As bank customers increasingly demand ways to better manage their spending and to avoid overdraft fees, NewBridge Bank has added a new product to its portfolio: the Zero-G checkless checking account.

Zero-G – which stands for zero-grief, according to Jill Vale, manager of NewBridge’s South College Road office – is based on a MasterCard debit card, charges a flat monthly fee of $4.95 and is normally used by the holder in tandem with another NewBridge account.

“Some people use it as a controlled-spending debit card, which you can fund from another account. One use is for travel. There are fewer concerns about hacking, and you can’t overdraw the account,” she said, explaining that if a Zero-G card holder tries to make a purchase of more than the balance, the bank will decline the charge.

The card can be reloaded through the bank’s online and mobile services, with no initial load, reload or card replacement fees, Vale said. Users can check their balance online or through mobile banking, or set up text alerts to inform them when the balance is low.

“If you were to compare this to reloadable debit cards, this card is much easier,” Vale said. “There aren’t fees for every little thing you do, and NewBridge does not charge a fee for [card] use at a non-NewBridge ATM.”

A Zero-G account can be set up by parents for their children, especially offspring in college, and money for monthly expenses transferred to the card, Vale said.

Greensboro-based NewBridge Bank has nine offices in the greater Wilmington area and ranks seventh locally for in-market deposits.