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A woman smiles while looking down at her phone. To the right is a pop-up illustration of a BECU banking alert. The notification says, " $100.00 (ATM Transfer Credit From Sa...) was deposited into your XXXX * Checking Account."

7 Account Alerts You Should Set Up

Banking alerts are text, email and app notifications that let you know when something important happens in your account. You can set notifications to help you monitor account balances, receive fee notices and achieve your financial goals.

Lora Shinn
Contributor
Published Jun 23, 2025 in: Budgeting

Read time: 8 minutes

Takeaway: Account Alerts Can Help You Track Finances

These banking alerts, commonly offered by banks and credit unions, can help you save money on fees, protect yourself from scams and stay on top of payment due dates:

Exceeded Budget Alert
Debt Payment Reminder
Low Account Balance
Large Deposit
Large Expense / Withdrawal
Fee Charged
Debit Card Foreign Transaction

Online, text and mobile¹ alerts keep you informed about account information that matters to you — and can even improve your financial life and health. You can customize and personalize alert settings to receive the most important alerts for maintaining your budget, avoiding overdrafts and preventing fraud.

1. Exceeded Budget: Your Bank Account Balance Alert

This budget notification alert is typically tied to your financial institution's money-management or budgeting app. In BECU's online budgeting tool, Money Manager, you can categorize your spending and establish budget goals and spending limits.

Once set up, the Exceeded Budget alert will notify you when you've exceeded the amount of money identified for different budgets. For example, you'll receive an alert if a purchase exceeds your transportation, food or travel budget.

In response, you might change the budgeted amount in Money Manager or cut back on your spending for the rest of the month.

A hand holds a smartphone displaying BECU budget alerts for exceeded spending. In the background is the lobby of a BECU neighborhood financial center. — This alert helps you avoid overspending by notifying you when your balance drops below your set budget.

2. Large Deposit: Big Deposit Alert

This alert notifies you when funds of an amount you specify are credited to your account. The deposit might come from:

ATM check or cash deposits
Mobile phone check deposits
A tax refund
Your paycheck
A government check, such as a Social Security check
Overdraft transfers
Transfers from external accounts

You might be able to set the amount of money you consider a "large deposit" from $1 and up.

Setting up this alert can help you manage your spending. For example, you may want to limit your spending until you receive an expected deposit, or to let you know when you have enough money in your account to pay your bills.

You should immediately report an unfamiliar or strange deposit, as it may indicate suspicious activity or fraud.

A phone screen displays a BECU large deposit alert. In the background, a woman looks at her phone, suggesting she's reading the notification. — You'll receive a notification when a large deposit is made, so you're always aware of important incoming funds.

3. Low Balance: Account Balance Falls Alert

Balance alerts inform you when your account balance drops below a specific threshold or dollar amount. When your account balance falls below a predetermined dollar amount, this alert gives you a heads-up via email or text.

Once again, you can typically choose the account balance amount from $1 and up. However, be careful: If you set balance alerts too low, you may receive too many email or text alerts, which might make it easier to overlook them.

You can use the low-balance alert as a money-management tool to prevent overspending and remind yourself to transfer money into your account. This can help you avoid overdraft fees or returned checks.

Warning: According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, be very skeptical if someone calls or texts you and requests to transfer funds. You may not be able to recover money you transfer out of your account due to a scam.

A phone screen shows a BECU low balance alert. In the background, a man is filling his car with gas, suggesting financial strain. — Get notified when your balance falls below a certain amount to help prevent overdrafts and declined transactions.

4. Fee Charged: The Alert for Financial Fees

This alert will let you know if you're ever charged a fee in a financial account you're monitoring. Fees charged by various institutions might include:

Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) Fees
Wire transfer fees
Annual membership fee for credit cards (BECU does not charge this fee)
ATM fees for debit card use (BECU refunds up to $3 per month in ATM fees)

If a fee is charged that you don't recognize, contact the financial institution responsible for the fee. It may indicate unusual activity or that you misunderstand the rules of your account.

A close-up of a person's hands holding a smartphone displaying text messages about fee charges. Their lap is visible, suggesting they are seated and reading the alerts. — Avoid surprises by getting instant alerts when a fee is charged to your account.

5. Large Expense Charged: The Big Payment Alert

A large purchase alert can notify you when a payment goes through and if a significant, unapproved or unexpected payment occurs.

If you recognize a transaction but it's for the wrong amount, contact the merchant. If necessary, you can initiate a dispute. If you don't recognize the merchant's name, search online to ensure the business is valid. If you still don't recognize the merchant, report the transaction — possible fraud or identity theft may be occurring.

This alert is intended to notify you if a significant expense is charged or transferred from your checking, savings or credit card accounts you've connected in your bank's online money-management system. Once again, you can set the dollar amount you consider a "large expense."

A person wearing a dark business suit, sitting at a wood table, holds a smart phone in his his hands. His face is not visible. In the foreground, a phone screen shows a large-expense alert, with BECU logos. The message says: You have incurred 1 large expense. Large Expense: An amount larger than $100.00 was spent from your XXX *Member Advantage Checking account. $200.00. A teal button below the message says Log In To Account in white text. — Large expense alerts can help you keep track of automatic payments and transfers, and notify you of unexpected or unauthorized transactions.

6. Payment Reminder: An Upcoming Payment Due Alert

This alert will prompt you when a payment is due. You can set up separate alerts for different accounts, such as credit cards, mortgages, lines of credit, car loans and more.

Within your financial institution's money-management application, you can select the cards or accounts for which you want to turn on payment due dates and set the monthly payment date.

Remember to update this if your payment date changes. For example, if you change the date with the card issuer, you must also change the date in the alert system.

This alert will notify you that a transaction in another country was posted to your account. It's no problem if you're on vacation or visiting family abroad. If you aren't doing so, the alert can help prevent or quickly end potentially fraudulent activity by someone accessing one of your accounts.

Before traveling abroad, you may also be able to create a travel notification for your financial institution. (For BECU members, this is found in the Account Services tab of Online Banking.) You'll be asked to enter details such as:

State or country you're traveling to
Travel dates
Debit and credit cards you are traveling with
Phone numbers where your financial institution can reach you
Email address

Banking Alert FAQs

What Are Banking Alerts?

Mobile banking, email and text alerts typically inform you the same day an event occurs. The optional notifications cover everything from unusual activity to security alerts.

These alerts can help monitor accounts, identify issues and save time. You won't have to wait for a new account statement or check your accounts daily to catch potentially budget-busting activities such as:

Debit card use in a country you're not visiting.
Large purchases you don't recognize.
Fees charged you don't expect.
Checks clearing before you expect.

How Do Banking Alerts Work?

While the exact process may differ based on the financial institution, you typically set up alerts on your credit union or bank's website or in the mobile banking app.

You may be able to select accounts you have with the financial institution and outside accounts, such as checking and savings accounts at other banks or credit unions, external credit card accounts and other types of accounts.

When an event happens, it triggers optional alerts you've chosen on the website or mobile banking app.

Financial institutions will offer different ways of receiving alerts, including email, SMS (text message) or push notifications.

If you receive a text message alert, the alert will usually show:

The financial institution's name.
The amount of the transaction.
The action that happened (transfer, spend, deposit).
The account the action occurred in.

Banking alerts are typically sent once or twice a day, in the morning or late afternoon. These alerts do not contain links to click on or ask you to verify account information. If you receive an alert with a link or that otherwise looks suspicious, don't click the link. It may be a scammer trying a phishing scam.

Instead, contact your bank or credit union by phone by going directly to the financial institution's website and looking up the phone number.

Some institutions also have mandatory alerts, particularly where fraud is suspected. These might be expenses that seem unusual for your spending habits, or repeated charges.

Typically, these alerts will include:

The last four digits of your card that was used.
The date of the transaction.
The amount of the transaction.
The store or merchant where the card was used.

Note: You can report text scams to the FTC.

What's an Example of How to Use Banking Alerts?

At BECU, mobile banking alerts are called notifications under the BECU app's settings (gear symbol). You can choose to receive alerts via email or text message.

You can choose which accounts to receive notifications for. For example, if your child has a checking account, you could receive notifications that the account has reached a set minimum balance. At BECU, you can choose alerts from external accounts you've linked, such as significant expenses from credit card accounts.

For example, suppose you receive a text that a significant expense was taken from your checking account. A low balance alert text follows this.

You now have time to move money into your checking account, so the next day, you can avoid payments being turned away due to insufficient funds or overdrawing your account.

Is it Important to Act Quickly on Suspicious Activity?

If any alerts lead you to believe that you are a victim of identity theft, contact your financial institution immediately. The sooner you report fraud, the faster financial institution can help and the less likely you'll be responsible for unauthorized transactions. BECU members, call 800-233-2328.

What Kind of Banking Alert Preferences Can I Choose?

This depends on your financial institution, but often, you can select alert preferences such as:

Alert types (low balance, large deposit, etc.)
Threshold amount
Delivery mode (email or text message or both)
Which checking or savings accounts to monitor

Choose an alert method you'll most likely respond to quickly, if necessary. Read account alerts when you receive them — don't overlook or ignore any account notifications or email alerts.

How Else Can I Protect My Online Banking Accounts?

Other security measures can help keep your account secure. For example, you must maintain strong passwords and use a password manager to manage and remember them. You should also review account settings on your mobile device and not give others your username or login.

How Can I Tell a Real Fraud Alert from a Scam?

According to the FTC, scammers may call or text you and pretend to be your bank or credit union. They may ask to move money from your account or provide verification codes. If you receive a request like this, don't take either of these actions. Contact your financial institution immediately, using the phone number on the financial institution's website, not the one provided during a phone call or in a text.