For those using/thinking of using ING Direct...
 

Their rate just jumped up to 3.30%! ^

Mine with Emigrant Direct is 3.5%, but there was a thread on here at one point about $50 for opening an ING account. I actually have accounts with both - figured I'd get the $50 free from ING, but the Emigrant Direct rate was slightly better.

I suspect Emigrant will raise their rates to 3.75% soon, following the Fed's rate hike last week. That's probably why ING raised theirs. Presidential Online Bank raised their savings rates to 3.87% (but the account has a $5000 minimum), so Emigrant should follow shortly if historical trends remain accurate. :)

I'm hoping Emigrant will institute a sign-up bonus soon... but since they have a higher rate than ING, I'll probably end up "losing" money if I wait too long. :p

Up more...
 

ING's now at 3.40%, and Emigrant's at 4.00%

I really like ING, especially because the have a cafe here in Philadelphia, where I can drop off checks. But the rates at Emigrant are definitely more attractive. It is certainly had to keep track of these rates, and I don't want to jump from bank to bank (I guess I can have multiple accounts, but transfer money if the rates fluctuate).

I was looking for a sign up bonus at Emigrant. I guess they don't have one...

fuzz

3.40% (effective 09/23/05 ).
much better tahn a year ago. pay about 1%.

I haven't seen a sign-up bonus with Emigrant, and unlike ING, they don't offer a referral bonsu of any sort. If they did, I'd be more than happy to share. :D

I have accounts with both ING and Emigrant, and haven't had a problem with either one. My transfers seem to happen sooner than the expected timeframe, which is always nice.

ING Direct
 

Does anyone know by using that tax code, if you can refer someone and get the referal bonus? If so, what process or how would you sing up your referral in order to get both bonus's?

I just signed up and got the $50 bonus added to my account for setting it up. Hoping I can refer friends and family by using the tax code in this thread to get them the $50 sign up bonus and any referral bonus for me. Does anyone know if this can be done?

If you had searched, you would have found this thread discussing the deal. :)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ght=ING+Direct

As much as like ING, I have a feeling I will be moving my money to Emigrant. 4% is just too lucrative to pass up.

Other bonus offers
 

For those looking for good bonus offers for good accounts, I have listed in the Banks section of the Finance page of my website below:

• MetLife Bank for $50
• Virtual Bank for $20
• The usual ING offer for $25

Of course, make sure you don't get 'fired'...
 

Interesting article on CNN.com:

"We fire our customers is a colorful way of putting it," said ING Direct's Kuhlmann. "While the banking business says the customer is always right, we're online guys and you can only do business with us in a certain way."

Why not bank online?

Very interesting, they let high maintenance customers go. Man those consultants can earn their living...

My SO just send in our app to open an account for $25 (too bad I read this thread too late). Seems like it is worth it to park some $$ at ING.

You'll like IMG. Easiest bank I've ever dealt with.

and...they haven't fired me yet. :)

Presidential just went up to 4.12 APY on savings. This is getting good.

Does anyone want to refer me to ING? Send a PM

Sent you a PM.

Everyone should note - the $25/$10 referral is only valid if the new account is opened with $250.

That was too good to last. Can't blame them, but I wish the minimum was lower. Easier to get people to open an account with lower minimums.

Their rate just jumped up to 3.75%! Effective 5 Dec 05.

How come ING Direct Canada's rate's so much lower... :confused:

Both CAD and USD are currently 2.75%

If anyone is looking for a referral, I have a few to a good home.

:D

Since interest rates in Canada are lower than in the US right now, ING offers lower interest rates to its Canadian customers. In the past, you could get higher interest rates in the Canadian accounts.

HSBC USA (www.hsbcdirect.com ) has an online savings account as well, offering 4%. There are a lot of HSBC-branded banks around the world, which might make its ATM card handy (though most online banks, as well as my online brokerage, offer at least a limited number of fee-reimbursed transactions at "foreign" ATMs anyway).

I appreciate these posts about ING. I forgot that I even have an account with them (I got the free $50 and have added to it since) and it's nice to know I'm making a nice return on it, even though it's not much. Who forgets they have a savings account? Am I crazy?

No, I don't think you are. I fall into a similar group - I don't forget I have one, but I don't think about it or consider it as anything other than an emergency source of money.

I know that I'm considerably better off having an ING account with a four-digit balance that I don't have to worry about than I was when I was in college. ;)

Mike

Etrade has 4.10 % plus $50 bonus promo:
etrade.com/50cash

Me too ^

Watch the fine print on the etrade offer. It's a 90 day introductory offer that then switched to a variable offer based on you rbalance. If you don't maintain a $1000 balance by the end of the second month they charge a $10 monthly fee, and if you close the account within 120 days there's a $10 fee.

How do existing customers get these referrals? I've had an ING account for years and never figured out how to refer anyone elase. There seems to be nothing on their website about it.

On another note, I love ING. In addition to the no-hassle interest rate, I also get 16% off on my monthly Sprint mobile phone bill (that was a very limited time promotion this past July that they're no longer offering).

Yes, definitely do so. The most important thing to read in the fine print is the following (emphasis mine):
Looks like this offer isn't really worth much anymore.

I use ING Canada. I wish we had the same interest rates as you guys down in the States but I'll make do. The nice thing about it is it's a good place to park your money and forget about it. I have it drawing out $100 a week from my chequing account right now. Since I don't really think about it, its not a big deal. Of course I have the same thing happening with my RRSPs anyhow. This account is more along the lines of saving for a new car or something later on.

Cheers

I personally like HSBC which just bumped up to 4.25%.

That said, there are a bunch of deals including miles/points offers that have competitive rates too:

Most interesting is a Costco Annuity that claims to have first-year interest rates as high as 7.15%...

Here are some interesting other miles and points earning banking deals that I found on dealmine.com:

BankDirect earn aadvantage miles as follows:
-- 50 miles a month for every $1,000 maintained in a Mileage Money Market Account.
-- 1,000 miles for every $1,000 spent on a 2-year Mileage CD purchase
-- 500 miles for every $1,000 spent on a 1-year Mileage CD purchase
-- 250 miles for every $1,000 spent on a 6-month Mileage CD purchase

Guaranty Bank get one AAdvantage mile for every $10 of your average monthly balance.

NetBank -- 3,500 delta skymiles for opening a qualifying checking account
NetBank -- Get up to 9,000 TripRewards Points when you bank online

I've been using umbrellabank.com for years. No miles, but the savings rate is up to 4.40%

Another rate increase at ING: now 3.80%.

Also, if you have TIVO and don't yet have an account with ING, you can signup and still get $25. http://ingdirect.com/tivo. It doesn't appear to have a minimum opening amount, but looks like you do have to be an actual Tivo subsciber.

Here's the info required on the page:
--> last four digits of the primary phone number on the TiVo account
--> five digit zip code
--> reference code as seen in the ING DIRECT showcase on your TiVo service (I can't remember mine right now, but it was something like TIVO1)

Here's the text from the page:

Great Rate. No Fees. No Minimums. No need to change banks - Your Orange Savings Account will be automatically linked to your current checking account. Access your account around the clock via ingdirect.com. Open your account online in under 5 minutes.

$25 Bonus is only available for new accounts with a new customer as the primary owner. $25 Bonus starts earning interest upon account opening, but is unavailable for withdrawal for 30 days. This offer is only valid for TiVo® customers with a current valid account. Valid through 4/30/06.

G.E. Interest Plus?
 

I've always used the G.E. Interest Plus ( http://www.geinterestplus.com/ ). Can anyone tell me the disadvantages and/or differences of the ING accounts? I actually read about the ING accounts here and recommended them to my daughter (which she opened) but I haven't heard much about the G.E. Interest Plus account, which has worked out great for me. It also gives you $25.00 to start an account. Just curious.

Right off the bat, I see the GE Interest Plus account is not FDIC insured. Looks like a good option, though, and probably 99% safe compared to a FDIC-insured bank safety of 100%. :D

I wouldn't keep my "0% Balance Transfer game" money in there, but it might be good for other savings options.

As noted, not FDIC insured. Can get 4.30% from GMAC http://www.gmacbank.com/todays-rates.do

I am reasonably happy with Emmigrant Direct which is at 4% right now.

Finding the referral link is not easy. First, log into your account. Once you have gotten into your account, look on the left-hand side for the "Open account" button. Click on that, and about halfway down the page is a link for referring a friend.

Mike

And ING Direct Australia pays 5.4%. ING pays a rate that is competitive with interest rates locally.

But before you start sending your dollars to Australia, realize that ING Direct Australia requires that you link their account with a conventional AUSTRALIAN bank account. To open an Aussie bank acct. you don't need to be a citizen or resident, but you need to make your initial deposit IN PERSON! And ING Direct requires an Australian Tax File Number.