Fin-and-tube heat exchangers are the mostly used heat exchangers for thermal energy conversion with wide range of applications such as air conditioning, refrigeration, automotive industry, electronic devices, and the like. Demand of more efficient cooling by more compact heat exchangers leads to tremendous researches on this subject. In this paper, a detailed review of experimental and numerical researches upon different mechanisms of heat transfer enhancement in fin-and-tube heat exchangers are performed and the relevant influences and operating conditions are thoroughly reviewed. Effects of different geometrical parameters on heat transfer and pressure drop in each mechanism are also discussed in details. Furthermore, comparisons between different mechanisms of heat transfer improvement and some novel compound designs of fin-and-tube heat exchangers are discussed. In addition, some special researches on surface treatment, particle deposition, thermal contact, and fabrication material in fin-and-tube heat exchangers are described. Finally, some developed correlations for calculation of heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of fin-and-tube heat exchangers with their ranges of validation are classified and compared. •Heat transfer enhancement mechanisms in fin-and-tube heat exchangers are reviewed.•Different researches are tabulated including major results and operating conditions.•Combining different mechanisms leads to novel compound geometries.•Special researches such as fouling and surface treatment are discussed.•Various correlations for calculation of j and f factors are listed and compared.