Last month, while reviewing my account statement, I was taken aback to see a $12 fee prominently displayed.

It doesn't seem like a lot of money on a monthly basis, but when you consider it over a year, that adds up to $144, which is quite a bit for coffee.

When I called the bank, they informed me that the fee was charged because I didn't meet the account maintenance requirements.

Thinking back, I remember the staff clearly explaining these conditions when I first opened the account, but over the years, I completely forgot about them.

Especially for international students or immigrants who are settling in the U.S. for the first time, many may be paying these fees without even knowing about the conditions.

The Bank of America Advantage Plus Checking account has a monthly maintenance fee of $12.

This fee can be waived if you meet any one of three conditions.

The first condition is receiving a direct deposit of $250 or more at least once a month.

One confusing aspect is that money transferred from another bank account does not count as a direct deposit.

It must be money deposited directly by an employer or institution, such as a paycheck, Social Security, or pension.

The second condition is maintaining an average daily balance of $1,500 or more.

This condition is only a realistic option for those who can afford to keep a large sum of money in their account each month.

The third condition is enrolling in the bank's rewards program and maintaining a certain tier.

Since May of this year, the existing Preferred Rewards program has been revamped into the BofA Rewards program, changing the tier names and criteria as well.

To qualify for the Preferred Plus tier, where the fee waiver begins, you need to have a combined total of $30,000 in deposit and investment accounts.

When you think about how many people actually have that much money sitting in one bank, it's a condition that is practically unattainable for most.

From the bank's perspective, it makes sense. Customers who keep their salary accounts or maintain a certain balance are much more stable sources of income for the bank.

I was curious about the policies of other major banks, so I looked them up as well.

Chase's Total Checking account has a monthly fee of $15, and Wells Fargo's Everyday Checking also charges $15, which is even more expensive than Bank of America.

Wells Fargo raised its fee from $10 to $15 this year, so it's quietly becoming a heavier burden.

The waiver conditions are similar for both banks. Chase waives the fee if there is a direct deposit of $500 or more each month, and Wells Fargo also offers a waiver for either a direct deposit of $500 or maintaining a balance of $1,500.

While the amounts and criteria may vary slightly from bank to bank, the overarching requirement of direct deposit is almost universally applied.

If you ask me which of the three conditions is the most realistic, I would personally choose the direct deposit option.

Maintaining a balance of $1,500 all the time is a burden, and many people don't even have $30,000 to begin with.

It's much easier to just request the HR department to have your salary deposited into that account once.

However, it's important to remember that this direct deposit condition must be met every month.

If there's a month where you don't receive a paycheck due to unpaid leave or a job transition, the fee will be charged again.

By enabling balance or fee-related notifications in the bank app, you can prepare for those months without missing them.

The problem is that even if you set the conditions correctly when you first open the account, it's quite common for those conditions to be quietly broken when you change jobs or your salary account.

I've seen cases where people only realize this after several months of fees have been deducted.

This is especially true for those who work part-time or frequently change their salary deposit accounts, as they can easily fall into this trap.

There are also people who are self-employed or freelancers who may not have regular salary deposits at all, making it impossible to meet the direct deposit condition from the start.

In such cases, it might be more practical to set up an automatic transfer of a portion of your income on a set date each month to meet the minimum balance requirement.

If all these conditions feel burdensome, switching to an online bank or credit union checking account that has no monthly maintenance fee is also an option.

Such accounts don't require you to worry about fee conditions, which is a significant advantage.

Additionally, for savings accounts, if you fail to maintain the minimum balance, separate fees may apply, so if you use multiple accounts, it's a good idea to check those as well.

Getting into the habit of reviewing your statements once a month may seem trivial, but it can make a difference.

If it were me, I would choose to check at least once a quarter to ensure that the account conditions are still being met.

If you're reading this, I recommend pulling out your smartphone and opening your bank app to check.

It takes less than a minute to confirm whether you've met this month's fee waiver conditions.