How to avoid the First Citizens Bank monthly fee

Primary stays free only if you take electronic statements

The compare page lists Primary checking at a monthly fee of $0 when you are enrolled in paperless statements, with a $50 minimum to open. The disclosure under that table says paperless statements are required. To be eligible for Primary Checking, you must sign up to receive First Citizens paperless statements within 60 days of account opening. If you do not, the account converts automatically, and without prior notice, to Select Checking, and Select fees are then debited and appear on the statement.

The California and Massachusetts brochure says the same thing in slightly different words: no monthly maintenance fee and no minimum balance on Primary, and you must sign up for First Citizens electronic statements within 60 days or the account converts to Select. The first statement period of a new account routinely has the monthly service charge waived. That grace period is not the ongoing rule. After it, Primary is free only while you stay on electronic statements. If the account has already converted, asking for a refund of one month is a request. The words to use are on how to ask your bank to refund a fee. The line itself often reads as a service charge, explained on service charge or monthly maintenance fee.

Select, Premier, and Prestige

Select Checking is the account Primary converts into. The California and Massachusetts brochure prints a $50 minimum to open and a $12.00 monthly maintenance fee. You can avoid it if you maintain an average daily balance of $1,500 or more, or if you receive ACH direct deposits totaling $250 or more into that Select account. Per check, per electronic withdrawal, and per PIN transaction are printed as no charge on that account. The compare page's three column table does not list Select, because Select is the conversion account described in the disclosure. Use the brochure for the $12 figure.

Premier checking is $0 or $18 on the compare page, with a $100 minimum to open. The way to avoid the $18 is any one of these: a combined daily balance of $5,000 on the select accounts the page names (Together Card, Regular Savings, Online Savings, Tiered Money Market Savings, Premier Relationship Money Market Savings, CDs, IRAs, or an Investor Services Account), at least $4,000 in monthly ACH direct deposits, an EquityLine of at least $25,000, or a consumer loan with an original amount of $10,000 or more. The loan list is a new or used auto, light or heavy truck, boat, aircraft, unsecured personal loan, or a mortgage, and it excludes mortgages that First Citizens does not keep servicing. The brochure adds that if you have more than one Premier checking account, the balance in each Premier account is not counted in the combined balance that waives a different Premier account.

Prestige checking is $0 or $25 on the compare page, with a $100 minimum to open. Avoid the $25 with any one of these: a combined daily balance of $25,000 on any First Citizens deposit account in the same list, at least $6,500 in monthly ACH direct deposits, an EquityLine of at least $100,000, or a consumer loan with an original amount of $25,000 or more, with the same mortgage servicing exception. The brochure repeats those four tests and the same note about multiple Prestige accounts. Interest rates are blank in the brochure extract and are not quoted here. The brochure says you can ask for current rates at 1-888-323-4732.

Together Card, checks, and other fees

The compare page says the Together Card is its own deposit account. There is no monthly service charge for Prestige, Premier, and Premier Executive holders. It is $3 for Primary checking account holders. Otherwise an $8 monthly service charge applies. The brochure agrees: $8.00, not eligible for Basic Overdraft Service, waived if the primary holder also has Prestige or Premier, and $3.00 if the primary holder has Primary or Select. It also prints a $3 paper statement fee on the Together Card row. A paper statement charge is separate from the monthly maintenance fee. General paper statement notes are on paper statement fees.

Free checks on the compare page are for Premier on the first order, and for Prestige as unlimited exclusive designs. That is not a Primary benefit. The brochure says the check printing fee depends on the style, and counter checks are $1.00 each. Ordering paper is covered on cheque and check ordering fees. The same brochure prints an overdraft fee of $25.00 when an item is paid, and no charge when an item is returned unpaid, with no more than three of those fees a day and no fee on a transaction of $5.00 or less. That overdraft dollar is this brochure, for California and Massachusetts, not the national table on US overdraft fees by bank. An overdraft transfer from a linked First Citizens savings account or line of credit is printed as no charge, at most one per day.

Digital banking through firstcitizens.com and the mobile app has no First Citizens download fee on the compare page. Your phone carrier can still charge for data. The bank can change the fee schedule. The brochure says so. Military and other named products were not the pages used for the dollars above. If your statement shows a different product name, open that product's disclosure before you assume the $12, $18, or $25 waiver applies. Everyday checking fees at other US banks are on monthly checking account fees by bank.

Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists bank fee lines it recognizes so you can see the date, the name, and the amount before you call. It does not call the bank, and it does not promise a refund. How to ask is on how to ask your bank to refund a fee.

Questions

How do I keep Primary Checking at $0?

Sign up for First Citizens paperless or electronic statements within 60 days of opening. If you do not, the account converts to Select Checking and Select fees apply.

How do I waive the $12 Select Checking fee?

The California and Massachusetts brochure says you avoid it with an average daily balance of $1,500 or more, or with ACH direct deposits totaling $250 or more. Confirm the brochure for your state.

Do these dollars apply in every state?

The fee brochure used here is labeled California and Massachusetts and is effective 19 September 2026. The compare page is national marketing. Another state can differ. Check your bank's current fee schedule.

Sources

• First Citizens compare checking, opened 17 October 2026
• First Citizens California and Massachusetts disclosure, effective 19 September 2026

Related guides

• US monthly checking fees by bank
• Service charge or monthly maintenance fee
• How to ask your bank to refund a fee