US Banks - WTF???

[YuAndDan 153]

In the 8 years I have been with my bank I have not ordered new checks, still have the free starter ones issued when opening the account, I do all my bill payments through my bank's online bill payment website, for free, no need to spend money on postage stamps either.

Also years ago at my old bank, I would no bother ordering any fancy checks, just the plain cheap blue ones for me, you could even order checks from a third party check printer for lower price than the ones through the bank.

http://www.checkworks.com/personal/bydesign.asp?design=CS

http://www.4checks.com/index.asp

[Converse34 1]

All I can say is shop around! Also, make sure you mention the company you work for - I get free checking/free checks because of it.

UK banks do not charge for checks or ATMs - but their overdraft fees are horrendeous - 39quid?! from the Halifax - no US bank would ever get a away with charging $80.

[Fandango 1,439]

Many banks have free ATMs

And third party checks are the way to go...much cheaper. Here's a place where I ordered mine...

http://www.bradfordexchangechecks.com

I almost paid USCIS with this one:

...but thought better of it...hahahah

[mawilson 2,133]

I almost paid USCIS with this one:

...but thought better of it...hahahah

[britty 1]

thanks everyone for the advice - I think I will cancel the order for the checks and change banks. It seems there are better banks out there.

[homesick_american 1]

I just had to telephone Chevy Chase bank to ask for more checks (god knows why checks are so important here cause in the UK they are only ever used by people over 60). I am being charged $34 to reorder check books. I can't believe they have the audacity to charge for something that Natwest sends out as a matter of course since they monitor the checks you use. Also, Chevy Chase cannot seem to cope with international banking. Natwest of course set it up in 4 mins flat. Does anyone know of a good US bank (Im in Virginia) that can actually operate in a manner that a UK bank does, and that has the capacity for online international banking and doesnt charge for checks? Id be grateful for the name!!

Yeah; you might want to use a larger bank that has a presence across the USA. I've never heard of Chevy Chase bank, I don't pay $34 for checks, and I don't even carry a check book with me.

My account is with Bank of America; I'm guessing you've heard of them.

[Dr_LHA 3]

Yeah; you might want to use a larger bank that has a presence across the USA. I've never heard of Chevy Chase bank, I don't pay $34 for checks, and I don't even carry a check book with me.

They're a very large bank in the Washington/Baltimore area. If you've never heard of them then you've never been in that area I guess, they're everywhere around there.

My account is with Bank of America; I'm guessing you've heard of them.

Yes, and I can't believe you'd recommend going with those blood suckers. Talk about a bank that drains your money away. Bank of America are seriously evil. I speak from experience BTW.

[Jennymc11 2]

Wait, is it really called "Chevy Chase" bank? I thought you were making a joke, like the actors name. I've definitely heard of Chase bank...

[featherB 1]

Wait, is it really called "Chevy Chase" bank? I thought you were making a joke, like the actors name. I've definitely heard of Chase bank...

That's what I thought, too... but no, I just Googled and it appears it is a real bank!

[Dr_LHA 3]

Wait, is it really called "Chevy Chase" bank? I thought you were making a joke, like the actors name. I've definitely heard of Chase bank...

Chevy Chase bank was formed when the actor was 12, so no relation! Chevy Chase bank's founder was from Chevy Chase, Maryland. They have something like 250 branches around Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and DC. If you're ever flown through Washington Dulles Airport you'll see their ATMs around.

Edited July 31, 2007 by Dr_LHA

[mawilson 2,133]

Wait, is it really called "Chevy Chase" bank? I thought you were making a joke, like the actors name. I've definitely heard of Chase bank...

That's what I thought, too... but no, I just Googled and it appears it is a real bank!

No relation to Chevrolet or JPMorgan Chase either, I suspect

[homesick_american 1]

All I can say is shop around! Also, make sure you mention the company you work for - I get free checking/free checks because of it.

UK banks do not charge for checks or ATMs - but their overdraft fees are horrendeous - 39quid?! from the Halifax - no US bank would ever get a away with charging $80.

Perhaps not but a lot of accounts in the USA won't go into overdraft automatically and in this state it's a criminal offense to write a check on an account that you know has insufficient funds. The fees from bounced checks can be enormous so it is wise to read the fine print and see what your particular account's policies are on overdrafts. My cousin's bank account doesn't have an overdraft and he racked up $500 in bounced check fees recently. This is the third time he's done it and the bank's not going to forgive those fees this time.

[homesick_american 1]

Yeah; you might want to use a larger bank that has a presence across the USA. I've never heard of Chevy Chase bank, I don't pay $34 for checks, and I don't even carry a check book with me.

They're a very large bank in the Washington/Baltimore area. If you've never heard of them then you've never been in that area I guess, they're everywhere around there.

My account is with Bank of America; I'm guessing you've heard of them.

Yes, and I can't believe you'd recommend going with those blood suckers. Talk about a bank that drains your money away. Bank of America are seriously evil. I speak from experience BTW.

All banks are evil. *shrug* Most of my money is sitting with UBS, not Bank of America. I have a Bank of America account with some money in it so I can pay bills because I'd rather not write checks on an investment account.

Also...never having been to the Washington/Baltimore area in my life, I'm sure there's lots of chain businesses there that I've never heard of.

[Otto 83]

My local Commerce branch is open 7 days a week, M-F: 7:30am-8pm, Sat: 7:30am-6pm, Sun: 11am-4pm

and most holidays.

An exceptional case I would say. I've never found a bank that's open on Sunday! You are lucky. Perhaps its a big city thing. Banks around here close at 4pm (6pm on Thursday!), and are not open on weekends.

In Phoenix (and here in Austin) - most of the grocery stores have a branch inside them - Wells Fargo, Chase, and Bank of America to name a few (from both cities) - they're (mostly) open every day - extended hours (as in 7, sometimes 8PM) on weekdays, and open (at least briefly) on Sundays...

[homesick_american 1]

My local Commerce branch is open 7 days a week, M-F: 7:30am-8pm, Sat: 7:30am-6pm, Sun: 11am-4pm

and most holidays.

An exceptional case I would say. I've never found a bank that's open on Sunday! You are lucky. Perhaps its a big city thing. Banks around here close at 4pm (6pm on Thursday!), and are not open on weekends.

In Phoenix (and here in Austin) - most of the grocery stores have a branch inside them - Wells Fargo, Chase, and Bank of America to name a few (from both cities) - they're (mostly) open every day - extended hours (as in 7, sometimes 8PM) on weekdays, and open (at least briefly) on Sundays...

I used to pay my cable bill at the HEB on Jollyville. So convenient!