Overdraft Protection

Overdraft Transfers
If you write a check, authorize a payment, withdraw cash at an ATM, or use your debit card to make a purchase when there are not enough available funds¹ in your checking account, SAFE can transfer or advance available funds or credit from your designated Overdraft Protection source, such as a SAFE Savings or SAFE Money Market Account or signing up for overdraft protection advances from an eligible SAFE open-end credit plan. There is no fee for overdraft transfers.

To set up one or more sources for Overdraft Protection during business hours, or call a helpful SAFE representative at (916) 979-7233 or (800) SEE-SAFE.

Courtesy Pay
SAFE members in good standing are automatically enrolled in Courtesy Pay for personal checking account overdrafts caused by checks, automatic bill payments, online banking and mobile banking payments, and recurring payments initiated using your debit card number. If you opt in, you will also be enrolled in Courtesy Pay for ATM and everyday debit card transactions, which may help you avoid the hassle of declined transactions due to insufficient funds.

The maximum Courtesy Pay transaction fee per day ranges from $2 to $30 and:

• Will only be applied if and when you use the service.
• Will only be charged once per day when you use the service.
• Is waived if you bring your balance positive before the end of the day.

Additionally, you can set up and manage account alerts to notify you of low balances, large withdrawals, and more.

Members with smaller overdraft balances may benefit from lower fees. There is a maximum of one (1) fee per day when we pay an overdraft transaction based on the ledger balance in your checking account at the end of the day as shown below:

Your ledger balance equals all funds on deposit in your checking account, including funds subject to holds such as non-cash deposits or debit card merchant transaction holds.

If you opt into Courtesy Pay for ATM and everyday debit card transactions, no fee will be assessed if your available balance is sufficient to pay the transaction when it is presented to us, even if your end-of-day ledger balance is negative. Below are examples of how Courtesy Pay fees work on ATM and everyday debit card transactions:

Your available balance equals all funds available for withdrawal in your checking account and excludes funds subject to hold such as non-cash deposits or merchant transaction holds.

You can enroll in the optional Courtesy Pay service for ATM and debit card transactions by calling SAFE’s Contact Center at (800) SEE-SAFE or (916) 979-7233 or through live chat at safecu.org.

You can also print and mail in the Overdraft Service Options form to the following address: SAFE Credit Union, 2295 Iron Point Road, Suite 100, Folsom CA 95630-8765.

Finally, to opt into Courtesy Pay service for ATM and everyday debit card transactions during business hours, or call a helpful SAFE representative at (916) 979-7233 or (800) SEE-SAFE.

End-of-day balance is your account balance after the branch closes for the business day, or generally at 6 p.m. PT each calendar day, and after transactions including direct deposits, Bill Pay items, checks, and Automated Clearing House (ACH) items post to your account. You can generally avoid a Courtesy Pay fee by making a sufficient deposit before 6 p.m. PT. Be sure to deposit enough funds to cover your debit card transactions, Bill Pay items, checks and ACH items that may clear that day. Unless you have Overdraft Protection with funds or credit available, whether your overdrafts will be paid is discretionary, and we reserve the right not to pay items that may overdraw your account. Courtesy Pay will generally not be available if the checking account has been open fewer than 30 days, the checking account does not receive regular deposits, if any owner of the checking account is in default on any obligation to SAFE, if in SAFE’s judgment you have initiated too many transactions against insufficient funds, if there are legal orders pending against any SAFE account of yours, if payment of the transaction would cause your negative balance to exceed any limit we set internally, or if the transaction is an ATM or everyday debit card transaction and you have not opted into Courtesy Pay for those transaction types. Any negative balance must be paid within 30 days to avoid account restrictions. You may opt out of Courtesy Pay through chat now, by contacting SAFE's Contact Center at (916) 979-7233 or (800) SEE-SAFE, by visiting any SAFE branch, or mailing your written revocation to SAFE Credit Union, 2295 Iron Point Road, Suite 100, Folsom CA 95630-8765.

1 Refer to the SAFE Member Handbook for explanations of ledger balance and available balance.