Personal Finance (Not Investing) • Which checking account has all these features?

Wells Fargo Premier seems to hit all these points, but wondering if there are options out there that require less than $250k in balances or that are better

WF is ranked towards the bottom of most customer service surveys and near the top of most lists of customer complaints. So keep that in mind.

Chase is your best option, but you need to get Sapphire checking, which requires a balance of $75,000 at Chase/JP Morgan. Self directed brokerages and IRAs count, and you can access Vanguard money markets and many funds for free.

Chase Sapphire Pros
- free wires
- refunded ATM fees and no foreign transaction fees
- access to Vanguard money market funds
- 24/7 customer service that's actually pretty good
- the best tech in the banking industry (far ahead of most small banks and credit unions)
- access to Vanguard funds and money markets
- real time transfers to other RTP enabled accounts (only bank I know that offers this)

Chase Sapphire Cons
- savings rates are 0.01%, so you need to keep savings in a money market fund, which can take a day or two to access
- fraud algorithms are very touchy, especially for new accounts (which can be a pro from a security standpoint)
- you have to open joint accounts in person at a branch
- branches require appointments to speak to a banker (but how often are you actually going in?)

Overall I'm happy with Chase. It's the only bank I'm aware of that has a massive physical presence and offers all of the perks you're looking for. I like that it's an actual bank vs. a cash management account, and I've found their service to be pretty good.

Statistics: Posted by TextualChocolate — Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:03 pm — Replies 20 — Views 1052