Banks that are easy to bank with?

[lg8302ch]

Since I have not stepped into a branch in the past 20 years I can perfectly live with an online banking solution. Currently I still  have BofA (good network) and Fidelity CMA (free ATM worldwide). My favorite account is Discover Bank. Free checks, cashback on debit transactions (which I do not use) but the biggest plus for me is the free international incoming wires. Their savings account looks interesting as well (I do not have it) If one account would have to go it  would probably be BofA as there is nothing the Fidelity / Discover combo  can't do at least for my needs. Both Discover and Fidelity have excellent customer service

[xXIDaShizIXx]

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@lg8302ch wrote:

Since I have not stepped into a branch in the past 20 years I can perfectly live with an online banking solution. Currently I still  have BofA (good network) and Fidelity CMA (free ATM worldwide). My favorite account is Discover Bank. Free checks, cashback on debit transactions (which I do not use) but the biggest plus for me is the free international incoming wires. Their savings account looks interesting as well (I do not have it) If one account would have to go it  would probably be BofA as there is nothing the Fidelity / Discover combo  can't do at least for my needs. Both Discover and Fidelity have excellent customer service

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With Discover can you use ATMs to deposit checks or cash if need be? My wife has income where she gets several personal checks, so we still need to be able to deposit those (and sometimes cash) in addition to our payroll deposits. Yeah I'm probably not going to go through with Ally if it already locked me out and I haven't even got to fund the account yet.

[lg8302ch]

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@xXIDaShizIXx wrote:

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@lg8302ch wrote:

Since I have not stepped into a branch in the past 20 years I can perfectly live with an online banking solution. Currently I still  have BofA (good network) and Fidelity CMA (free ATM worldwide). My favorite account is Discover Bank. Free checks, cashback on debit transactions (which I do not use) but the biggest plus for me is the free international incoming wires. Their savings account looks interesting as well (I do not have it) If one account would have to go it  would probably be BofA as there is nothing the Fidelity / Discover combo  can't do at least for my needs. Both Discover and Fidelity have excellent customer service

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With Discover can you use ATMs to deposit checks or cash if need be? My wife has income where she gets several personal checks, so we still need to be able to deposit those (and sometimes cash) in addition to our payroll deposits. Yeah I'm probably not going to go through with Ally if it already locked me out and I haven't even got to fund the account yet.

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ATM I would not know as I do only mobile deposit with my checks from my living room.....sorry no idea

[xXIDaShizIXx]

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@lg8302ch wrote:

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@xXIDaShizIXx wrote:

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@lg8302ch wrote:

Since I have not stepped into a branch in the past 20 years I can perfectly live with an online banking solution. Currently I still  have BofA (good network) and Fidelity CMA (free ATM worldwide). My favorite account is Discover Bank. Free checks, cashback on debit transactions (which I do not use) but the biggest plus for me is the free international incoming wires. Their savings account looks interesting as well (I do not have it) If one account would have to go it  would probably be BofA as there is nothing the Fidelity / Discover combo  can't do at least for my needs. Both Discover and Fidelity have excellent customer service

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With Discover can you use ATMs to deposit checks or cash if need be? My wife has income where she gets several personal checks, so we still need to be able to deposit those (and sometimes cash) in addition to our payroll deposits. Yeah I'm probably not going to go through with Ally if it already locked me out and I haven't even got to fund the account yet.

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ATM I would not know as I do only mobile deposit with my checks from my living room.....sorry no idea

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Its ok! We may have to go through BoA to meet all of our needs. Its not the end of the world though!

[takeshi74]

I use USAA.  If you qualify I'd recommend them as an online option.

[jre]

I've banked with all the big banks and have found PNC to be the best. They currently offer a VIRTUAL account that is essentially an online bank account. Their reps are knowledgeable, courteous, and respectful. Most important you won't experience any delays with the posting of debits and credits. I'd stay away from ally like the plague. You will run into similar posting issues and their reps are clueless and rude. The credit unions already mentioned are good choices as well.

Edit: with pnc you can deposit personal checks with phone/iPad.

[toothgrind3r]

I bank with Alliant Credit Union and love them.

- Mostly fee free.

- ATM rebates (when using another banks ATM) up to $20 a month

- Very fast ACH transfer times, and transactions post fast.

- Mobile check deposits (even though it seems you need a separate app for that, the main Alliant app does it)

- And, if you need a branch, they are in the Credit Union Shared Branch co-op, so you can go to another credit union in the co-op and do anything you would be able to do in an Alliant branch.

- Currently a .90% dividend rate on savings accounts, which is just behind Ally, and .65% dividend on checking (if you opt out of paper statements and have at least one monthly electronic deposit).  

Their mobile app, in it's current state, is ugly as sin, but it gets the job done.  They say they are working on a new app though, fingers crossed.  But their web interface is a pleasure to use.

[Anonymous]

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@jre wrote:

I've banked with all the big banks and have found PNC to be the best. They currently offer a VIRTUAL account that is essentially an online bank account. Their reps are knowledgeable, courteous, and respectful. Most important you won't experience any delays with the posting of debits and credits. I'd stay away from ally like the plague. You will run into similar posting issues and their reps are clueless and rude. The credit unions already mentioned are good choices as well.

Edit: with pnc you can deposit personal checks with phone/iPad.

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That might be a YMMV thing. I bank with PNC too, but only because the bank was a local entity that was bought by Mid America and then by PNC.  At one time, I'd have said the same thing you did, but not lately. My daughter got so frustrated, she transferred her money elsewhere. The CU she uses, she now works for, lol, and as soon as they open a location near here, I will do the majority of my banking with them.

[Anonymous]

OP, the answer definitely depends on your location. For the big nationals, TD Bank and Wells Fargo consistently get good reviews, so you might want to check out their products. I use TD and have been pretty happy with them. Customer service has been good, and they have lots of locations in the northeast. However, they don't have much in California, where I spent last summer. I also don't know about their presence in Texas, where I will be this summer. 

Credit Unions generally do pretty well, but are obviously local. If you travel a lot, they might not be for you.

It sounds like you want an online bank. Ally was USNews's top online bank last year. 

[celluloid17]

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@xXIDaShizIXx wrote:

Hey guys,

So my Wife and I have banked with BBVA Compass for several years and I've about had it. The tellers and personal bankers are rude and unhelpful. I shouldn't feel like a felon to use my own money. They charge outrageous fees ($35.00) for a small book of checks and many other fees. Nothing posts immediately, whether it outgoing or incoming. For instance for some reason if I get paid on a  Friday it won't be in my account until Tuesday. Also if I pay bills (such as credit cards) it can take up to TWO WEEKS before I see the payment withdrawn from my account. I always pay rent with an eCheck through our property management company's online bill pay system and for some reason BBVA would hold onto the funds and not let it go. Which caused two returned check fees in addition to my rent (which makes me look bad). Also their ATMS suck, they are slow and I've had my debit card, checks, and cash stuck in there many times without it being credited to my accounts. So my question is, what banks are easy and portable (we will be relocating at the end of next year, so either a lot of branches or strictly online)? Heres what we would like and need:

- A checking and savings account without fees.

- Free Debit card/ checks without fees.

-Transactions/Payments/Credits that post within 24 hours or so

- The ability to consistently transfer money over from checking to savings without it taking forever to post (4 to 6 times a month) OR charging fees.

- The ability to use ATMs without fees, remote deposit, etc.

I'm thinking Ally Bank. Does anyone else agree or having any suggestions? Remember, I mostly deal with online banking, am looking for simplicity, and no fees. I'm not interested in interest rates or investment vehicles for these two accounts, just dealing with daily spending/ saving. Thank you guys!

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I have a Money Market Savings and an Online Savings account with Ally and I haven't had any issues with either.  It's been easy to transfer money between those two accounts, but you're limited to six transfers/debit transactions during a billing cycle for each account.  Transfers post immediately.  I don't have experience with their Checking accounts, but I don't imagine they'd be much different, perhaps without the transfer/debit restrictions you get the Money Market.  Their website is easy to use as well.

I have my main checking account with Chase.  There are a ton a branches near me and I like having the ability to deposit cash, something you can't do with an online bank.  I pay all of my bills through Chase (I love their bill pay system) and transfer money I earmark for savings to my Ally account(s) and that usually takes about 3 days for the money to post to Ally.  Chase charges a fee for checking if you don't have a monthly direct deposit, but I do, so my checking has always been free.  It's also free to transfer money between Chase accounts and it posts immediately.  

I've heard really good things about Charles Schwab High Yield Checking account, which has virtually the same features as Ally, but also has zero foreign transaction fees when using their debit card, which can come in handy if you travel outside the country at all.  Here's a link to that account type with features:

http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/checking_account

Good luck!