Alliant Credit Union VS TotalDirectBank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • ATM fee reimbursement
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts

Cons:

  • Must qualify to become a member
  • No business accounts offered
  • To earn interest requires qualifications
  • Jumbo CD rates similar to regular CDs
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Application completely online
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Interest rates are not tiered

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Limited accounts available
  • Not available in all 50 states
  • Application response not immediate
Alliant Credit Union Review

Accounts offered through Alliant do not have monthly maintenance fees. The only fee is if you receive paper statements. To keep the account open requires a $5 balance. To earn interest does require $100 in all the savings accounts.

Alliant participates with over 80,000 ATMs free of charge. If you withdraw money from an ATM not in their network, Alliant will reimburse those fees. They reimburse up to $20 per month in ATM fees. Deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and checking account balances qualify for a rebate. The high rate checking, and teen checking account qualify for ATM reimbursement.

The amounts required to open Alliant accounts is low. The savings accounts require $5 to open. The checking accounts do not list a set amount to open. All the regular CD terms require $1,000 to open. Alliant does offer jumbo CDs, but they require $25,000 to open.

Alliant offers a good variety of personal accounts. They offer a free, high-rate, and teen checking account. They offer two savings accounts and a savings account for kids. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance options are also available.

To open Alliant accounts, you must become a member of their credit union. You must meet qualifications to become a member. Those requirements include working with specific companies or be related to someone who is a member of Alliant. If you do not meet those requirements, you may be able to qualify through Support Foster Care to Success. Find out if you are eligible on the Alliant website.

Alliant does not offer specific business accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance are also offered.

The interest rates on Alliant accounts are not tiered. To earn the most competitive interest rate, you must meet specific qualifications. Those include receiving eStatements and having at least one monthly electronic deposit. Direct deposits help you qualify.

The Alliant jumbo CDs interest rates are only slightly higher than the regular CD rates. The jumbo CDs require $25,000 to open, but do not offer much higher rates than the regular CD rates. The regular CDs require $1,000 to open. Alliant offers six regular and six jumbo CDs.

Read the full Alliant Credit Union review.

TotalDirectBank Review

The interest rates for TotalDirectBank accounts offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates are much higher than typical brick-and-mortar bank rates. Their interest rates are competitive with other online accounts.

The application for TotalDirectBank accounts is entirely online. To open a money market or CD account with TotalDirectBank, visit their website. There are no branch locations. You cannot mail in your application.

There are no monthly fees for the TotalDirectBank money market account. You do not have to keep a set balance in the account to avoid a monthly fee. The money market account is free. The CD has a fee if you withdraw money before the CD matures.

Interest rates for TotalDirectBank are not tiered. Account balances over the opening required amount earn the most competitive interest rates.

Opening an account with TotalDirectBank requires a significant amount. The money market account requires $5,000 to open. The CD requires $25,000 to open. You must keep at least these amounts in the account to earn interest.

TotalDirectBank only offers a money market account and CDs. The CD terms range from 3-60 months. There are six terms available. Those include 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60-month CD terms.

The TotalDirectBank accounts are not available in all 50 states. If you live in California, Florida, or Puerto Rico, you cannot apply for an account. You could be eligible if you live in other states across the United States.

Opening a money market account or CD with TotalDirectBank is entirely online. When you apply for an account, you receive an approval within two business days. You then must fund your account within 30 days. If you fail to fund it by then, the account could close.

Read the full TotalDirectBank review.

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