<p>I just found out that I have $455 dollars in overdraft fees. (I get charged $35 for every purchase after my balance hits 0)</p>
<p>It’s like the credit card companies don’t even warn us when we’re approaching $0. And then when I overdraft, it doesn’t decline the transaction and I end up buying a $35 bottle of Mountain Dew. And then I do it again 3 hours later and they don’t bother saying that I bounced the check card till like 4 days later after I’ve made 15 unknowingly overdwarn purchases.</p>
<p>Does this constantly happen to anyone else?</p>
<p>Cody, welcome back to the crappy HSL, glad you’ve returned. I don’t own a credit card, but in any case, that’s pretty sad that you’re technically paying 35 bucks for a Mountain Dew. I learned in my Show Me The Money elective to not use a credit card for small purchases. :P</p>
<p>I have two credit cards and a check card. Back in the states, I almost always use my check card- I RARELY have more than $10 on me at a time. I get to build up points that way :). The key is- ALWAYS KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE. Really, it’s not that difficult. Check your account every single day and keep track of what you’ve spent money on. Keep a checkbook if you have to. Banks make their money off of things like this, so there is no way that they’re going to alert you (actually, I think Chase does- but that’s an exception). </p>
<p>As for my credit card, I use it to buy gas once in a while and then pay down the balance. My balance is currently about $400 because my parents used it to pay some things (wanna take a guess at whether or not they’re helping me pay down THEIR purchases? <em>grumble</em>) and I pay over the minimum every month. It is what it is.</p>
<p>Didn’t they recently just make a law against this, forcing banks to make you sign every time you want to overdraft? Is this just a Michigan thing?</p>