The Price of a Sneaky Balance Inquiry
Checking your bank account balance at a convenience store shouldn’t feel like a robbery, but for thousands of Bank of America customers, it literally cost them double.
The banking giant has officially agreed to shell out $2.25 million to put the brakes on a long-running class action lawsuit. The legal battle, which originally kicked off in a Southern California federal court back in 2019, alleged that the financial institution repeatedly breached its contract by hit-and-running customers with duplicate, hidden fees.
According to the lawsuit, customers using non-network ATMs operated by FCTI, Inc. inside 7-Eleven stores were slapped with two out-of-network fees for making a single, simple balance inquiry.
Are You on the Payout List?
While Bank of America has fiercely denied any wrongdoing, they chose to settle the case to avoid a lengthy and unpredictable trial. This creates a sweet opportunity for affected consumers to claim their slice of the million-dollar pie.
To see if you qualify under the Bank of America ATM fee settlement, verify your banking history against the following criteria:
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Account Type: You must have held a U.S. Bank of America checking account.
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Timeline: You were hit with more than one out-of-network balance inquiry fee during a single visit to a 7-Eleven FCTI ATM between May 1, 2018, and November 16, 2021.
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Exclusions: If you already received a payout from a similar, separate 2024 class-action case (Weiss v. FCTI, Inc.), you are unfortunately sitting this one out.
How to Claim Your Cash
The claim process is heavily dependent on your current banking status, so make sure you follow the correct path to avoid leaving money on the table.
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Current Account Holders: Good news—your part is entirely hands-free. If you received a formal legal notice via postcard or email, your proportional share of the cash will be distributed to your active account automatically following final court approval.
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Former Account Holders: If you have closed your account since 2021, you must be proactive. You are required to manually submit a valid claim form via the official portal (oonfeesettlement.com). Make sure to hit the submit button before the absolute deadline on July 29, 2026.
The exact payout per person is currently to-be-determined, as it depends entirely on how many valid claims are filed before the summer cutoff. A final court hearing to seal the deal and approve the payouts is locked in for August 21, 2026.
If you remember getting stung by an unexpected double fee during a late-night snack run, it is highly recommended to dig through your old statements and secure your refund before the window slams shut.
