-
Financial Rates:
4.0
-
Customer Service:
3.5
-
Website Experience:
3.0
-
Bank Fees:
5.0
Pros:
- Competitive interest rates
- Low required amounts to open CDs
- Accounts are entirely online
- Shorter terms offer competitive rates
Cons:
- Limited personal accounts offered
- Customer service not available 24/7
- No checks or debit cards offered
- Must link to an external bank account
-
Financial Rates:
1.5
-
Customer Service:
4.5
-
Website Experience:
5.0
-
Bank Fees:
3.5
Pros:
- Opportunity checking account
- Business accounts are available
- Checking account for teenagers
- Low opening required amounts
Cons:
- Low-interest rates
- Accounts have monthly fees
- Few CD options and high opening amount
- No money market account offered
AloStar CDs offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates are competitive with other online CDs. The rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.
The CDs at AloStar have low required opening amounts. Each of the CDs require $1,000 to open. To earn the competitive interest rates, you must keep $1,000 in the account. There is not a fee if your balance falls below $1,000, but you will not earn interest on the balance.
CDs with AloStar are entirely online. You apply for the CDs online. Once you open an account, everything for the account is online. There are no branch locations. You can reach customer service by phone or email.
Usually with CDs, the longer the term the higher the interest rate. But, with AloStar some shorter terms offer more competitive rates. The 12-month, 18-month, and 24-month CD terms offer the most competitive rates.
There are limited accounts offered through AloStar. The only accounts offered are CDs. AloStar does not offer checking, savings, or money market accounts. The CD terms offered range from three-month to five-year terms.
AloStar customer service is not always available. You can contact customer service through email. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. On Saturday their hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The AloStar CD accounts do not offer debit cards or checks. The only way to access your money is through electronic transfers. You can transfer money during the grace period or after the CD reaches maturity.
To fund your AloStar CDs you must link the accounts to an external bank account. Once the accounts are linked you can make electronic transfers between the accounts. To avoid a fee, make withdrawals or deposits during the grace period or after the CD reaches maturity.
Wells Fargo offers an Opportunity Checking account. This account is for those who do not qualify for a regular checking account. It offers checks, a debit card, bill pay, and mobile banking. With the Opportunity account, there is a $10 monthly fee. There are options to waive the fee.
Many business accounts are available through Wells Fargo. Business savings and checking accounts are available. They offer CDs, loans, and credit cards. Commercial finance options are available. Wells Fargo offers retirement and investment options for businesses, along with payroll options.
Wells Fargo offers a checking account specifically for kids 13-17 years old. A parent must open the account with the child. There are no monthly fees and it offers a debit card and mobile banking. Parents can set limits on the number of purchases and withdrawals made from the account.
To open a Wells Fargo checking and savings requires a low opening deposit. The savings and checking accounts only need $25 to open. The accounts may require more money to earn interest, but to open the account only requires $25.
The interest rates for Wells Fargo accounts are low. They are not competitive with other online-only accounts. Even the highest interest rates offered are low compared to other online accounts.
Most Wells Fargo accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $10-30, depending on the account. Ways to waive the fees include:
- Signing up for electronic statements
- Having an average daily balance above a set amount
- Setting up a reoccurring savings deposit
- Account holder is between a certain age
- Having a direct deposit over a certain amount
- Combined account balances are above a set amount
- Making a set number of debit card transactions
Wells Fargo does not offer many CD term lengths. There are only four CDs with an opening amount of $2,500. Those terms are three-month, six-month, and one-year CDs. The 9, 29, and 39-month CDs require $5,000 to open. The Step Rate CD is a 24-month term. To open requires $2,500 and must be done in a branch location.
Wells Fargo does not offer a money market account. They offer a basic and a Platinum savings account. Neither account offers interest rates competitive to online accounts.
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| Savings (Rate as of 10/29/2024) | |
| APY | 4.00% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 3.92% |
| Min to Open | $0 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC | |
| Savings (Rate as of 10/29/2024) | |
| APY | 4.00% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 4.00% |
| Min to Open | $0 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account. | |
| Savings (Rate as of 10/29/2024) | |
| APY | 4.81% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 4.81% |
| Min to Open | $500 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC | |
| Savings (Rate as of 10/29/2024) | |
| APY | 4.60% |
|---|---|
| Rate | 4.50% |
| Min to Open | $0 |
| Min to Earn APY | $0 |
| Monthly Fee | $0.00 |
| Min to Avoid Fee | $0 |
| Checkbook | No |
| Member FDIC | |
The rate information is obtained by Bankrate from the listed institutions. Bankrate cannot guarantee the accuracy or availability of any rates shown. Institutions may have different rates on their own websites than those posted on Bankrate.com. The listings that appear on this page are from companies from which this website receives compensation, which may impact how, where, and in what order products appear. This table does not include all companies or all available products.
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1 APY stands for Annual Percent Yield. It's different from Rate because it takes into account compounding interest for the year.
2 MMA stands for Money Market Account. It's a savings and checking hybrid, allowing you to earn interest and use checks 6 times a month.