Checking how much your bank account actually costs sounds harder than it really is. All the information you need is already inside your bank's app on your phone. This guide walks you through exactly where to look for the account maintenance fee, the card fee, transfer fees, and ATM withdrawal fees. There's nothing to worry about — just looking at this information cannot break anything or cost you any money.
Step by step: how to find fees and charges in the app
- Pick up your phone and open your bank's app — usually a small icon with your bank's logo on your phone's home screen.
- Log in to the app using your fingerprint, face scan, or password, whichever you set up before.
- On the app's main screen, tap the name of your account to see its details.
- Look for a section called "Fees," "Charges," "Pricing," or "Product information" — this is where the bank lists all the costs.
- If you don't see that section on the account screen, open the menu — usually an icon of three horizontal lines (called a "hamburger menu") in the top left corner, or a gear-shaped icon for settings.
- In the menu, find and tap "Fee schedule" or "Documents" — sometimes this opens as a PDF, a document that looks like a scanned page of printed text.
- In the table, find the row "Account maintenance fee" — this is the amount the bank charges just for having the account, usually once a month.
- Find the row "Card fee" — this is the monthly cost of holding a payment card (the plastic card you use to pay in shops).
- Find the row "Transfer fee" — check whether domestic transfers in your local currency are free (in most banks, they are).
- Find the row "ATM withdrawal fee" and notice whether a different amount applies to your own bank's cash machines versus other banks' cash machines.
- Check whether any fee has a note like "0 if at least X is paid into the account each month" — that's a condition that removes the fee once you meet it.
- Take a screenshot (press the right buttons on your phone at the same time) of the most important amounts, so you always have them at hand.
What to do if something goes wrong
If you can't find the fee table, don't worry — it's not your fault, some apps hide it in different places. Use the chat feature inside the app (a speech-bubble icon) or call the number printed on the back of your payment card. That number is always safe, because it comes directly from your bank.
Watch out for scams. If someone calls claiming to be "from the bank," offering to "help you check your fees" or to "refund an overcharged fee," and then asks for your one-time SMS code (the single-use code your bank texts you) or your app password — hang up. A real bank never asks you to read out a code like that over the phone. If you're unsure, hang up and call back yourself using the number on the back of your card.
Summary — quick checklist
If you find out your current account is expensive, you can compare other offers in our ranking of the best personal accounts and see whether you'd pay less elsewhere.