In an era of instant payments and online banking, it’s easy for a transaction or two to slip through the cracks. In fact, nearly half of Americans say they’ve overdrawn their accounts at least once, and often by surprise.(1) Setting up custom banking alerts can help you stay on top of your balance, catch fraud fast and avoid the costly fees before they hit your account.
A mobile banking alert is a real-time notification from your bank that helps you keep tabs on your account activity.
You can receive alerts by text message, email or push notification through your bank’s app. These alerts can notify you when a specific condition is met, such as when a transaction posts, your balance drops below a set amount or when your paycheck arrives.
Many fraud-related alerts are automatic to help catch suspicious activity quickly. In contrast, others, such as balance or spending alerts, typically need to be turned on manually in your account settings.
While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of banking alerts, a few stand out as genuinely useful for keeping your finances on track. These four alerts can strike that balance between staying informed and avoiding notification overload.
Low balance alerts are among the most practical as they help you avoid overdraft fees and ensure you have enough to cover upcoming bills.
They work by notifying you when your account balance falls below a certain threshold. Sometimes you can designate this threshold; other times, banks designate it for you.
Fraud alerts are as helpful as they are essential for protecting your accounts from unauthorized transactions and identity theft.
Typically, these alerts happen when you have activity that seems out of your norm. These can be transactions made in different locations (states or countries) or large dollar amounts that are outside your typical spending patterns. They also may pop up if you choose to spend money with a popular vendor, website or business that has lots of fraud reported (such as Cash App or Walmart).
Transaction alerts can be valuable, especially if you share an account with someone or want to track spending in real time. Just like with low balance alerts, these alerts are usually threshold-based and can also be designated by certain criteria.
You can typically set them up for both withdrawals and deposits. Setting them up for withdrawals allows you to be notified when you spend money, while setting them up for deposits notifies you when you get paid or receive money.
Lastly, failed login attempts and password changes can help keep your account secure and reduce the possibility of account takeover. They are sometimes automatic depending on the bank app, but these alerts are essential for protecting your assets.
Here are some top banks that offer robust alert features. Each lets you choose how you’d like notifications delivered (email, text or push).
Narrow down top checking accounts by monthly fees, APYs and perks. Tick the Compare box to see multiple accounts side by side.
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How we picked theseThe Finder Score crunches over 300 checking accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, overdraft fees, opening deposit, customer support options, ATM network and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10.
To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of checking accounts against what we consider is the best option: no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, a large ATM network of 50,000 or more, additional features outside of typical banking services, and the optional perk of earning interest. Accounts that are nearly free to maintain and use are scored the highest, while accounts with costly fees and few features are scored the lowest.
Most banks let you manage alerts right in their app or online account. Simply:
That’s it! Your bank will now send real-time updates based on your settings.
Yes, mobile banking alerts are free through most banks. However, if you choose to receive alerts by text message (SMS), your mobile carrier’s standard messaging rates may apply. To avoid any fees, you can usually opt to get alerts through email or in-app push notifications instead.
Banking alerts are a simple but powerful way to stay on top of your money. While most banks offer dozens of alerts, having too many can be overwhelming.
Low balance alerts, fraud alerts, transaction alerts and login attempts are amongst the most useful in our opinion. They help you avoid overdraft fees, spot suspicious activity early, keep your spending in check and keep your account secure — without constantly logging into your account.
If you’re looking for a bank or app with strong alert features and easy money management tools, check out the best banking apps and best checking accounts.
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