If you’ve ever overdrawn your bank account or gotten hit with a late fee, you know about the sinking feeling that ensues in the pit of your stomach. But if you’re normally not a person to get hit with these kinds of fees, you don’t necessarily have to resign yourself to coughing up the dough. There is a simple way to get these charges waived. Just ask!

Everyone makes mistakes, and banks are aware of that. I recently had luck with a bank that I’ve been with for over 20 years. When I accidentally overdrew one of my accounts and got stuck with the dreaded $35 overdraw fee, I simply called a customer service representative. I politely explained that I’ve been a loyal customer for many years and that I have rarely made this mistake in the past. The rep was more than happy to waive the fee for me!

If you’re looking to achieve the same results, here are some pointers from Bible Money Matters:

1. Address the Fee Immediately: don’t wait too long once you’ve been assessed a fee. Look into taking care of it as soon as possible.
2. Get on the Phone: when asking for a favor, it’s usually better to get on the phone and talk to a human. Find the customer service number of the bank or credit card company and give them a call.
3. Be Polite: when you get on the phone, remember – you are asking for a favor that they don’t have to grant you. So be polite and respectful. Keep the tone light and friendly and you’re likely to end up with better results.
4. Talk About Your Solid, Loyal History: if you’ve been a loyal customer for years and/or you’ve had a solid payment history with them, you’ll want to make sure you talk these points up.
5. If At First You Don’t Succeed…: if you don’t get results the first time, try calling back a second time. This time, you can politely remind the representative that while you’d like to remain with them, you could switch banks if you felt you needed to. They won’t want to lose your business as a loyal customer.
6. Speak with a Supervisor: if the representative helping you seems like they don’t have the authority to issue you a waiver, ask to speak with the supervisor or someone with that authority.

Have you had any great experiences trying to get a late fee reversed? Please share your experiences and advice with us in the comments section below!