Switch banks. I'm at a local Credit Union, and love them. I've thought about joining an online bank like USAA(they only cater to current/former military members and their families) since I can use any ATM and they will refund any fee I get charged. Go find yourself a local bank/credit union. Screw the huge national banks.
I'm not very familiar with how credit unions work... but wouldn't you have to pay an ATM fee every time you use an ATM that is not your credit union's ATM? And if you're going with a small local credit union - won't that be like 99% of the time? Doesn't that add up after a while?
How often do you use an ATM? If I'm out of town and need cash, I just go by a pack of gum using my debit card and get cash back.
I try to pay for everything in cash b/c i'm not a fan of using my credit card with potential identify theft and someone stealing the number and using it... Plus its easier to watch your expenses that way. So yes, I use ATMs very often.
Credit Unions are often part of ATM networks/pools which provide additional ATM locations without fees.
I'm the exact opposite. I rarely carry cash. You can steal my cash, and it is gone forever. You steal my credit cards, and I can cancel them, and I'm not liable for fraudulent charges.
This is true. There are actually more ATMs in Houston that I can withdraw penalty free from than the local area in GA that my Credit Union is. I can also make deposits and conduct over the counter withdrawals at a large number of credit unions. I knew there were places in my local area where I could use another bank's atm penalty free, but never realized it was nationwide until I just looked.
This. I left Chase a couple of years ago because of the fees. I left them for WAMU. That didn't end well. They have a $10 fee when they charge you the $30 NSF fee. It's literally a fee for charging you a fee.
In a nutshell, they are charging the new fees because they're not making as much on NSF charges, thanks to this ruling a few months ago. BTW guys, be sure not to "opt in" to overdraft protection. It is a scam. http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/wyntk_overdraft.htm
I know Compass refunds any ATM fees that their customers get charged with using other ATMs, customer just turns in the ATM receipt and the fee is refunded back to their account.
i've been with Chase since they took over BankOne...been ok, but it took me over a month of arguing to get a refund over them automatically charging my account for a safety deposit box which I cancelled the very next day...
ATM skimming is becoming more frequent than ever. Not to mention getting jumped while pulling cash is a bigger risk. I'll take someone stealing my CC info over having someone stealing my ATM cards. You can thank the new banking regulation for these new fees.
Okay I just got finished speaking to a rep at Chase and here's the lowdown on this $12 monthly fee that begins in Feb. 2011. For those that were with another bank (Washington Mutual, Bank One, and so on) that was taken over by Chase, you will get charged the monthly fee UNLESS you: a) have a minimum $500 direct deposit every month; b) or maintain a minimum $1,500 checking account balance at all times; c) or have a combination of $5,000 or more in multiple accounts (cds, checking account, savings account, investment account, etc...); d) or have $25 or more worth of checking related fees per month that are incurred in other ways (stop-payment fees, overdraft fees, etc...). Those who were with other banks (Washington Mutual, Bank One, etc...) are NOT eligible for having the monthly fee waived by using your check card a minimum of 5 times per month. Only those that were originally with Chase are eligible for that option. However, those that were with other banks that were taken over by Chase can convert their accounts to a regular Chase account and take advantage of the 5 times per month minimum use of the check card as a way to get the $12 monthly fee waived. The rep told me that it would be best to do this after Feb. 2011 due to technical reasons. She also said that nothing related to your account (i.e. account #, need for a new check card, new checks, etc...) would change once you converted. IMO, that seems like the best option if you're going to stay with Chase.
like a sucker, I didn't know what I was getting into and I opted in. meh, wonder if I can still opt out. Not too worried about NSF though.
