Had it with my bank! What are some alternatives?

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Well when you have a Hello Kitty system, how can you go wrong?!

Silly girl...it's not a "system"....I just get the debit card and checks with some off the wall picture on them. No way to get them confused then.

 

[dfr1973]

Credit unions are even pickier about credit than regular banks are, anret they? I doubt they would take me, either.

In *my* experience they tend to be much friendlier and nicer than regular banks. See if there is one open to residents of your county, and ask. They can't be worse than a regular bank! And once you are in, you can stay in ... I still have my credit union account from 1995, and hubby has his from 1998 ... and we moved thanks to the army years ago. Come to think of it, when we switched to the local credit union a couple months ago, I am not aware of any credit check at all.

My newly-18yo son just opened his first account with the same local credit union, and he has no credit history at all (which is *supposedly* worse than bad credit).

Bottom line, the best way to find out is to ask.

FOr those of you using a debit card only, what kind do you have? I need a place to start some research.

I have two Visa debit cards linked to my credit union accounts. Hubby has a Visa debit linked to his credit union account. On days I can't recall my PINs I can use them "as credit" and sign, but they still function as debit cards.

 

[Blue Egg Jo]

Agree with dfr1973; I don't know if the credit union did a credit check on me. I have done a lot of bank switching in the past few years..a couple of bad experiences. But you should go check out the local credit union anyway. The one I went to - the people there were already much nicer and I don't even have much money in my account yet lol. I found the big bank I'm still with (no longer in a couple of weeks yay!!) the people there are only friendly if I keep "lots" of money in my account. Then when I take money out they look at me like I did something terrible. Anyway, don't let your credit hinder you from asking the credit union people.

 

[hqueen13]

I dont know where you are, but we are in the process of switching banks, too, and are kicking ourselves from not doing it sooner. our new bank offers an account called rewards checking that offers 2% interest! Very low minimum balance, and a few other requirements that are very easy to maintain. Everything about them is better than our other bank, even though they were both local and fairly small. Even the atms are more convenient!
Do your research and find a good local bank or credit union. Your money should be working for you, not you working for it!

 

[nmred]

Since you are a veteran (you mention your VA checks) you should check out USAA. https://www.usaa.com/ It is a bank/credit union for military personnel, and they are WONDERFUL. Best customer service, ever! Your check can be direct deposited and the auto payment done each month, just like now. You can use any ATM (they will refund the charges up to 5/month) to make cash withdrawals. Free transfers and bill pay. No fee debit card. In fact, no fees at all. You need to keep $25.00 in a savings account. They have the cheapest car insurance we have ever found. They also have the best rates on car loans, mortgages, etc. Your only problem would be depositing cash. I don't think you can do that, but call them up. You may be able to. Good luck!

 

[FarmerChick]

I am USAA also. they are FAB literally.
and have auto with them etc.

if you are military you can get into USAA easily....and you won't be sorry. they can hand walk you thru setting up everything. they go above and beyond in customer service!

 

[RedheadErin]

I wish USAA would let me deposit cash. I have a cash job, and part of the reason I need a bank account is that when I have cash on hand, I tend to spend it freely. But I am very slow to whip out that debit card.

My husband came up with a solution. We want to be able to move money between "his, hers, and ours" accounts. The bank won't let me in with my current credit issues, but they will let him have as many accounts as he wants. SO he is going to set up 2 more accounts, designate one for me and one for "us" and get different checks for each account. This will be essentially the same system we have always had, the only difference being my name will not be on any of the accounts.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

erin..how will you be able to access (use) the accounts if your name is not on any of them? Just curious.

 

[Beekissed]

Mason jar?

 

[Laureli]

Since you are a veteran (you mention your VA checks) you should check out USAA. https://www.usaa.com/ It is a bank/credit union for military personnel, and they are WONDERFUL. Best customer service, ever! Your check can be direct deposited and the auto payment done each month, just like now. You can use any ATM (they will refund the charges up to 5/month) to make cash withdrawals. Free transfers and bill pay. No fee debit card. In fact, no fees at all. You need to keep $25.00 in a savings account. They have the cheapest car insurance we have ever found. They also have the best rates on car loans, mortgages, etc. Your only problem would be depositing cash. I don't think you can do that, but call them up. You may be able to. Good luck!

You can now deposit checks through UPS stores. Not all UPS stores, but it is a great way to deposit checks. and they are absolutely thee best.