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Frequently Asked Questions

Overdraft Fee FAQ's

Please refer to our Fee Schedule/Sheet and Overdraft Policy Disclosure for more information on Overdrafts. Both of these documents are available online at www.firsttechfed.com, at one of our branches, or by contacting our Contact Center at 855.855.8805.
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An overdraft happens when you spend more than what’s available in your account—but we cover the transaction anyway.
If your available balance isn’t enough to cover a transaction at the time it’s processed, and we authorize or pay it, that’s considered an overdraft. This can happen with debit card purchases, checks, or automatic payments.

At First Tech, we offer overdraft protection options to help you avoid declined transactions and unexpected fees. We’re committed to helping you manage your money responsibly and avoid unnecessary costs.

Tips to avoid overdraft fees

  • Set up account alerts to track your balance
  • Link a backup account for overdraft protection
  • Use our mobile app to monitor spending in real time
  • Enroll in direct deposit for timely access to funds

Helpful Resources

A returned or rejected item means a transaction couldn’t be completed because your available balance wasn’t enough—and we didn’t authorize or pay it.
When a transaction (like a check, debit card payment, or automatic withdrawal) is presented to your account and your available balance doesn’t cover it, we may decline or return the item unpaid. This is different from an overdraft, where we authorize the transaction and cover the shortfall.

Returned or rejected items may result in fees from First Tech or the merchant, and can impact your financial standing. We’re here to help you avoid these situations and manage your money with confidence.

Tips to avoid returned items

  • Set up account alerts to monitor your balance
  • Use overdraft protection to cover shortfalls
  • Track upcoming payments with our mobile app
  • Maintain a buffer in your account for unexpected expenses

Helpful Resources

We believe in transparency and helping you avoid unnecessary fees.  At First Tech, we offer tools and protections to help you manage your account responsibly. Here's a breakdown of when fees may apply if your account doesn't have enough available funds to cover a transaction:

Check, ACH, POS (Recurring)

Paid

Overdraft Fee charged per item if your available balance is insufficient at the time of authorization.

Check, ACH

Rejected

No fee charged if the item is returned unpaid due to insufficient funds.

ATM Withdrawals, POS (Everyday)

Rejected or Paid (in limited cases)

No Overdraft Fee charged.

Overdraft Protection Transfers (from linked savings or credit line)

Paid

No Overdraft Fee charged. Finance charges may apply for credit line transfers.

Important Notes:

  • Overdraft protection transfers occur at the end of our daily processing cycle.
  • If your linked account doesn’t have enough funds to cover the overdraft, standard overdraft fees may apply.
  • Credit line transfers are subject to finance charges as outlined in your loan agreement.

Tips to avoid overdraft and returned item fees

  • Set up account alerts to monitor your balance
  • Link a savings or credit line for overdraft protection
  • Use our mobile app to track spending in real time
  • Maintain a buffer in your account for unexpected expenses

Helpful Resources

We understand that overdrafts can happen—and we’re here to help you manage them responsibly.
At First Tech, we offer two services to help cover transactions when your account doesn’t have enough available funds:

Overdraft Protection

Link a savings account or credit line to your checking account. If your balance is too low to cover a transaction, funds will automatically transfer from the linked account to cover the difference.

  • No overdraft fee is charged for these transfers
  • Credit line transfers may be subject to finance charges as outlined in your loan agreement
  • Available for most transaction types (excluding ATM withdrawals)

Discretionary Overdraft

In certain cases, we may choose to pay a transaction even if your account doesn’t have enough funds. This is done at our discretion and is not guaranteed.

  • Overdraft fees may apply for each item paid
  • Applies to checks, ACH payments, and recurring debit transactions
  • Everyday debit and ATM transactions are not covered unless you opt in

Tips to avoid overdraft fees

  • Set up account alerts to monitor your balance
  • Use our mobile app to track spending in real time
  • Maintain a buffer in your account for unexpected expenses
  • Link a backup account for overdraft protection

Helpful Resources 

We’re here to help you stay in control of your finances.
Overdrafts can happen—but with the right tools and habits, you can avoid fees and keep your account on track. Here are some smart ways to prevent overdrafts and returned payments:

Monitor your balance regularly

  • Use Online Banking, the First Tech mobile app, or telephone banking to check your available balance anytime.

Set up low balance alerts

  • Activate email or mobile alerts in Online Banking to get notified when your balance drops below a set amount.

Transfer funds from other accounts

  • Move money from external accounts to your First Tech account to cover upcoming transactions.

Enroll in Overdraft Protection

  • Link a Share Savings account or Line of Credit to your checking account.
  • If your balance is too low, funds will automatically transfer to cover the transaction.
  • This option typically costs less and may have lower fees than standard overdraft coverage.

 

Helpful Resources

Overdraft Protection helps you avoid declined transactions and overdraft fees by linking backup accounts to your checking account.
If your checking account doesn’t have enough funds to cover a transaction, Overdraft Protection automatically transfers money from a linked account to cover the shortfall. This service is available upon request and can include:

  • Share Savings Account
  • Line of Credit (LOC)
  • Credit Card Account (subject to approval)

Once linked, funds will transfer at the end of our daily processing cycle to cover any overdrafts. This can help you avoid returned items, declined transactions, and overdraft fees.

Note: Transfers from a Line of Credit may be subject to finance charges as outlined in your loan agreement.

Benefits of Overdraft Protection

  • Avoid overdraft fees and returned payments
  • Maintain your financial reputation with merchants
  • Reduce stress and improve account management
  • Access flexible coverage options tailored to your needs

 

Helpful Resources

At First Tech, we’re committed to helping you manage your money with confidence and clarity. That’s why we offer Overdraft Protection—a smart way to avoid costly fees when your account balance falls short.

Cost Overview

  • Overdraft Protection Transfers:
    • From savings or line of credit: No fee for consumer accounts 

    • Transfers are only made if sufficient funds are available.
  • Discretionary Overdraft Service:
    • If Overdraft Protection isn’t available, we may cover the transaction using our Discretionary Overdraft service.
    • Fee: $33 per item 

    • We cap fees at five per day, and no fee is charged for overdrafts under $5 

  • Credit Line Transfers:

How We Help You Avoid Fees

  • We always try to use Overdraft Protection first—if you’re enrolled and funds are available.
  • We don’t charge overdraft fees for everyday debit card purchases or ATM withdrawals 
  • You can monitor your balance anytime via online banking, mobile app, or by visiting a branch.

Tips to Stay in Control

  • Set up alerts for low balances.
  • Link a savings account or line of credit for automatic coverage.
  • Track your available balance, not just your current balance—pending transactions matter.

 

Helpful Resources

At First Tech, we know life happens—and sometimes your account balance doesn’t match your plans. That’s why we offer Overdraft Protection, designed to help you avoid declined transactions and costly fees, while keeping your finances on track.

How It Works

If your checking account doesn’t have enough funds to cover a transaction, we’ll automatically transfer money from a linked account—like a savings account or line of credit—to cover the difference.

  • Transfers from a savings account
    • Made in $100 increments
    • If less than $100 is available, we’ll transfer just enough to cover the overdraft
  • Transfers from a line of credit

Transfers happen at the end of our daily processing cycle, and they help cover:

  • Debit card purchases
  • Bill payments
  • Checks
  • ACH transactions

If your linked accounts don’t have enough funds to cover the full amount, the transaction may still go through—but you could be charged a Discretionary Overdraft fee.

Avoiding Overdraft Fees

We’re here to help you stay ahead of your balance:

  • Enroll in Overdraft Protection and link a savings or credit account
  • Set up account alerts for low balances
  • Track your available balance, not just your current balance—pending transactions count!

 

Helpful Resources

At First Tech, we want to help you stay in control of your finances—even when life throws a curveball. That’s why we offer flexible Overdraft Protection options to help you avoid declined transactions and unnecessary fees.

Eligible Accounts for Overdraft Protection

You can link the following accounts to your checking account for Overdraft Protection:

  • Savings Accounts
    A simple way to cover overdrafts using your own funds.
  • Lines of Credit
    Offers coverage with added flexibility. Subject to credit approval and may include interest or fees. See your Disclosure for details.
  • Credit Card Accounts
    Another option for coverage, also subject to eligibility and credit approval.

Important: The linked account must have common ownership with your checking account. This means both accounts must be held by the same member.

Why Link an Account?

  • Avoid costly Discretionary Overdraft fees
  • Ensure your transactions go through—even when your balance is low
  • Gain peace of mind with automatic coverage

Helpful Resources

Yes! At First Tech, we make it easy to manage your money across accounts. You can link a single Overdraft Protection source—such as a savings account, line of credit, or credit card—to cover multiple checking accounts.

What You Need to Know

  • Eligible sources include:
    • Savings accounts
    • Lines of credit (subject to credit approval)
    • Credit card accounts (subject to credit approval)
  • Ownership requirement:
    The Overdraft Protection source must be owned by the same member as the checking accounts it supports. This ensures secure and compliant transfers.

Why It’s Helpful

  • Simplifies your account setup
  • Reduces the risk of overdraft fees across multiple accounts
  • Gives you peace of mind with automatic coverage

Helpful Resources

Yes! At First Tech, we understand that flexibility matters when managing your money. If you’ve linked more than one account for Overdraft Protection, we’ll automatically pull funds from your designated sources—in the order you’ve selected—to help cover your transaction.

How It Works

  • You can link multiple accounts to your checking for Overdraft Protection:
    • Savings accounts
    • Lines of credit (subject to credit approval)
    • Credit card accounts (subject to credit approval)
  • If your primary source doesn’t have enough funds, we’ll move to the next linked account and continue until the overdraft is covered—or all available sources are exhausted.
  • Transfers are made at the end of our daily processing cycle, helping prevent declined transactions and returned payments.

Tip: You can update your transfer order anytime to prioritize the account that works best for you.

Why It’s Helpful

  • Reduces the risk of overdraft fees
  • Ensures your transactions go through smoothly
  • Gives you more control over how your money moves

Helpful Resources

Absolutely! At First Tech, we believe in giving you control over your finances. If you’ve linked multiple accounts for Overdraft Protection, you can set or change the order in which they’re used—anytime.

How It Works

  • You can link more than one account to your checking for Overdraft Protection:
    • Savings accounts
    • Lines of credit (subject to credit approval)
    • Credit card accounts (subject to credit approval)
  • You decide the priority order for these accounts. If your first choice doesn’t have enough funds, we’ll move to the next one in line.
  • Changes to your Overdraft Protection order can be made by contacting us or visiting a branch.

Tip: Review your account setup regularly to make sure your preferred source is listed first.

Why It Matters

  • Helps you avoid unnecessary fees
  • Ensures your transactions are covered using your preferred funding source
  • Gives you flexibility and peace of mind

Helpful Resources

Enrolling in Overdraft Protection at First Tech is simple—and it’s a smart way to help avoid declined transactions and unexpected fees. You can check your current settings or make changes anytime.

Ways to Enroll or Update Your Preferences

You can manage your Overdraft Protection in the way that works best for you:

  • Online:
    Log in to Digital Banking and go to the Overdraft Services section.
  • By Phone:
    Call us and a team member will be happy to assist.
  • In Person:
    Visit your local First Tech branch for personalized support.

Tip: You can also set the order of your linked accounts to prioritize which source is used first.

Why Enroll?

  • Avoid costly Discretionary Overdraft fees
  • Ensure your transactions go through—even when your balance is low
  • Gain peace of mind with automatic coverage

Helpful Resources

Discretionary Overdraft is a service we may offer to help cover transactions when your checking account doesn’t have enough funds. It’s designed to provide peace of mind—but it’s important to understand how it works and when fees may apply.

How It Works

Once your account has been open for at least 60 days, we may—at our discretion—cover certain transactions that would otherwise be declined due to insufficient funds. This includes:

  • Checks
  • ACH payments
  • Recurring debit card transactions

We do not authorize or pay overdrafts for:

  • ATM withdrawals
  • Everyday debit card purchases

Note: Accounts with a primary account holder under 18 years of age are not eligible for this service.

Fees and Transparency

If we cover a transaction using Discretionary Overdraft, you’ll be charged an Overdraft Fee. For current fee details, please refer to our:

Tips to Avoid Overdraft Fees

  • Enroll in Overdraft Protection to link a savings account or line of credit
  • Set up account alerts for low balances
  • Track your available balance, not just your current balance—pending transactions count!

Helpful Resources

Discretionary Overdraft is a service we may offer to help cover transactions when your checking account doesn’t have enough funds. It’s designed to provide flexibility—but it’s important to understand that it’s not guaranteed.

What We Consider

When deciding whether to cover an overdraft, we look at several factors, including:

  • The amount of the transaction
  • Your history of regular deposits
  • The frequency of past overdrafts
  • Your overall ability to repay the overdraft

Even if we’ve covered overdrafts before, we’re not obligated to do so again. Each decision is made on a case-by-case basis.

Your Responsibility

If we cover a transaction using Discretionary Overdraft:

  • You’ll be charged an Overdraft Fee (see Fee Schedule)
  • You must repay the overdraft and any fees promptly
  • You cannot defer payment—you’re responsible for bringing your account back to a positive balance

Note: This service is discretionary, and we reserve the right to decline coverage at any time.

Tips to Avoid Overdraft Fees

  • Enroll in Overdraft Protection to link a savings account or line of credit
  • Set up account alerts for low balances
  • Track your available balance, not just your current balance—pending transactions count!

Helpful Resources

Discretionary Overdraft is designed to help cover certain transactions when your checking account doesn’t have enough funds. Once your account has been open for at least 60 days, we may—at our discretion—cover specific types of transactions to help prevent declined payments and returned items.

Transactions We May Cover

If eligible, we may pay the following types of transactions:

  • Checks
  • ACH payments (e.g., direct debits or bill payments)
  • Recurring debit card transactions
    (e.g., monthly subscriptions like gym memberships)

Transactions We Do Not Cover

We do not authorize or pay overdrafts for:

  • ATM withdrawals
  • Everyday debit card purchases
    These are typically declined at the time of the transaction.

Note: In rare cases, we may approve a transaction without charging a fee. If you’ve submitted a Stop Payment request, we will reject or return those items when possible. For more details, see the Stop Payment section of our Membership and Account Agreement.

Helpful Resources

You’re in control. If you prefer not to have transactions covered by our Discretionary Overdraft service, you can opt out at any time.

How to Opt Out

You can request to opt out through any of the following channels:

Note: If you opt out, transactions that would normally be covered may be declined or returned unpaid, which could result in merchant fees or other third-party charges.

Important Considerations

  • You’ll still be responsible for any overdrawn balances that exist at the time of your opt-out request.
  • Opting out helps avoid overdraft fees, but it may also mean certain payments won’t go through if your balance is too low.

Tips to Stay Ahead

  • Enroll in Overdraft Protection to link a savings account or line of credit
  • Set up account alerts for low balances
  • Track your available balance, especially before making large purchases

Helpful Resources

Your Available Balance is the amount of money in your account that’s ready for you to use right now. It reflects your true spending power—taking into account any pending transactions or holds.

What’s Included in Your Available Balance

  • Pending debit card purchases that have been authorized but not yet posted
  • Holds on deposits, such as checks that haven’t cleared
  • Other account holds, like uncollected or unavailable funds

These items temporarily reduce your Available Balance, even if they haven’t officially posted to your account yet.

Tip: Always check your Available Balance—not just your Current Balance—before making purchases or payments. This helps avoid overdrafts and unexpected fees.

Why It Matters

Your Available Balance is what we use to determine whether you have enough funds to cover a transaction. If your Available Balance is too low, your transaction may be declined or result in an overdraft.

Helpful Resources

Your Current Balance is the total amount of money in your account based on transactions that have already posted. It includes the full value of deposits—even if some of those funds are still on hold.

What’s Included in Your Current Balance

  • Posted deposits (even if part of the deposit is not yet available)
  • Completed withdrawals and payments
  • Posted fees and charges

What’s Not Included

Your Current Balance does not reflect:

  • Pending debit card purchases
  • Checks you’ve written but haven’t cleared
  • Holds on deposits or other funds
  • Authorized transactions that haven’t posted yet

Important: Your Current Balance may look like you have more money than you can actually spend. Always check your Available Balance before making purchases to avoid overdrafts and fees.

Helpful Resources

You can check your Available Balance and Current Balance anytime—wherever it’s most convenient for you.

Ways to Access Your Balance

  • Online Banking
    Log in to     Digital Banking to view your balances in real time.
  • Mobile App
    Check your balances on the go with the First Tech app.
  • ATM
    View your balances during any ATM transaction.
  • By Phone
    Call us at 855.855.8805 to hear your balance or speak with a representative.
  • In Person
    Visit your local     First Tech branch for personalized assistance.

Tip: Your Available Balance reflects what you can spend right now, while your Current Balance shows posted transactions only. Always check your Available Balance before making purchases to avoid overdraft fees.

Helpful Resources

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