what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

any nu students know what bank is best? i just want something convenient that won't charge a lot of fees for having a small checking account that i will take money out of once a week.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

ummm whichever one has an atm on campus.

this is pretty much always the answer since all banks offer 4-5 yrs free student checking.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

USBank

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

[ QUOTE ]
ummm whichever one has an atm on campus.

this is pretty much always the answer since all banks offer 4-5 yrs free student checking.

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get one of those and then look into this...

at INGdirest...you get 4% interest on balance in checking account...4.5% on savings and 5%+ on CD...you get a debit card that does not charge at the random ATM's in like Walgreens and Target...go to their site to check it out

The only drawback is getting money there...will need to link to existing account at another bank

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ummm whichever one has an atm on campus.

this is pretty much always the answer since all banks offer 4-5 yrs free student checking.

[/ QUOTE ]

get one of those and then look into this...

at INGdirest...you get 4% interest on balance in checking account...4.5% on savings and 5%+ on CD...you get a debit card that does not charge at the random ATM's in like Walgreens and Target...go to their site to check it out

The only drawback is getting money there...will need to link to existing account at another bank

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You'll need a car to get from NU campus to the nearest fee-free ATM, as of the last time I looked (a few months ago)

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

Also, if you have any other questions about NU feel free to PM me.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

ah a fellow northwesterner, you should probably have USbank since it's on your wildcard, however, US bank sucks and its only open at norris, the student center.

I recommend you get a bank of america, there is one on noyes street on north campus and one on south campus as well. bank of america is also a ton better in terms of service. As a last resort, I would go chase, but the walk is longer I think.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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Also, if you have any other questions about NU feel free to PM me.

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How useful is it to have USBank tied to your wildcard. I just got the ATM card becuase I figured I was gonna get one anyways, so I'd just use that instead and wouldnt have extra worry if I lost my wildcard.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

no use in getting the ATM card, just use your wildcard for everything.

if you lose it, just get a new one no biggie.
i still recommend a bank of america acct though, USbank sucks b/c you can't use it anywhere else besides at NU

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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Also, if you have any other questions about NU feel free to PM me.

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How useful is it to have USBank tied to your wildcard. I just got the ATM card becuase I figured I was gonna get one anyways, so I'd just use that instead and wouldnt have extra worry if I lost my wildcard.

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Everything I have heard about the wildcard/atm combo is that it sucks - the ATM strip on the wildcard is evidently very unreliable. I just carry my debit card.

Also, I have always had fantastic service with USBank. My debit card was stolen and the info used to empty my account AND overdraw it by $2500 in New York, and USBank called ME to tell me that something appeared to be wrong and I had the money back within two weeks.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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USbank sucks b/c you can't use it anywhere else besides at NU

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This isn't true at all.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

i use lasalle bank (with a car), there's a branch down central and an atm in cvs. there are also a ton of them in the chicago area.

but yeah if you don't have a car just use us since there are a couple atms around campus.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

I used B of A while I was at NU with no real problems. Theres a branch down there on Sherman and another ATM up by D&D I believe, that pretty much covers it. Like other people have said, US Bank is the official one and all that so it would work too I suppose.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

When I was going to school all of the campus ATMs were owned by LaSalle. LaSalle even had a manned bank branch on the ground floor of Norris. Did this change?

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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When I was going to school all of the campus ATMs were owned by LaSalle. LaSalle even had a manned bank branch on the ground floor of Norris. Did this change?

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Yep. Replace every LaSalle in your statement with US Bank.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

I had no idea NU had so many 2+2ers... I'll be there next August...weeee!

Anyhoo, I use USAA, which give me free (well, refunded) ATM use anywhere I go.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

Yea none of us know each other IRL tho.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

my brother goes there....he uses usbank......not that that really helps at all....

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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Yea none of us know each other IRL tho.

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We should...change that. With this many people, we should definitely get a home game going next year. I'll be living with 2 other 2p2ers, and we definitely want to host one.

If you want to PM me if you're NU, I can contact everyone come late September/October.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

All you guys from northwestern eh...nuts....i play poker with a couple kids already and am gonna be a junior there...hit me up, ill be up when we start in late sept...

JB

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

While I'm hijacking this thread...just thought I'd add that the home game I have in mind will be low stakes, booze-flowing fun. Don't worry 'bout it being too serious.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

someone should compile a list of all the NU kids here and get it going, any volunteers?

im down

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

didn't realize there were this many nu kids...whoever is having a game- i'm interesting in playing

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

[x]

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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When I was going to school all of the campus ATMs were owned by LaSalle. LaSalle even had a manned bank branch on the ground floor of Norris. Did this change?

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This is what it was like when I was there too...

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

1. Get a 12 month 0% APR credit card and make all your purchases with that so you can collect interest on your cash.

2. Get a student checking account at BoA and sign up for the following savings account through BoA: http://www.fatwallet.com/t/52/655717/
It's a no-fee savings account offered through AAA but you don't even need to be a AAA member to qualify
The interest rates are MUCH better than the [censored] rates they offer for normal savings accounts
Balance index Rate APY
$0-$2,500 MFR - .25 4.48 4.58
$2,500 - $9,999 MFR 4.73 4.84
$10,000 - $49,999 MFR + .25 4.98 5.11
$50,000 and over MFR + .50 5.23 5.37

3. Get a 5%+ savings account at ETrade or some other online bank and keep almost all of your money in that or the BoA savings except for a little in the BoA checking account for cash withdrawals. By law you get a minimum of 6 transfers per month from the savings account so you'll have no problem transferring money to a checking account if necessary.

B&M banks are for fish. They give like .7% interest on savings accounts. Even if you don't have a lot of money to collect interest on, there's no reason to pass up higher interest.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

The campus changed from LaSalle to US Bank I think in 2004.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

naturally, a booze filled low stakes game is what i intended, lets get it ready to go so we can drink away our sorrows for the oncoming year immediately when school starts.....

JB

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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B&M banks are for fish. They give like .7% interest on savings accounts. Even if you don't have a lot of money to collect interest on, there's no reason to pass up higher interest.

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Unless you want to actually withdraw from a convienient ATM without paying fees.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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B&M banks are for fish. They give like .7% interest on savings accounts. Even if you don't have a lot of money to collect interest on, there's no reason to pass up higher interest.

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Unless you want to actually withdraw from a convienient ATM without paying fees.

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Read my post again. I linked to a BoA account that gives just under 5% interest, and even more if you have a high balance. So you can transfer funds (up to 6x per month with no charge) from that account to your BoA checking account to give yourself enough cash for ATM withdrawals. And BoA has a ton of ATMs all over the country. Thats a special deal though. If you just walk into a B&M bank on the first day of school like every other college kid and set up a checking and savings account, they'll totally shaft you. Nowadays with online banks that offer interest rates with 5%+ interest and free electronic transfers, there's no reason to keep a lot of money in the crappy accounts that most B&M banks offer.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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B&M banks are for fish. They give like .7% interest on savings accounts. Even if you don't have a lot of money to collect interest on, there's no reason to pass up higher interest.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless you want to actually withdraw from a convienient ATM without paying fees.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read my post again. I linked to a BoA account that gives just under 5% interest, and even more if you have a high balance. So you can transfer funds (up to 6x per month with no charge) from that account to your BoA checking account to give yourself enough cash for ATM withdrawals. And BoA has a ton of ATMs all over the country. Thats a special deal though. If you just walk into a B&M bank on the first day of school like every other college kid and set up a checking and savings account, they'll totally shaft you. Nowadays with online banks that offer interest rates with 5%+ interest and free electronic transfers, there's no reason to keep a lot of money in the crappy accounts that most B&M banks offer.

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Try reading mine. The closest BoA posts to campus are a 5 block walk. Not convienient espeically for a freshman living in a dorm.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
B&M banks are for fish. They give like .7% interest on savings accounts. Even if you don't have a lot of money to collect interest on, there's no reason to pass up higher interest.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless you want to actually withdraw from a convienient ATM without paying fees.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read my post again. I linked to a BoA account that gives just under 5% interest, and even more if you have a high balance. So you can transfer funds (up to 6x per month with no charge) from that account to your BoA checking account to give yourself enough cash for ATM withdrawals. And BoA has a ton of ATMs all over the country. Thats a special deal though. If you just walk into a B&M bank on the first day of school like every other college kid and set up a checking and savings account, they'll totally shaft you. Nowadays with online banks that offer interest rates with 5%+ interest and free electronic transfers, there's no reason to keep a lot of money in the crappy accounts that most B&M banks offer.

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Try reading mine. The closest BoA posts to campus are a 5 block walk. Not convienient espeically for a freshman living in a dorm.

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Your post said nothing about BoA or its proximity to freshman dorms. Anyway, the main point of my post was that you should be putting the majority of your funds in an bank, probably online, with high interest rates and transferring the minimum of what you need for ATM withdrawals to a bank with lots of ATMS. I'm just trying to give the OP advice that could save him a lot of money and your curt comment didn't really contributing anything, just like it didn't in the camping thread that I started.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

lol ok sorry i hurt your feelings. Here is a lollipop to make you feel better.

http://www.cocoblue.com.au/images/lo...sugar_lips.jpg

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

i'm going to nu and was planning on using ING direct for savings and linking it with a US Bank checking account...thoughts?

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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i'm going to nu and was planning on using ING direct for savings and linking it with a US Bank checking account...thoughts?

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exactly what I do

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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i'm going to nu and was planning on using ING direct for savings and linking it with a US Bank checking account...thoughts?

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exactly what I do

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I'll only have ~1500 max in my ING direct account at any given point..so does it even make sense to go through the hassle of setting up an account there and at US bank?

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

I mean it's up to you. It takes like 20 minutes

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

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i'm going to nu and was planning on using ING direct for savings and linking it with a US Bank checking account...thoughts?

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exactly what I do

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I'll only have ~1500 max in my ING direct account at any given point..so does it even make sense to go through the hassle of setting up an account there and at US bank?

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It is either worth it now, or a very good habit to get in to.

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

where are the northwestern people living next year? i'm gonna be a senior living in park evanston (next to whole foods)

Re: what bank should i use at northwestern?
 

im stuck in foster house again unfortunately, i looked for off campus housing too late...

JB