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Which Bank?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Xerxes, Oct 23, 2012.

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  1. Xerxes

    Xerxes Bulking.

    OK, So I am caving and missing my old Bank of America account.

    Seriously, I hated the fuck out of those asholes and I have been long solvent without them. But my credit union is now pissing me off. A while ago, maybe 2 years ago, I was in Canada. I tried using my debit card and BAM! Frozen for fraudulent reasons.

    Just last weekend I had gone traveling in NYC and I couldn't make a deposit to my bank account at any branch except another credit union that was 20 minutes away.

    I need to get this shit together. I'm thinking Wells Fargo. Bank of America are really awesome in that they are everywhere (I mean EVERYWHERE even Canada, Mexico & France) but their predotry shit just blocks them from my list out of principle.

    I am not considering switching, I need another free checkingf account with a reputable company.

    What say you fine folk?
     
    Xerxes, Oct 23, 2012
    #1
  2. GeneticShift

    GeneticShift Show me your everything is okay face.

    Location:
    The land of drugs, violence, and 8 Mile Road
    I had Wells Fargo up at school and it was relatively hassle free. I have PNC now (no WF where I am) and it's great. A great money managing app, and I travel around the Midwest a lot and have never gotten my debit card locked up.
     
    GeneticShift, Oct 24, 2012
    #2
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I've been fine traveling with my credit union. I don't understand what your problem is. Using the Co-Op network or the shared branching has never been an issue for me.

    Using a branch-free bank like ING or Ally might give you more freedom to make spur-of-the-moment deposits, though. I have an ING account I use in tandem with my credit union accounts.
     
    snowy, Oct 24, 2012
    #3
  4. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    For writing checks I use Bank of the West. They're all over the midwest, Rockies, and west coast, but I don't think I've ever seen one East of the Mississippi. They're also competent with foreign exchange, which I need on occasion. BotW is very convenient if I need to cash a large check while traveling in California or most anywhere West.
    I have a debit card at a small town bank here in Nebraska. If I use the debit card fifteen times a month and jump through a couple of other hoops it pays 2.5%APR on balance up to 25,000 which is a great return.
    I would NEVER write checks and use a debit card out of the same account. It's just too easy to mess up and overdraw.
    For a credit card I use American Express.

    Also, while a free checking account is nice if you can find one, I think that for small accounts "free" is on its way out. There is just nothing in it for the bank.
     
    Lindy, Oct 24, 2012
    #4
  5. Xerxes

    Xerxes Bulking.

    snowy, I tried making a deposit and couldn't, I called the Credit union up and they said I had to go out of my way to do so. I also want another account that is with a prominent bank.

    Also, a bank that can release my debit card as soon as I call them if I'm in Canada and my card's been disabled.
     
    Xerxes, Oct 24, 2012
    #5
  6. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    ING allows deposits with a smartphone app, so you can make deposits anywhere, provided you have a smartphone and reception. They also have ATMs everywhere.
    Allpoint - America's Largest Surcharge-Free ATM Network
     
    snowy, Oct 24, 2012
    #6
  7. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    I tell my CU whenever I'm traveling. It stops all those problems. I'd get a different CU that has partnerships with other ones across the country. I hate big banks and I got screwed in the past by BOA. They're off my list permanently. Our cars were with BB&T and SunTrust (huge assholes) but now we're with PenFed and Beemer Credit. I'd give BB&T a look... Are they nationwide? Great customer service.
     
    Japchae, Oct 24, 2012
    #7
    • Like Like x 2
  8. Xerxes

    Xerxes Bulking.

    BB&T are not nationwide. The post by GeneticShift about Wells Fargo not being everywhere made me rethink this whole commercial bank account thing. I just hate to wait until I have to travel then run into these issues again.
     
    Xerxes, Oct 24, 2012
    #8
  9. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    We've gotten into this habit as E. had his card cut off when we went to Chicago a couple years ago--this was before we had joint accounts. He was surprised because his actions with the card showed a clear path from the Portland airport to the Houston airport to O'Hare.
     
    snowy, Oct 24, 2012
    #9
  10. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    I like American Express.
    A year ago I had a tire go bad on my car. I stopped at a Walmart in a little town in Ohio where I decided to have all four tires replaced, about $600. The sale came back declined from AmEx and about three minutes later AmEx calls my cell to enquire about a possibly fraudulent transaction, and was I really using my card in Bungbutt, Ohio? I verified, Wally ran the transaction again, it went through, an hour later I was back on the road.
    I pay an annual fee of (if I remember right) $75 for my AmEx Gold Card. They have a great rewards program that I can claim on several different hotel chains, which works great for me. I don't care about airline miles. I hardly ever fly.
    Several years ago I had my purse stolen in Varna, Bulgaria. It took three weeks to get my credit union debit card replaced. I had a replacement AmEx card the very next day. In Bulgaria.

    Lindy
     
    Lindy, Oct 24, 2012
    #10
  11. Remixer

    Remixer Middle Eastern Doofus

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    I have a good friend who works at AmEx, and their initiatives don't look bad.

    Whatever you do, though, never ever purchase a plane ticket from AmEx's corporate travel service. 3,000 EUR for a coach ticket from FRA to DXB. Lish can confirm that one pays half that for a coach ticket from SYD to DXB.

    Other than the above nonsense, I don't have much to add. Unless HSBC Premier is an option?
     
    Remixer, Oct 24, 2012
    #11
  12. Lordeden

    Lordeden Part of the Problem

    Location:
    Redneckhell, NC
    I travel a lot (I'm all over the place, as the Tfpers I bug will tell you) and needed a bank that worked with that. I was with First Citizens but they were pissing me off hardcore. I switched to wells Fargo, because of you are in a major city (or around one) then there is a WF near you. They haven't yet bothered me about traveling after I told them I travel to a different city every week (sometimes 2-3 cities a week). They are a big commercial bank, but that is what you need if you are worrying about traveling.

    Credit unions are great if you barely leave the city you bank in. Commercial banks are evil but are great for travelers. I picked evil, because evil gives me what I need when I need it.
     
    Lordeden, Oct 24, 2012
    #12
    • Like Like x 2
  13. Remixer

    Remixer Middle Eastern Doofus

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2012
    Remixer, Oct 24, 2012
    #13
    • Like Like x 2
  14. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I don't know about that--I think it totally depends on your habits. Half the time it isn't the CU itself that puts the hold on your card--it's Visa.
     
    snowy, Oct 24, 2012
    #14
    • Like Like x 1
  15. Lordeden

    Lordeden Part of the Problem

    Location:
    Redneckhell, NC
    The way I was told by my bank the last time this happened to me, visa flags it and the bank responds to that flag. The bank can choose to say, "It's all good, he is using the card himself." or "clamp that thing shut like a virgin on prom night." that's why you tell your bank you are traveling and not visa.
     
    Lordeden, Oct 25, 2012
    #15
  16. Ozmanitis

    Ozmanitis Trust in your will and Hope will burn bright!

    Location:
    Texas USA
    I really hate banks. I prefer CU's over them any day. but I have run across the same issues. so I opened up an account with Chase. (Which I found just about everywhere I travel) and only use it for traveling purposes. and my regular CU for personal banking. I can transfer money from my CU right into my Chase account with ease (Thanks to their mobile ap)

    Been doing this for about 5 years now with hardly any issues at all.
     
    Ozmanitis, Oct 25, 2012
    #16
  17. Remixer

    Remixer Middle Eastern Doofus

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    I forgot to mention this completely. My SO has recently discovered the flexibility of pre-paid credit cards, the Payoneer credit card, and things such as CashU/uKash.

    Maybe one of those is the right fit for you.
     
    Remixer, Oct 25, 2012
    #17
  18. Xerxes

    Xerxes Bulking.

    I already have an AmexPrepaid.

    It takes FOREVER to load and I refuse to pay $4.50 to load a measly minimum of $25 in it. If push comes to shove, I might use it but I keep it one me for emergencies.

    The reason I need a commercial bank account is for ABA reasons. So I can also write checks out of it.
     
    Xerxes, Oct 25, 2012
    #18
  19. Ozmanitis

    Ozmanitis Trust in your will and Hope will burn bright!

    Location:
    Texas USA
    $4.50 per $25? WOW, what a scam!
     
    Ozmanitis, Oct 25, 2012
    #19
  20. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    I bet that it's $4.40 per load, not $4.50 per $25.00...
    You could probably have loaded $1000 for the same fee.
     
    Lindy, Oct 25, 2012
    #20
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