For some reason, banks love to make closing an account way harder than it needs to be.

What would you do if your bank refused to shut down your nearly empty account and then tried to charge you a fee just for leaving it alone?

Would you cough up the money?

Or would you find the pettiest solution possible to keep them from getting a dime?

In today’s story, one customer finds themselves dealing with this very situation and finds a way to make it work for him.

Check it out.

Bank won’t let me withdraw all funds? Ok.

I moved from Pennsylvania to Michigan a few years ago and only go home once a year or so.

A few years back, I transferred the vast majority of my bank account to Michigan, but they were giving me a hard time about closing the account, so I withdrew all funds except for $1.31.

I haven’t touched the account since then, so two years later, I got a notice for inactivity stating that I would be charged five dollars if my account remains inactive for two years.

I spoke with three different people on the phone, but they would not let me close out the account without incurring a fee.

Since I’m never moving back to that town, I refuse to pay them or add any money to the account.

They decided to play the long game.

I have to interact with the account once every two years or else pay you five dollars? Fine, give me $0.01, please.

When I was there in person last month, I withdrew one penny from the account, so now it’s good for another two years.

The attendant definitely gave me a weird look, but at this rate, my account will remain open for the next 260 years!

Bravo! Wonder what the teller thinks about this.

Let’s see what the fine folks at Reddit have to say about it.

This would be a great solution.

Great to know.

Too funny!

What these people did was smart.

What a ridiculous rule!

Once it gets under a certain amount, the bank shouldn’t care whether you keep the account or not.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.