Originally Posted by
kayanco
- Are these real/substantial benefits (worth the $20K) or just gimmicks?
Gimmicks mostly.
FWIW - these are all real benefits. The question is how often you will be able to use it. For example - Free (selected styles) check printing is usually a benefit of high tiered checking account. But are you seriously going to order a box of checks each month?
Beside - the cost of a box of checks is usually under $25 through the banks.
Originally Posted by
kayanco
- Do other banks/CUs offers these for free?
Yes and no. FWIW - paying fees are not always a bad thing.
Originally Posted by
kayanco
So are there good reasons to bank with the likes of BoA, Chase, Citi which have none of these features?
Yes, if you are a very simple person.
Originally Posted by
kayanco
I'm trying to see if there are downsides to Schwab/Fidelity accounts, or under what situations would one prefer BoA/Chase for checking?
Relationship. Schwab/Fidelity style won't help you establishing any kind of relationships with the institutions. But those big banks can.
Originally Posted by
kayanco
Does Capital One have any benefit (within US) over Schwab/Fidelity that would offset this?
No. C1 360 is more like the last man standing during the era of internet banks.
Originally Posted by
kayanco
So that might offset the non-reimbursement of foreign ATM surcharge?
Unless you use the account exclusively overseas, this is a too small issue to discuss.
Beside - there are ways to circumvent the issue.