Marie Wilkinson has used Bank of America Corp. for decades, shaking her head but staying loyal as the bank grew and rolled out new fees. But a new $5 monthly charge for debit-card purchases was the last straw.

"I thought, what next?" said Wilkinson, 70, who plans to switch to a community bank. "They're charging you to use your own money."

Consumers have long grumbled about bank fees, but many are particularly miffed as more banks target debit cards, which have grown in popularity in recent years for their relative security and convenience. Analysts expect some to seek alternatives, from credit cards to checks - and others to switch banks altogether in search of cheaper transactions.

"If the banks aren't careful, they're going to get a mass revolt," said Britt Beemer of America's Research Group, which studies consumer behavior. "You're not just going to lose the cheapest customers or the poorest customers; you're going to start losing some middle-America customers."

Charlotte-based Bank of America, the nation's largest bank by deposits, announced its new debit-card fees on Thursday, joining other big banks who are charging customers more in response to new regulations.

The Federal Reserve in June capped the "swipe fees" merchants pay when customers use debit cards in their stores at about 21 cents per transaction - effective today - as a requirement of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. That's down from an average of 44 cents per transaction, and banks are bracing for the lost revenue.

Financial services research firm Javelin Strategy & Research estimates the affected banks, those with assets of $10 billion or more, will lose a combined $6.6 billion annually from the provision.

Yet they could suffer more as customers ditch debit cards or jump ship: Sixty percent of people the firm surveyed said they would find an alternative payment method if their bank charged any fee for debit purchases, director of payments research Beth Robertson said.

A separate study by America's Research Group found 37 percent of customers polled would change banks if they felt the fees were becoming unreasonable, Beemer said.

Beemer expects some consumers to use credit cards instead of debit cards - which will yield bigger windfalls for banks, because there are no caps on merchant swipe fees - but the shaky economy has left many unable to qualify or unwilling to take on debt.

Others will turn to checks, which could cost banks more to process, he said.

"I think the banks are going to lose on this deal," Beemer said.

'I'm drawing the line'

Wilkinson, who is retired and lives in south Charlotte, said she's thought about switching banks for a while as Bank of America has grown and charged more for services and products she used to get for free, such as checks.

She enjoys the convenience of a big bank, but she refuses to pay to use her debit card and isn't likely to carry $100 or more in cash to the grocery store, she said.

"You hate to switch, because you have your habits," she said. "But I'm drawing the line. That's it."

Bank of America, which is gradually rolling out the debit fee beginning early next year, said the fee allows the bank to continue offering debit cards with the full range of features customers expect, such as fraud protection, overdraft prevention and savings programs.

"Over the last two years, we have been more committed than ever before to being clear and transparent with our customers to help ensure they know exactly what they are getting and how much it costs," bank spokeswoman Anne Pace said.

Ed and Christine Murphy, Wells Fargo & Co. customers who live in the Ballantyne area, have abandoned their debit cards in favor of cash to curb their spending and avoid fees.

Wells Fargo, which bought Charlotte's Wachovia in 2008, is test-driving a $3 fee on debit-card purchases in five states, not including the Carolinas. Still, the Murphys, who are retired, found they spent less when they withdrew cash at the beginning of the week, compared to swiping a card for each purchase.

The change is part of a broader effort to stretch their fixed income further; the couple switched their home and car insurance recently to save money, haggled for a lower cable rate and eliminated impulse buys. All the talk of looming debit fees has cemented their decision to switch to cash, Christine Murphy said.

"Anything I could do to avoid a fee," she said. "I mean, it's pretty annoying to get charged for using your debit card."

Some banks see opportunity

Some banks, from large institutions like Ally Bank and Winston-Salem-based BB&T to community banks, are still not charging customers for debit-card purchases. And some are seizing the opportunity to draw new customers as a result, they said.

"As far as getting business from the big banks, that's what we do," said Trey Weir, an executive vice president at Cornelius-based Aquesta Bank. "Everything they do seems to push their customers further and further away."

The bank, which doesn't charge debit-card fees, sees frustrated big-bank customers considering a switch almost daily, he said.

At Charlotte's Park Sterling Corp., chief executive Jim Cherry hasn't yet determined how to factor debit-card fees into its competitive strategy, he said.

The company, which doesn't currently charge for debit purchases, doesn't have a significant debit-card business. But its planned merger with South Carolina's Community Capital Corp. will mean a growing deposit base and plenty of discussions about the issue, Cherry said.

"It's just going to be interesting," he said. "It continues to tell us there is no free lunch anywhere, is there?"