Wintrust overdraft fee
Wintrust's own notice says that on 1 March 2023 it stopped charging consumer accounts an overdraft fee when it pays an item, and it stopped charging a fee when it returns an item. An April 2026 Wintrust article still says those overdraft fees were eliminated for consumer deposit accounts. Money Smart Checking says a negative balance is not charged an overdraft fee. The wider list is US overdraft fees by bank. Every overdraft guide is on overdraft fee guides. A yearly total from numbers you type is on the bank fee calculator. It does not look up this institution.
Last updated: October 24, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
What Wintrust prints
Opened 24 October 2026. Wintrust's 1 March 2023 notice says consumer deposit accounts no longer have an overdraft fee for a paid item, and no longer have a fee for a returned item. It also says the bank no longer approves ATM and card purchases that would make the balance negative at the moment of approval. The notice says business accounts were not part of that change. It does not print a current dollar amount for business accounts.
The April 2026 article still lists eliminating overdraft fees for consumer deposit accounts. Its note says Wintrust may decline or return a transaction when the account does not have enough money. Money Smart Checking says there is no overdraft fee, including when a charge such as a tip posts for more than the amount that was approved and the balance goes negative. That account needs $10 to open and has no maintenance fee.
A charge that still appears on a consumer statement is worth asking about, because the notice says these fees ended. The US list is US bank fee guides.
The line on your own statement is the one that counts. Upload it on the upload page. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists the lines. It does not call the institution.
| Line | What Wintrust prints |
|---|---|
| Consumer overdraft fee | Ended 1 March 2023 |
| Consumer returned item fee | Ended 1 March 2023 |
| ATM or card purchase that would go negative when approved | Not approved |
| Money Smart Checking, negative balance | No overdraft fee |
| Money Smart Checking to open | $10 |
| Business accounts | Not included in the 2023 change |
How to avoid a problem even with no fee
There is no consumer overdraft fee to waive under the notice that is still on Wintrust's site. A returned payment can still cause a late fee from the company you were paying, and a declined card still fails at the store. Keep enough money for those payments.
If a consumer statement shows an overdraft fee after 1 March 2023, ask the bank to remove it and point at this notice. Business accounts are a different case. The notice does not print the current business fee, so use the fee schedule the bank gave that account.
Questions
- Does Wintrust still charge a consumer overdraft fee?
- The notice on Wintrust's site says the consumer overdraft fee and the consumer returned item fee ended on 1 March 2023. An April 2026 article still says consumer overdraft fees were eliminated.
- What if a Wintrust purchase is approved and then the balance goes negative?
- Money Smart Checking says a charge that posts for more than the approved amount, such as a tip, can leave a negative balance, and that negative balance is not charged an overdraft fee.
- Did Wintrust end overdraft fees on business accounts too?
- No. The 1 March 2023 notice says business accounts stayed on the previous fees. That page does not print the current business amount.