Key takeaways
- Mobile banking alerts detect fraud faster than manual monitoring. The sooner you report unauthorized activity, the greater your chance of full reimbursement under federal law.
- Low balance alerts help you avoid overdraft fees, which average $26.77 per transaction in 2025, according to Bankrate’s checking account survey.
- Essential alerts to enable include: low balance, direct deposit, unusual activity, large purchases, and profile changes.
-
Watch out for scam alerts —your bank will never ask for personal information via text or email. When in doubt, call the number on your debit card directly.
Bank account alerts are one of the simplest ways to protect your money. With consumers losing an estimated $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024 (a 30% increase from 2023) real-time notifications give you a critical advantage: the ability to act before small problems become expensive ones.
Today’s mobile banking apps let you customize exactly what triggers an alert and how you receive it. Here’s how to set them up strategically.
What is the purpose of setting up alerts in a mobile banking app?
Setting up notifications in your bank’s mobile app offers several benefits. These alerts help you spot unauthorized access to your account or debit card immediately, prevent costly fees from overdrafts or low balances and track your spending in real time. By monitoring your balance and transactions automatically, mobile alerts make it easier to stay on top of your finances.
Types of online banking alerts
Most banks offer at least some alerts through their apps, which can be turned on or off as needed.
Here are nine online banking alerts to consider switching on.
1. Low balance alert
Low balance alerts let you know when your bank account balance drops to a predetermined amount, which could be a pre-selected or customizable amount.
Depending on the bank, these alerts can come in the form of an email, text message or push notification — or all three. A low balance alert could be helpful for consumers nervous about racking up overdraft fees.
Alerts could save you money
Overdraft fees are one of the biggest charges you can incur on an account. The average fee was $26.77 according to Bankrate’s most recent Checking Account Survey. By getting alerted when your account’s balance is running low, you can avoid overdrawing the account and getting hit with this fee, while also making better spending decisions.
2. Direct deposit alert
Direct deposit alerts can let you know when your paycheck hits your checking account, which can help in scheduling bill payments and budgeting. Many banks also offer similar alerts, such as when a deposited check clears your account.
3. Unusual account activity alert
Another alert to consider setting up is one that notifies you when there’s a change in your account status that’s unusual. For example, a large amount of money transferred out of the account all at once could be concerning if that’s something that rarely happens. Large, stand-alone transactions are a red flag for fraudulent activity.
By signing up for an unusual account activity alert, you’ll immediately be made aware of any suspicious activity associated with your checking, savings or money market accounts.
If your account gets hacked, alerts help you get your money back
Staying aware of account activity is important, particularly if there’s an incident of fraud. The sooner you report fraudulent activity, the greater your chances of getting reimbursed. If your debit card is stolen or an account number ending up in the wrong hands, you have to report the fraud within a certain timeframe to be able to get some (or all) of your money back.
In a world where we are being targeted regularly by fraudsters, we need all the help we can get in this war. Account alerts are one of the simplest, most powerful tools consumers can use to stay ahead of fraud. Whether it’s a charge you didn’t make or a low balance warning, real-time notifications give you a chance to act fast — before small issues become big headaches.
— Mark Hamrick, Bankrate senior economic analyst
4. Large purchase alert
Depending on the bank, there may be an option to set alerts for when a large amount of money is spent at one time. Mobile app users may be able to specify a threshold for what they consider a concerningly large purchase. If you usually don’t spend more than $100 on any purchase on a given day, for example, you could set an alert for any transactions that are over $100. The alert can help ensure the purchase doesn’t go unnoticed, and speed up the process of investigation and reimbursement if the purchase was unauthorized.
5. Large ATM withdrawal alert
Besides setting up a large purchase alert, consider opting for an alert when a big cash withdrawal takes place. That way, you’ll know instantly if money is taken from your account by someone else. Additionally, some banking apps may send alerts specifically when an account has exceeded the daily withdrawal limit. Withdrawals that exceed the limit could be a sign that someone else has access to your account. Otherwise, the alert will signal that you might be withdrawing too much cash at one time.
6. Debit card alert
Get notified for every purchase made with your debit card, or only for specific triggers like international transactions, online purchases, or declined transactions.
For those who are victims of bank fraud, it’s also worth checking your credit report for any unusual activity to ensure someone hasn’t opened a credit card in your name.
7. Profile change alert
Know immediately when someone changes your account details: password, email address, phone number, or mailing address. These changes often precede fraud attempts.
8. Upcoming payment alert (payment due alert)
Get reminded before scheduled or recurring payments hit your account. This helps you ensure you have sufficient funds and catches subscriptions you forgot to cancel.
9. Peer-to-peer transfer alert
If you regularly send or receive money through peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services like Zelle, Venmo or PayPal, enabling a P2P transfer alert can help you keep track of these transactions in real time. This type of alert notifies you when money has been sent from or received into your account, allowing you to confirm legitimate payments and quickly spot any unauthorized transfers.
Be aware of bank alert scams
Fraudsters know you trust alerts from your bank, which is exactly why they impersonate them.
Red flags that indicate a scam:
- The message asks for personal information (Social Security number, account number, PIN)
- You’re asked to click a link to “verify” your account
- The alert includes a phone number that isn’t your bank’s official number
- The message creates urgency (“Your account will be closed in 24 hours”)
What to do: Never respond to suspicious alerts directly. Instead, call your bank using the number on your debit card or their official website. Report suspected scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Your bank will never ask for your password, PIN, or full Social Security number via text or email. Ever.
How to set up banking alerts
The process varies slightly by bank, but generally follows these steps:
- Log into your mobile banking app and navigate to Settings (usually a gear icon)
- Find “Alerts” or “Notifications” in the menu
- Select which alerts you want and customize thresholds (like your low-balance amount)
- Choose delivery method: push notification, text, email, or all three
- Save your preferences
If you have trouble, call your bank’s customer service using the number on your debit card. Check out Bankrate’s article on the best mobile banking features to learn more.
Frequently asked questions
Why we ask for feedback
Your feedback helps us improve our content and services. It takes less than a minute to
complete.
Your responses are anonymous and will only be used for improving our website.
Help us improve our content
Read the full article here
