# "There were 7.1 overdraft incidents per checking account on average last year" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216 "2014-04-03T01:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elninost0rm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@elninost0rm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elninost0rm)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/41 "2014-04-04T18:24:19Z")
Am I missing something here? Why so much hate on overdraft protection? My credit union offers me to overdraft directly to my credit card without any penalty. I assume that’s different than overdraft protection? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/42 "2014-04-04T19:00:43Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I know people who deliberately write checks they can’t cover \*every month. \* I’m considered quite the asshole for not giving money to cover this. Which is illegal (what they do is, not you) in many places, often covered under fraud. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/43 "2014-04-04T19:06:23Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever bounced a check but I had an overdraft recently. I write about 4 checks a year. I wrote my brother-in-law a check for $650 back in February and assumed that he cashed it within a week or so. My checking account is stable enough that I don’t balance it; I just rely on regular emails that notify me of my account transactions. Everything went fine until the end of March when I had just splurged on a decent motorcycle helmet, and my BIL decides to finally get around to cashing the check. Overdraft. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/44 "2014-04-04T19:11:00Z")
> [@nate](#): > > On average, I overdraft a few times a week so maybe I’m skewing the results. I haven’t wrote a check in years and have never bounced one, but I tend to overdraft my checking account quite often with my debit card. The bank automatically transfers the needed amount from my savings to my checking and charges a $3 fee. If I ever need to pinch pennys I’ll probably be more careful about that. Consider that if you do this just twice a week, you’re wasting $300 in fees every year. If your savings can cover the overdrafts, why not just keep a bigger buffer in your checking account? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/45 "2014-04-04T19:41:53Z")
> [@elninost0rm](#): > > Am I missing something here? Why so much hate on overdraft protection? > > My credit union offers me to overdraft directly to my credit card without any penalty. I assume that’s different than overdraft protection? Correct. Credit unions don’t seem to make a fuss about it. Banks on the other hand will either not do it if you’re not enrolled (your check will bounce/card declined)…and I think will charge you. Or if you are enrolled, happily do the transfer and then charge you for having done it. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/46 "2014-04-04T19:56:48Z")
Mistakes happen, it happens to a lot of folks, that we misjudge the amount of money in our checking account. There is a big difference between someone who accidently “bounces” a few checks, for a relatively low amount, and who can transfer money into his/her checking account immediately vs. an individual who goes around writing “bad” checks on purpose for large purchases when he/she knows that there are no funds available. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216/47 "2014-04-04T23:18:52Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Which is illegal (what they do is, not you) in many places, often covered under fraud. Yes, I am well aware of that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-were-7-1-overdraft-incidents-per-checking-account-on-average-last-year/685216.md?page=2)