Woolsgrove

Hello all,

I'm glad to find out I don't need a SSN to open a US bank account... but does anyone have any idea what account is best to open, that doesn't pay yearly fees or fees for transfer, and which I can access via the internet without fees.

I'll be based in (yes, good ol') Orlando, Florida.

Muchly appreciated,

Emma

Duncan Roberts

If you find one that does all that, let me know.

mellybrown

if you go with bank of america like we did double check they give you the right account!!!! I asked for bob standard checking and saving which had practically no fees, you just had to have $300 in the savings to not get the monthley fee................they gave me a savings account that i needed $25000 in a month.....and wondered why I Wanted my fee money back when i realised!!!! Then they "forgot" to link my overdraft to my savings pkan so I wouldnt get a fee if i went overdrawn.....that happened last week and off to the bank went melly to stamp her feet!

Apart from that they have been pretty good! If you have barclays account in UK then they are supposedly linked somehow

Lord Lionheart

ING direct? Orange electric account or HSBC, you'll need to check the details for yourself as these are just pointers

chartreuse

I have WaMu Free Checking. Online banking, free bill pay, download copies of checks etc. Don't know about transfer - I doubt that'd be free, but whadda I know?

Orangepants

Hi,

I bank with Wachovia, I dont have a SSN yet - if you keep $5000 in a Crown account, you can have as many free checking accounts as you like. Rate of interest is a whopping .35% on the Crown!! And online bill pay and transfers (internal and external) are really efficient and free.
MMA accounts have a good rate of interest but are usually on a fixed term of 3-6 months.
All the accounts can be put on one debit card which can also act as a guaranteed credit card so when I use the card in a store I ask them to run it as credit so I can start building my credit profile.
Customer service is great online too.

lapin_windstar

My citicard checking account is free so long as you get two paychecks put in every month.

The key things to look for are:

- annual/monthly fees
- atm fees (or atm fee reimbursement)
- branches near you in Florida (unless you get atm fees back)
- good online access (citi is pretty good)

You may also want to consider local Credit Unions.

Forget about earning interest on checking accounts.

All banks are bastards, naturally.

Woolsgrove

Thanks guys, that's all really helpful! I'll have a look online and see if I can get more info - and get back to you when I find something!

Emma

MsElui

also chose one that has plenty of branches near to where you work, live and/or socialise so its easy to get at your money. They can charge for using other banks ATM's so its can be cheaper if you use your branches as first choice.

kins

I was very happy with WaMu when I was with them.

Am now with Bangor Savings (local Maine bank) and very happy with them but that's not much use to you...

Orangepants

Couldn't agree more and I work for one!!

Bob

Depends where you live...

BoA are shit, but they are across the country if that's important to you.

TD Bank is so-so and all over the East coast and moving further out west after taking over a couple of banks.

Most banks offer free accounts and the like, just depends on what the minimum average balance is for it to be free.

I wouldn't go with Sovereign Bank though because they are about to go out of business and I know BoA is offering bonuses to branches that are able to get a Sovereign branch to close down.

OiOi

Barclays are part of BOA global ATM Alliance so you can you can use your BOA ATM at barclays in the UK with no fees. Although i'm sure there is some kind of currency conversion fee.

ChocolateBabz

We went with Chase Workplace Account. No annual fees as long as your wages are going in - free internet banking, loads of branches around. Only fee is if you use someone elses ATM.

GSH

Never had any problems with B of A in the past 18 years I have been a customer. I have the Prima Checking linked to my savings and a CD, so I avoid the monthly fee. I know people either love or hate B of A. Another thing to consider nowadays is that a lot of the smaller banks could fail like IndyMac recently did, so why take the chance, just go with one of the biggest banks in the country and rest assured your money is safe.