Secure Your Finances With Alerts
Who doesn’t appreciate a heads-up when something unexpected pops up? And when it involves your hard-earned cash, a lot can be on the line. That’s why we’re such big fans of account alerts. These babies can help you manage your money like a pro.
Sounds awesome, right? Let’s dive in and learn more.
What Is an Account Alert?
Quite simply, an account alert lets you know about activity and transactions on your account that meet specific criteria you set up in advance. You can set them up in online banking or BluPeak’s Mobile Banking App and be notified by text, email, or push notification when activity on your account triggers an alert.
Alerts can be a really effective security measure, tipping you off to possible fraudulent or otherwise unusual activity that could drain your account. One particular type of alert—the low balance alert—can also be a big money-saver by helping you avoid overdraft fees.
What Is a Low Balance Alert?
A low balance alert lets you know when your account falls below a dollar amount you specified when you set up the alert. Different members will have different thresholds for the amount of “cushion” they want to maintain in an account, but the idea is to give you an opportunity to move more money into the account if needed to prevent overdraft charges as well as possible merchant fees for checks or payments returned due to insufficient funds being in the account.
With the average overdraft charge running at right around $26 and as high as $38, according to a study by Bankrate, it’s clear that setting up just this one alert could save you gobs of money.
What Other Alerts Should You Consider?
Account alerts can also be a smart tool to help you manage your day-to-day finances. Here are a few more to consider.
Large transaction alert: Set this alert to be notified about large deposits and/or large withdrawals from your account.
Upcoming payment alert: If you don’t have automatic payments set up, this alert can save you on late payment fees.
alert: Use this alert to let you know when your paycheck or other regular transfer has hit your account.
Fee alert: As noted above, fees for things like overdrafts can add up fast. This alert lets you know when one is incurred so you can take quick action to prevent additional fee charges.
Documents alerts: Choose this alert so you know when new statements and other account documents are available for viewing and downloading.
Profile change alert: This alert can really enhance your account security by tipping you off to profile changes that could signal potential fraud-in-the-making.
Negative balance alert: Hopefully, the other alerts will help you avoid ever letting your account go negative, but this alert can spur you to cure the insufficiency before it causes more financial problems for you.
How to Set Up Account Alerts
It’s easy! While you’re logged into Online Banking, go to the Additional Services tab and select Alerts & Notifications. Indicate which alert you would like to activate, enter the required details, and be sure to check the box for either Text Alerts or Email Alerts so you get the alert in your preferred format. This is also where you go to deactivate a text alert or delete an email alert.
More into push notifications? Log into our mobile app, tap More, Settings, and Push Notifications.
Questions? We’ve got answers. Reach out to us at 866.873.4968 or memberservice@bluepeak.com.
A Word About Account Alert Scams
Financial criminals have gotten really sophisticated, so always remember that BluPeak will NEVER send you an alert asking you to click on a link or provide any account or private information. If you receive an alert that doesn’t look right or is otherwise suspicious, it’s best to log directly into Online Banking or our Mobile Banking App to verify the message or contact us directly at 866.873.4968 or memberservice@bluepeak.com.
Want to Learn More?
Using alerts to stay on top of your account activity is just one of the ways you can reach your financial goals faster by keeping more of your money and avoiding unexpected fees. For more financial tips, visit our Financial Education & Counseling page.
Insured by NCUA. Must meet membership and account criteria. This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be financial advice. Mobile and data rates apply when using mobile banking.
