Bank accounts?

dressagechick · 08-10-2005, 06:18 PM

Has anyone opened a bank account for college yet? Are you using chevy chase or the georgetown credit union? It seems like chevy chase is a better deal, but I wanted to hear from others first. Also, did anyone send in the form for chevy chase that we got in the mail yet?

tlaktan · 08-10-2005, 06:24 PM

I've been a member of BofA for quite some time now, I'm not planning on changing.

hoyadan · 08-10-2005, 09:05 PM

I have accounts with both banks, Chevy Chase is very good, except the only thing that is Free is the checking account and not the savings account. GUASFCU on the other hand offers both. Chevy Chase also is very ****y about overdraw which is something that has happended to me, and they ahve this HUGE charge, for just a couple sents overdraw. I find that GUASFCU is less "professional" because it is student run, but at the ame time that makes them more approachable. Chevy Chase has ATMs all over the DC, unlike GUASFCU which are only on campus, so you'll probably get fees when trying to withdraw awy from campus. GUASFCU and CC have the same number of ATMs on campus, in teh exact same place. GUASFCU is kind of a tradition. and they are much more flexuble. They are very easy to manage and require almost no hssle when signing up. CC is not that wasy they're a little but harder but not significantly. I originally chose GUASFCU because of their savings account, with AWESOME interest. I won a 500 dollar prize from CC so that's when I opened an account there, they're good, I like them. But my Hoya pride makes me feel a little more love for GUASFCU. Hope this helps!

dressagechick · 08-11-2005, 02:44 PM

Thanks for the post! Do any of them have any hidden fees I should know about? I know the GUASFCU costs $10 to start up, but I'd rather pay them that much and not deal with surprise costs later, because I had the overdraft problem with my old bank too. I had to pay three huge fees because I was a couple dollars over, it annoyed the hell out of me so I closed my account. Also, do you have any advice about credit cards?

hoyadan · 08-11-2005, 04:31 PM

No, there are no hidden fees, GUASFCUY charges like 1 dollar a month for online banking, CC is free. Besides that there are no hidden fees. The 10 dollars are yours, it's not a fee, it's just a minimum to start your bank account.

tlaktan · 08-11-2005, 05:01 PM

What is GUASFCU's policy on overdrafting?

hoyadan · 08-11-2005, 06:30 PM

Your card is simply denied when you try to use it. You can't over draw basically.

jangel86 · 08-12-2005, 12:44 AM

Do you really need to get one of those bank accounts? I already have a credit union account at home that reimburses me for ATM transactions and has free online banking, and I don't really want to go through the hassle of changing accounts. Will I be ok with my account from home?

tlaktan · 08-12-2005, 01:03 AM

Does GUAFSCU (wow, that's an acronym I'll have to get used to) offer credit cards to students? I know some schools do through MBNA, but what about the credit rating and all?

hoyadan · 08-12-2005, 09:19 AM

No, a lot of people kept their at home bank accounts, if you geta job, I'd recommend you got a bank account just so you can cash your checks and stuff. They offer MBNA credit cards, they'll ive them to anybody, they'll probably call you if you don't/ I really have an issue with credit cards, or more likely their misuse, my parents told me this: Get a credit card if you are up to the responsability. It sounds dumb but it's true!

manderz1 · 08-12-2005, 11:05 AM

you can in theory keep your home account, just hope there are a few branches in DC. atm withdrawal fees annoy the heck out of me, so I think that's pretty important.