Banks charge fees for some transactions. But that is not always legal. What fees can banks charge? And which ones don't?
Hamm - Most bank customers understand that there are fees when using credit cards abroad. However, banks also charge some fees for checking accounts, even though they are not allowed to do so. The Federal Court of Justice ruled in April 2021 that banks are not allowed to formulate contractual adjustment clauses within the general terms and conditions so openly. The resulting contractual changes as well as the price increases in bank fees are therefore inadmissible and can be reclaimed,
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Your bank is not allowed to charge these fees for your checking account
Anyone who has had to pay fees for their current account in the past, for example for deposits or return direct debits, has probably fallen into a clause from their own bank regarding contract adjustments. But the Federal Court of Justice declared this inadmissible in 2021. This judgment results in a list of fees and charges that you do not have to pay:
Fees for deposits and withdrawals into your own account
Fee for subsequently created account statements, compulsory account statements or receipt of account statements
Fee in the event of card loss or card blocking
Fee for maintaining a loan account
Fee for the seizure of the account
Fee for return debits
Costs for copies and telephone calls
Costs for third party information
Fee for overdraft processing
Research fee for transfers
Costs for processing complaints
Reminder costs
Costs for account or loan termination or account closure
Retention of card fee despite early termination of the contract
Fee for processing inheritance cases
Commission when receiving money from abroad
Custody fee
Permissible fees for checking accounts
However, there are also fees that are permitted and can therefore be charged by your bank. The list of permitted bank fees is considerably shorter than that of prohibited fees:
Account information fees
Fees for returned checks
Fees for using the credit card abroad
Costs for cash deposits and withdrawals at the counter
Fees for the encashment of direct debits, checks, standing orders and transfers that are refused by your own bank
Reimbursement from the issuer to the recipient of an unredeemed direct debit authorization
This is how you can get your money back
If you have had to pay one of the fees listed above in the past, you can retroactively request a refund of the inadmissible fees. However, you have to calculate the amount the bank owes you yourself. This is to prove that you are entitled to a refund.
The right to repayment generally expires after three years at the end of the year. For example, account fees from 2021 can still be reclaimed until December 31, 2024. If the bank refuses to repay, you have the option of taking advantage of the offer of an arbitration board or an ombudsman.
Anyone who has a checking account usually also has a checking card. Millions of Girocard holders could be affected by a change in 2024.