MilesBuzz! - Checking account options? Anything good of late?

I just noticed Citi bank started hitting me with a $20/month maintenance fee, I suspect that's because my checking account dropped below $6k threshold minimum. But dam what a rip off.... I'm going to ask them to refund the fees as a courtesy after I replenish my account next week (once I'm back in the US... New Zealand has been a disastrous trip for me) if they don't, I'll change banks.

So any banks that give miles or other sign up bonuses that are worth considering?

cheers,
--Russ

Hey, banks deserve to make a profit! And the one notorius for saying that still has one debit card that can earn Alaska miles.:p But, I gotta ask - did you sign up for TKR's on that Citi account? If not youse wuz robbed.

I just noticed Citi bank started hitting me with a $20/month maintenance fee, I suspect that's because my checking account dropped below $6k threshold minimum. But dam what a rip off.... I'm going to ask them to refund the fees as a courtesy after I replenish my account next week (once I'm back in the US... New Zealand has been a disastrous trip for me) if they don't, I'll change banks.

So any banks that give miles or other sign up bonuses that are worth considering?

cheers,
--Russ

Suntrust has a delta check card. $75 annual fee I believe with no monthly fee with a $500 minimum balance. Earns 1 mile/$ on everyday uses and 2 miles/$ on delta purchases. Also 5000 miles after the first purchase.

Chase is offering a $150 bonus on their Total Checking which has no fee if you meet their direct deposit or min bal requirements. The offer is especially good if you have a Freedom card because you earn bonus points when you use Freedom if you have a Chase checking account. See The Points Guy post: http://thepointsguy.com/2012/04/maximizing-ultimate-rewards-points-with-chase-checking-accounts-freedom-sapphire-ink-bold-combo/

Click on the link below to recieve an offer code by email.

https://rewards.chase.com/XSell/150/p2059-l2?advertId=38938

Word of warning: Chase does not offer Checking accounts in all states. I live in KS and was not able to open an account via the website. If anyone has ideas to get around this, please PM me.

If you're employed then most any bank should be able to give you free checking in exchange for getting your direct deposit. Otherwise, Capital One has checking accounts with no fees where all you have to do is keep a $300 minimum daily balance. Also, in my humble experience with Citi, I would call Citi and discuss the fee as soon as it appears on my account, not some time later in the great whenever. I don't recommend bank accounts any longer for earning miles unless you are SURE that the value you get out of the miles will be worth more than the tax obligation and complication. Good luck. If you're just picking up peanuts, and I consider a 5K miles bonus to be peanuts then I wouldn't be chasing all that. My two cents only! As a Delta flyer, I consider 5K miles to be of very trivial value. Oh, and my husband just signed up for ING Electric Orange checking account (I know, they're Cap One now too) and not only is there no fee/no minimum at this time, he will be receiving a $50 bonus. Makes that Suntrust recommend look VERY weak to me. $50 cash to use as you please and no fee for the debit card versus, are you serious, a $75 fee for a CHECK CARD? Sounds like Suntrust CEO needs to go to jail for highway robbery if I read that right.

P.S. Yea, I kinda like the Chase offer. If it wasn't for the 1099 possibilities -- and Chase may not even be guilty of sending out bogus 1099s for checking acount earned miles -- then we would have done that one already. No fees $1500 min. balance OR direct deposit from paycheck, Social security, etc. Cash bonuses offered in Louisiana have varied from $100 to $150. In fact, when it was Bank One, I did the offer for $100 and even got a free T-shirt but haven't done it lately even though we get regular snail mailers.

Suntrust has a delta check card. $75 annual fee I believe with no monthly fee with a $500 minimum balance. Earns 1 mile/$ on everyday uses and 2 miles/$ on delta purchases. Also 5000 miles after the first purchase.

If there is no limit on the amount of miles you can earn, that's a bargain.

Mike

If there is no limit on the amount of miles you can earn, that's a bargain.

Mike

Not a bad deal if you actually use a debit card for spend. I think you are much better off putting your spend on an SPG Amex, or any number of credit cards that offer better rewards than the SunTrust debit card.

I only use my checking account to pay off my credit cards and for spend that doesn't accept CC.

Suntrust has a delta check card. $75 annual fee I believe with no monthly fee with a $500 minimum balance. Earns 1 mile/$ on everyday uses and 2 miles/$ on delta purchases. Also 5000 miles after the first purchase.

Which interestingly, includes PIN purchases (but excluding ATM withdrawal, cashback portions of PIN purchases, and cash advances).

Go into a Chase branch and ask them for a $200 for opening Total Checking coupon, they usually have them.

I just noticed Citi bank started hitting me with a $20/month maintenance fee, I suspect that's because my checking account dropped below $6k threshold minimum. But dam what a rip off.... I'm going to ask them to refund the fees as a courtesy after I replenish my account next week (once I'm back in the US... New Zealand has been a disastrous trip for me) if they don't, I'll change banks.

So any banks that give miles or other sign up bonuses that are worth considering?

cheers,
--Russ

$20/mo fee means you're in the Citibank package, with $15K minimum balance. It was $6K minimum until Dec 9, 2011, and then bumped up to $15K. Three options going forward: convert to a basic checking account ($1500 minimum, like Chase's Total Checking--or 1 Direct Deposit (any amount) + 1 Bill Pay (send a $5 check to yourself monthly--we don't check) to waive the charge). Second: Maintain the $15K (may not be an option). Third: if you work for a large company, often Citi has agreements with these companies through Citi's Bank @ Work program, waiving the balance requirement and monthly fee with the direct deposit.

Benefits of the Citibank package and the Basic account package are really almost the same, with the exception of monthly ThankYou Points. To get the base points, you have to have 1 direct deposit + 1 bill payment issued through Citi's site. I use a recurring monthly $5 check payment to my girlfriend and vice verse to meet the requirement for both our accounts.

Basic Account: 425 base + 50 (auto save) + 125 (savings account) = 600/mo
Citibank Account: 625 base + 100 (auto save) + 200 (savings account) = 925/mo

Over the course of the year, you end up with an extra 3900 TY points. The Basic account though could very well be worth holding on to for the 7,200 points per year. No other bank I know of gives you points like that with absolutely no spend requirement.

I'll be home next week, so I'll do my arguing at the local branch instead of via Skype on an unreliable internet connection.

Plan B was to move my banking to Wells Fargo... already had a Wachovia account I opened in 2008 with something like $5 sitting there ever since... but just got an e-mail notice that new account fees will be introduced. How nice? Hey, at least I appreciate the notice.

I had a Citi account (checking) where they want to start charging a monthly fee ($15?) a year or so ago unless I kept six grand in the account.

I searched for a better deal on the Citi websites but couldn't find one.

Went to the local branch and talked to the manager. She said that while it was not on the net, if you came in they had the option to switch you to a special branches only deal with no minimum balance and no monthly charge-no direct deposit needed. YMMV.

Haven't paid any monthly fees since and got the ones charged before refunded.

Getting Thank You Points every month. They gotta be worth something. :D

with my luck I don't know how likely that is to happen, but its reassuring

I just checked my account again and it seems they started charging me in February when my account first dipped below $15k so I'm $60 in a hole already (why didn't I notice this sooner?)


I did check all my e-mails from Citi, and except for a bunch of crap from Citi Cards there's very little from Citi bank. There's nothing about the change of fees, especially to something as significant as this. Not happy at all.

Suntrust has a delta check card. $75 annual fee I believe with no monthly fee with a $500 minimum balance. Earns 1 mile/$ on everyday uses and 2 miles/$ on delta purchases. Also 5000 miles after the first purchase.

If there is no limit on the amount of miles you can earn, that's a bargain.

Mike

As far as I know there is no limit. I have both the personal and business card, and am earning ~15K a month on the business card and no mention of limits that I'm aware of. A business credit card or personal credit card weren't options for me so the suntrust card was the next best option.

with my luck I don't know how likely that is to happen, but its reassuring

I just checked my account again and it seems they started charging me in February when my account first dipped below $15k so I'm $60 in a hole already (why didn't I notice this sooner?)


I did check all my e-mails from Citi, and except for a bunch of crap from Citi Cards there's very little from Citi bank. There's nothing about the change of fees, especially to something as significant as this. Not happy at all.

For what it's worth, Citi included numerous notifications of the changes, BUT they only included them in the statements. For anyone that is paperless/actively uses online banking, the changes were a surprise. Citi is aware of this, though, and for the most part will refund fees as good will. Just out of curiousity, you don't happen to be from the southern california area, do you?

Citi's general rule of thumb is to not refund anything greater than 3 months, because at that point, it really should have been the client's responsibility to see it happen at that point (i.e. no: I didn't see the last 9 months of fees, reverse them!).

biggestbopper appears to have gotten a very sweet deal from a manager--I assure you that is beyond YMMV. He/She either got a student/senior account, or a perminant fee waiver (the latter being a risky move for the manager, as it gets audited).

Take a look at online checking accounts, schwab, ally bank, e-trade bank etc. They usually have no minimums, pay (very low) interest, and refund all your ATM fees. I left B of A over fees and moved to one of those and have been very happy with it.

it would be nice to make some miles out of everyday banking

For what it's worth, Citi included numerous notifications of the changes, BUT they only included them in the statements. For anyone that is paperless/actively uses online banking, the changes were a surprise. Citi is aware of this, though, and for the most part will refund fees as good will. Just out of curiousity, you don't happen to be from the southern california area, do you?

Citi's general rule of thumb is to not refund anything greater than 3 months, because at that point, it really should have been the client's responsibility to see it happen at that point (i.e. no: I didn't see the last 9 months of fees, reverse them!).

The $60 was refunded. Account downgraded to $1,500 minimum balance. While I was there they offered a ton of services I neither asked for or needed, mostly loans. No offer of air miles.

Went to Wells Fargo whom did notify me of their upcoming fee structure, deposited another $1,500 to keep the account free... and may move everything there shortly... unless a sweet mileage deal comes along.

Say, like using debit cards to buy $.69 money orders to pay rent or just deposit in the bank or were you talking about using a credit card to make up to a $5,000 initial checking account deposit and have it earn miles?:D

Ask not if you can make some miles out of everyday banking, but whether everyday you can make miles out of some banking.:p

it would be nice to make some miles out of everyday banking