fees themselves. If you overdraft frequently, Bank of America may close your account. The bank does not publish a specific threshold, but accounts with five or more overdrafts in a rolling 12-month period are at higher risk.

When an account is closed, the bank reports it to ChexSystems, a banking history database. Other banks check ChexSystems when you apply for a new account. A closure for overdraft abuse can make it difficult or impossible to open a checking account elsewhere for up to five years.

If your account has been closed by Bank of America, you can request a copy of your ChexSystems report to see what was reported. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information. Even with a closure on your record, some banks and credit unions offer second-chance checking accounts designed for people with banking history issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get an overdraft fee reversed?

Bank of America may reverse one or two overdraft fees if you call and ask, especially if you have been a customer for a long time and do not have a pattern of overdrafts. There is no may provide, and the bank is not required to reverse fees. If you are charged multiple fees in one day, it is worth calling to explain the situation and asking for a courtesy reversal.

What is the difference between overdraft protection and overdraft fees?

Overdraft protection is the feature you enable that allows transactions to go through even when your balance is negative. Overdraft fees are the $35 charges the bank levies when it covers those transactions. You can have overdraft protection on without ever paying a fee if you keep your balance positive or use savings transfer protection instead.

Does overdraft protection affect my credit score?

No. Overdraft fees do not appear on your credit report and do not affect your credit score. However, if an overdraft leads to a bounced check and the payee sends it to collections, that can damage your credit. The overdraft itself is only a banking issue, not a credit issue.

Can I overdraft my savings account?

Bank of America savings accounts do not have overdraft protection. You cannot overdraft a savings account. Transactions that would take the balance negative are declined. However, if your savings account is linked to your checking account, it can be used to cover checking account overdrafts through the savings transfer protection feature.

What happens if I overdraft and do not deposit funds to cover it?

The overdraft fee is charged regardless of whether you deposit funds later. If you overdraft by $50 and pay a $35 fee, you now owe the bank $85. If you do not bring your account positive within a few days, the bank may close your account and send the debt to collections. Unpaid overdrafts can appear on your banking history for years.