My free checking account now has a monthly fee

This notice

The letter, email, or statement insert says your free or no-monthly-fee checking account will start charging a monthly service fee. It may list a start date, a new fee amount, and ways to avoid the fee with a balance or direct deposit.

This is not a closed-account letter holding leftover funds after the bank ended the relationship. That other path is the Chase held-funds guide. There the account is already closed.

It is also not a Reg CC Notice of Hold on one deposited check. Use the check-deposit hold guide when the paper names a deposit date, amount held, and availability date.

It is not a ChexSystems or new-account denial. Use the checking-account denied ChexSystems guide when you applied to open an account and were turned down. This page is a pricing change on an account you already hold.

It is not a fraud or security restriction that freezes debit, ACH, or withdrawals. Use the bank-account restricted fraud-review guide for that freeze.

The CFPB page I opened a “free” checking account. I received a notice… Can the bank/credit union do this? says a bank or credit union can start charging fees if it notifies you in writing at least 30 days before the fees start and explains the change. Once monthly fees start, that product can no longer be advertised as free checking.

The related page I opened a “free” checking account but there are fees charged… explains what “free” or “no cost” may and may not include.

Recent CFPB narratives describe surprise monthly maintenance fees after “free checking” marketing, fee-waiver rules that changed without a clear letter, and accounts that stayed open while pricing flipped. Company names vary. Use the Ask pages for the steps, not any one bank’s phone script.

Official path

1. Save the fee-change notice, the prior account terms, and recent statements. Write the date you received the notice and the date the monthly fee starts.

2. Read the notice for the new fee amount, how to avoid it, and any other product options the bank lists. Compare those terms with the free-checking rules on the CFPB en-961 page.

3. Ask the bank in writing whether this account remains the same product, whether a no-monthly-fee option exists, and whether the 30-day written notice was sent. Keep proof of delivery.

4. Decide whether to keep the account under the new fee, switch to another product at the same bank, or move your deposits and billers elsewhere before the fee start date if you can.

5. Watch the first statements after the change. If a monthly service fee posts before the notice’s start date, or if the bank still markets the same product as free while charging the fee, save screenshots and statements.

6. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint if the bank started monthly fees without the written notice the Ask page describes, or if free-checking advertising no longer matches the fees. Attach the notice and statements. You can also use How do I find my state's bank regulator?.

People in CFPB narratives often argue only on chat and skip saving the change letter. The official pages win that conflict. Keep the notice, then complain if the bank skipped notice or mislabeled the product as free.

What people reported

Often helps

• Saving the change-in-terms letter with the fee start date, then comparing it to the first statement that posts the monthly fee.
• Asking in writing for a no-monthly-fee product at the same bank before moving payroll and billers.

Often fails

• Ignoring the notice until the fee posts for several months, then expecting an automatic full refund without the notice and statements on file.

Template

[DATE]

[BANK OR CREDIT UNION NAME]
Account services / change-in-terms
[ADDRESS FROM THE NOTICE OR STATEMENT]

Re: Checking ending [LAST FOUR]; monthly fee notice

On [DATE] I received a notice stating that my checking account will begin charging a monthly fee of [AMOUNT] starting [START DATE]. I opened this account as free or no-monthly-fee checking.

Please confirm in writing: (1) the date you sent the change-in-terms notice; (2) the exact fee schedule that will apply; (3) whether any no-monthly-fee checking product is available on this account; and (4) whether this product will still be advertised as free checking after the fee starts.

On [PHONE DATE] I called [NUMBER]. The reference number is [NUMBER].

Please send your written response to the address below. Enclosed is a copy of the fee-change notice and a recent statement.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]

Enclosures: [FEE NOTICE COPY]; [STATEMENT COPY]

Stop here if…

• The account is already closed and leftover funds are held. Use the Chase closed-account held-funds guide.
• The paper is a Reg CC Notice of Hold on a deposited check. Use the check-deposit hold guide.
• You were denied when trying to open a new account because of ChexSystems or similar. Use the checking-account denied ChexSystems guide.
• Access is frozen or restricted for fraud or security review. Use the bank-account restricted fraud-review guide.

FAQ

Is this the same as Chase closing my account and holding leftover funds?

No. A closed-account held-funds letter ends the relationship and focuses on residual money still held. This page is a change-in-terms notice that keeps the account open while adding a monthly service fee.

Is this a Notice of Hold on a deposited check?

No. A Reg CC Notice of Hold delays availability of one deposit and names an availability date. A monthly-fee notice changes the account’s service pricing. Use the check-deposit hold guide only for a hold notice.

Is this a ChexSystems or new-account denial?

No. Checking-account denied for ChexSystems is about an application to open an account. This page assumes you already have the account and received a fee-change notice on that existing free checking product.

Is this a fraud or security restriction?

No. A fraud-review restriction freezes or limits access while the bank investigates. A monthly-fee notice is about pricing, not blocked debit or ACH access. Use the restricted-account guide if access is frozen.

Can a “free” account still have other fees?

Yes. The CFPB free-checking fees page says a free or no-cost account cannot have monthly service fees, transaction-count fees, deposit/withdraw/transfer fees, or minimum-balance fees. ATM, overdraft, bounced-check, stop-payment, dormant-account, and check-printing fees can still appear. After a monthly fee starts, the bank can no longer advertise that product as free checking.