An NSF fee is simply a fee you pay your bank each time you overdraw your account with a debit card, credit card, or check. NSF fees these days at major banks are $30-$35 per instance. And, the way most overdraft protection programs are set up, you can receive such a fee multiple times in a single day, resulting in $100 or more in charges.

The best thing you can do is avoid putting yourself in a situation where you might be charged this type of fee. After all, at least in theory, it should be pretty simple: just don’t make any charges or write any checks when your checking account balance doesn’t cover it.

However, as with most things in life, there is a considerable gap between theory and reality. In practice, on a day-to-day basis, there are a number of things that make it a challenge to always keep the proper tabs on your checking account balance. For example, the way many online bank statements display your balance information, it’s not always clear which checks or charges have processed and which have not. Which means that if you really want to calculate your balance, you have to sit there with a calculator to do it every morning before you go shopping.

And don’t rely on your debit card being declined at register as a surefire way to make sure you don’t overdraw your account. That’s because, with most overdraft protection programs, they’re set up to accept a debit card charge through a merchant, even when your balance doesn’t cover the charge! This will result in an automatic NSF fee.

If you’ve recently had this type of fee applied to your account, you’ll want to learn how to write an effective NSF bank fee apology letter in hopes of getting a refund. Here are 5 steps to request a refund by letter:

1. Get the facts straight:

Anytime you make a factual case for something, it’s a good idea to get the facts straight ahead of time. Review your bank statement on the day of the NSF transaction and note details such as merchant name, transaction details, before and after bank balance, and transaction amount.

2. Get a story about what happened:

Of course you will have to be honest, but put it in a story or narrative form of how this happened. You want to make sure it doesn’t sound like an excuse, but just an explanation.

3. Get into a calm state of mind:

The way you feel about writing a letter will be reflected in your choice of words and syntax. Be sure to put yourself in a relaxed, non-confrontational state of mind before putting pen to paper.

4. Write a well-punctuated and grammatically correct letter:

Of course, presentation in these matters is important. Make sure your letter is well written and be sure to check grammar and punctuation.

5. Send it and wait for the result:

Make sure that at the close of your letter you actually ask for a refund; don’t just apologize and leave it at that. Then send your letter and wait for a response.

If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll likely get a refund for your NSF fee if it’s the only one you’ve had in the last year.

Important: Whether or not you can successfully get a refund, you should consider switching to one that doesn’t charge overdraft fees, even when you overdraw your account. These banks exist and are looking for customers like you, those who are sick of paying excessive overdraft fees.