How to waive a Chase monthly account fee
You get the published rules for Chase Total Checking, the words to look for on a statement, and a short list of questions for the phone. Asking Chase to remove a fee already charged is a request. Chase can say no. This page does not promise a waiver.
What this fee is
A monthly service fee is a charge from the bank for the account itself. It is not a store purchase, not a subscription, and not a refund. A refund is money back. It is not a new expense.
An overdraft fee, a wire fee, and an ATM fee are different lines. How to ask about an overdraft fee is the page for that separate charge. A different Chase checking account can have a different monthly fee. Match the account name on your statement. Your account agreement controls the fee, not this page.
Chase Total Checking
These amounts are in US dollars. They come from the Chase Total Checking fee page. Monthly fees at Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo lists this account next to the other two banks.
Chase lists a Monthly Service Fee of $0 or $15. Chase says the fee is $0 when you meet one of the following in each monthly statement period. You do not need all of them. If you meet none, Chase says the fee is $15.
One: $500 or more in qualifying electronic deposits. Chase describes those as payments from an employer or a government entity, such as benefits or a tax refund, made through the ACH network, Real Time Payments (RTP), the FedNow Service, or a third party that pays your debit card on the Visa or Mastercard network. Chase says Zelle, cash, checks, wire transfers, and interest payments do not count. That definition is on the Chase checking comparison.
Two: a balance of $1,500 or more at the beginning of each day. Three: an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in this account, or combined with linked qualifying personal deposits or investments. Four: link this account to a qualifying checking account. Chase lists which accounts qualify on that same checking page. A statement period is the period Chase uses. It is not always a calendar month.
Find the fee on the statement
Read the account name first. Then look for a line named monthly service fee or monthly maintenance fee. Write the date, the printed name, and the amount. A Chase checking statement in US dollars stays in USD. How to read a statement PDF separates fees, purchases, payments, and refunds. How to find the fee line shows where it sits on a US statement.
If Chase later credits the fee back, that credit is money returned. It is not a new expense, and it is not a subscription.
A $15 fee charged every month for 12 months is $180. The result is arithmetic. It is not a quote from Chase, and it is not money Chase has agreed to return.
What to ask Chase
Use the phone number on the statement if it is printed there. Chase's customer service page lists 1-800-935-9935 for personal banking. If a number on your statement disagrees with this page, use the statement.
Have the date, the fee name, and the amount. Ask which of the four conditions Chase says you missed. Ask whether a deposit was a qualifying electronic deposit or one of the kinds Chase says do not count. Then ask Chase to review the fee or remove it. They can say no. This page has no success rate, because a made up rate would be a guess.
If the answer is no, ask what would have to be true in the next statement period for the fee to be $0, and ask for the bank's complaint steps. You can also send a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after you have Chase's answer. US bank fees links that step. Expenvo does not file the complaint.
Upload a statement in Expenvo to see the bank fee lines it recognizes, listed on their own. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo does not call Chase, and it does not promise the fee will be removed.
Questions
- Does a Zelle payment waive the Chase Total Checking fee?
- Chase says Zelle, cash, checks, wire transfers, and interest payments do not count as qualifying electronic deposits for the Total Checking monthly service fee.
- Do I need to meet every Chase condition?
- No. Chase says the monthly service fee is $0 when you meet one of the four conditions in the statement period. If you meet none, Chase says the fee is $15.
- Will Chase remove a fee it already charged if I ask?
- They might, and they might not. Asking is a request. Nothing on this page says Chase has to waive a fee already on the statement.
- Can Expenvo tell me the fee will be $0 next month?
- No. Expenvo can list a bank fee that is already on a statement. It does not know whether you will meet a Chase condition in the next statement period.
Sources
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