<p>I have to switch my checking account to Bank of America before I go to college in the fall because it is the only bank both my hometown and my college town have. When I was checking out the different options, it seemed like they have a lot more maintainence fees than my bank (Suntrust) does. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this bank, particularly its student banking program (Campus Edge). Would I be better off getting a basic checking account, or should I do their whole student program?</p>
<p>i have the student checkings/savings.</p>
<p>haven’t had any problems at all. Everything is free except extra checks, but you get a free check card, so checks are kinda pointless. Billpay is free, unlimited withdraws/deposits, no minimum balance required, free online account management…just watch out for the overdraft fees (about $30/overdraft) which can occur if you use credit with your check card and loose track of your balance.</p>
<p>I’ve used Bank of America for years. As long as you maintain the minimum balance in your checking account it’s fine & you won’t get crazy over withdrawl fees. I’ve never notices maintenance fees on my account. I love thier online banking, I can check my balance, transfer funds around, and pay my bills. I’m not sure what thier whole student program is, I have a regular checking account.</p>
<p>Bank of America savings sucks. Get all your money out NOW. Their checking, on the other hand, is decent. I believe it’s free for 5 years for students and they have good online service. They also have decent ATM coverage (in my area, at least). Their keep the change program is a quick way to earn $250.</p>
<p>i have the campus edge thing and theres no min. balance which is sweet but the over draft is $31 after the first time so watch out… that adds up fast (ive gone red 3 times this year)</p>
<p>My son has BofA and it has worked great for him. We’ve found them to be among the most helpful and efficient when things happen–ie lost ATM card. Online banking is awesome.</p>
<p>And another plus, they actually are waiving the out of state fees for using another bank’s ATMs. This is because they don’t actually have a branch in New Orleans (Tulane). The local NO banks aren’t the same ones where we are, so the option of finding a bank in both places wasn’t one for us.</p>
<p>Anyway, overall, I’ve been very happy with BofA. I also have an account as does my D (sophomore in college in another city). Easy to transfer funds back and forth too.</p>
<p>Similar to what other people have said, I have some sort of student checking/savings account and I like that they have ATMs all over the place. I’ve been generally happy with them, but I have had occasions where I’ve been charged a fee for not having a high enough balance (it was a low number, but I have no cash flow, basically) which brought me into the red, cashed checks thinking I had x amount of money (they don’t give you credit for the whole deposit until it goes through), went and spent what I thought I had, due to fees went into the red, got charged $31 bucks for going over, cycle repeats. That $31 bucks really gets me. Of course, I really do need some better money manegement skills, so it’s probably my fault, so I really can’t complain. I’ve used it as a debit overseas and avoided hefty atm charges. Debit cards are the universal currency :)</p>
<p>My D has bank of america and has never had a problem with their services. She has a campus edge account, with no fees and pays bills on line. She has her paychecks directly deposited int o the account and has a visa through them.</p>
<p><a href=“Bank Accounts - Open a Bank of America Account Online Today”>Bank Accounts - Open a Bank of America Account Online Today;
<p>They do have major issues when using the accounts out of state. For example, when I’m at home in MD, I can’t use the BofA ATM to deposit checks into my California BofA account…</p>
<p>You should have no problems using yoru Bof A account from state to state.</p>
<p>My daugter has a BofA account in rural NH and has never problem banking in NYC when she is home.</p>
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<p>Double check, though. I have some friends with MD accounts who have no problems in NY…however, I have issues (convenience, nothing completely locking me out of my money) outside CA.</p>
<p>I pretty much have no choice but to get Bank of America because like I said its the only bank in both towns. I think I am going to do the Campus Edge checking as opposed to regular, because you get reimbursed the first time you get overdrawn, and you don’t have to have a minimum balance. </p>
<p>Also, Slorg says that their saving sucks–why? I am planning on opening a savings account my second semester so I can save money for studying abroad. Have any of you used their savings accounts?</p>
<p>The interest rates are horrible. I use a linked ING direct account. Instead 0.5%, the interest is like 4.5% and it functions exactly as if it were a BofA savings account. And there are even better options than ING Direct. Other banks like Emigrant and HSBC have even better rates. Also, laddered one-month treasury bills are a great way to store cash because of taxes. They net even more money than a savings account. Even better is a money market account exempt from both state and federal taxes. I know Vanguard has a CA one. These are all pretty much risk-free options.</p>
<p>If you want to setup an ING Direct account, PM me. I can refer you so you get $25 free.</p>
<p>Bank of America’s systems are not completely tied together. Therefore, if you have an account in one region of the United States and you try to deposit a check from another region into your account, you end up with a big mess.</p>
<p>Uh… </p>
<p>You go into your out-of-state branch, take an out of state deposit slip, circle your state on the slip, and deposit normally. This is not a ‘big mess.’</p>
<p>Try doing money transfers between two unlinked bofa accounts that have your name listed.</p>
<p>Took me 3 days and 12 phone calls to make a simple $900 balance transfer.</p>
<p>use Washington Mutual…BOA is trash</p>
<p>You guys are making me nervous. I plan on having one checking account with Bank of America, and opening it in Tennessee, my home state. I will be going to college in Missouri. My parents will transfer $200 to me through direct deposit from their accounts every month the first year, and I will use my check card for purchases, but eventually I will get a job in Missouri. Will I have difficulty depositing paychecks while in Missouri because it is a Tennessee account?</p>
<p>Call and ask. Not every state is in its own system - reason why sybbie’s daughter hasn’t had any problems. You might be lucky too.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I use Washington Mutual.</p>
<p>One of my friends tried calling BOA one Saturday night b/c he lost his check card and wanted to cancel it, but there was no customer service and he had to wait until Monday. It seems improbable that a bank doesn’t have 24hr customer service, but if it is, that sucks.</p>