It can be devastating to have your bank account debited without your permission by Nigerian banks. Here are the updated lists of CBN approved, permissible bank charges in Nigeria.

Commercial banks charge a fee for each transaction service they give, which you may not be aware of since we will walk you through the complete list of bank charges allowed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Bank Charges are fees that are deducted by Commercial banks from their customer’s accounts whenever they make a transaction.

On January 1st, 2020, the new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regime of banking charges on customers for services supplied went into effect which one of the banking charges introduced by the apex bank was a deduction of withdrawal fee whenever a customer makes a third withdrawal from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) inside the same month.

Complete list of approved bank charges in Nigeria by CBN

As a result of the new CBN guide, transactions below ₦5,000 would incur a maximum fee of ₦10; transfers between ₦5000 and ₦50,000 will attract a charge of ₦25; and transfers beyond ₦50,000 will receive a charge of ₦50.
The present account card maintenance cost has been eliminated because the accounts already have an account maintenance fee. Savings accounts will now be charged a card maintenance cost of ₦50 every quarter, rather than ₦50 every month.
The annual card maintenance cost for cards denominated in foreign currency (FCY) has been decreased from $20 to $10.
After the third withdrawal within a month, ATM fees are lowered to ₦35 from ₦65.
The charge for a hardware token will be based on cost recovery and will be capped at ₦2,500, down from the previous maximum charge of ₦3,500.
Fees for required SMS alerts will be based on a cost-recovery model, with a maximum price of ₦4 in place previously.
Payment of bills via e-channels will incur a maximum charge of ₦500, based on 0.75 percent of the transaction value up to ₦1,200.

Below is the full list of approved bank charges in Nigeria by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN):

Internet banking

Hardware Token — There is a maximum charge of ₦2,500 for cost recovery.
There is no payment for the Software Token – One-Time Password (OTP). Charges will be based on a cost recovery basis if the OTP is delivered to the customer through SMS.

Replacement of hardware tokens — Cost recovery is limited to ₦2,500. Only in the event of physical damage, token loss, or replacement after expiration will the customer be charged.

Payment of bills (including payments made through other E-channels) – Negotiable and limited to ₦500 per beneficiary payable by the sender.

Current Account Maintenance Fee (CAMF)

Exclusively applicable to current accounts for customer-initiated debit transactions to third parties and debit transfers/lodgments to the customer’s account in some other bank. It should be noted that CAMF does not apply to Savings Accounts.
The charge is negotiable, but it cannot exceed ₦1 per mille.

Electronics Funds Transfer

The fees accrued for electronic fund transfers include:

Below ₦5,000 – ₦10
₦5,001 – ₦50,000 – ₦25
Above ₦50,000 – ₦50

Card maintenance

Foreign Currency Debit/Credit Cards — $10 per year (or its equivalent)
Naira Debit/Credit Cards:
Cards linked to the current account- No charge
A maximum of ₦50 per quarter is charged for cards linked to savings accounts.

Credit Card Charges

Fee for issuing a credit card — ₦1,000 (one-off charge). Regardless of the type of card used, the charge is the same (i.e. regular or premium card).
Fee for reissuing for lost or damaged cards (at the customer’s request) — ₦1,000 (one-off charge). Regardless of the type of card used, the charge is the same (i.e. regular or premium card)
Renewal Fee — ₦1,000 (when existing cards expire) (one-off charge). Regardless of the type of card used, the charge is the same (i.e. regular or premium card)
Interest Rates — They Can Be Negotiated

Approved charges by CBN

Issuance Fee — ₦1,000 (one-off charge). The same price applies regardless of card type (i.e. normal or premium card)

Remote-On-Us (from another bank’s ATM) — a maximum of N35 following the third withdrawal within the time limit.

Replacement Fee (at customer’s instance for lost or damaged cards) — ₦1,000 (one-off charge).

Regardless of card type (regular or premium), the charge is the same.
Renewal Fee — ₦

1,000 (when existing cards expire) (one-off charge).

Regardless of the type of card used, the charge is the same (i.e. regular or premium card)

Approved bank charges for Prepaid Card

There is no price for loading and unloading.

ATM Transactions

On-Us (drawing from an ATM of the issuing bank) — No fee
Not On-Us (withdrawal from other bank’s ATM) in Nigeria — ₦35 just after third withdrawal inside the same month
Withdrawals from other countries (per exact cost by the international acquirer)

CBN approved charges for Merchan Service Commision (MSC)

General Merchant (Including Domestic, International Travels, and Entertainment) — 0.50 percent of the transaction amount, but not more than ₦1,000.
Bulk Payments (e.g., salaries, dividends, etc.) — Negotiable up to ₦15 per beneficiary paid by the sender.

CBN approved charges issuance of statement of account

Monthly Statements of Account for Current and Savings Accounts are required and are free of charge.
Special Statement of Account Request (request in a manner other than the agreed-upon mandatory issue) — ₦20 per page maximum

CBN approved charges for transaction alerts

SMS alert (Mandatory) – If a customer chooses not to receive SMS alerts, the consumer must provide the bank with an indemnity (for any damages that may occur as a result).
Cost recovery (on customer-induced transactions) — No charge (for bank-induced transactions)
There is no price for receiving an email notification.

Others bank charges

There is no price for reissuing a PIN.
There is no charge for resetting your PIN.
Use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) is subject to current NIP costs.
Purchase with ₦100 cashback each ₦20,000 spent, subject to a daily withdrawal limit of ₦60,000.
Account reactivation is free of charge.
No fee for closing an account (savings, current, or domiciliary).
What Happens If Your Bank Defaults

The new CBN-approved bank charges have a fascinating feature. The CBN announced that any financial institution that violates any of the terms in the new guidance will be fined $2 million per infraction or as determined by the CBN from time to time.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.