BankDirect VS DollarSavingsDirect

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.5 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low required opening amounts
  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Money market account earns good rates

Cons:

  • Highest MMA rate requires large amount
  • High required amount to open CDs
  • Checking accounts have a monthly fee
  • Must mail in application to open account
  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No minimum balance or monthly fees
  • High-interest rates offered
  • Accounts are entirely online
  • CD terms with competitive interest rates

Cons:

  • Limited personal deposit accounts
  • Must link to an external checking account
  • No business accounts available
  • Deposits are held for five days
BankDirect Review

Most of the BankDirect accounts have a low amount required to open the account. BankDirect checking accounts only require $500 to open. Both BankDirect money market accounts require $500 to open. The basic savings account only requires $100 to open.

BankDirect does not own any ATMs; they reimburse their customers the ATM fees. The first four ATM withdrawals per statement cycle are refunded. The refunds are up to $2.50 per transaction. There is a withdrawal limit of $500 from an ATM each day.

BankDirect offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. There are three different checking accounts and two different money market accounts. There are a variety of different CD terms available. BankDirect offers one savings account. There are no business accounts available.

The BankDirect Money Market Plus account offers a competitive interest rate. BankDirect also offers a mileage money market account. This account earns American Airline miles. Both MMA require $500 to open. The mileage money market account earns much lower interest rates. You earn miles instead of interest. There is no monthly fee for either account.

To earn the high rates offered on the BankDirect Money Market Plus account you must have $10,000 in the account. Amounts under $10,000 do not earn any interest. Only $500 is required to open this account, but to earn any interest requires $10,000.

BankDirect offers a variety of different CD terms. The required amount to open any of the CDs is $10,000. There is no monthly fee. The interest rates for CDs are competitive. The 12-month, 18-months, 24-months and 36-month CDs offer the most competitive rates. To open a mileage CD also requires $10,000.

Two of the BankDirect checking accounts have monthly fees. The interest and mileage checking accounts both have a monthly fee. The fee is waived for the interest checking account if you have at least $2,500 in the account. The mileage checking does not list a way to waive that monthly fee.

Opening an account with BankDirect is not entirely online. To open an account, you must fill out the application online, then print off part and mail it in. You will then receive a welcome kit within one to two weeks. Once you get your kit, you can finish setting up your account.

Read the full BankDirect review.

DollarSavingsDirect Review

Dollar Savings Direct does not require you to keep a specific amount in their accounts. There are no monthly fees for their savings account. As with all CDs, you will be charged a fee if you withdraw your money before the maturity date.

The interest rates for Dollar Savings Direct accounts are competitive. The interest rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar banks. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. Any balance in the savings account and CDs earn the highest interest rates. There is not a specific amount required to earn those rates.

Everything for your Dollar Savings Account is online. You open your account online. To transfer money, you must link account to an external checking account. Transfer the money electronically between the two accounts. You can access everything for your account online.

Dollar Savings Direct has five different CD terms. Each of the different terms has competitive interest rates. All the CDs at Dollar Savings Direct required $1,000 to open. The terms range from six months to a five-year term. The longer the term, the higher the interest rates. Fees only apply if you withdraw the money before the maturity date.

Dollar Savings Direct only offers a savings account and CDs. No checking accounts or money market account are available. There are five different CD term lengths offered. Those terms are 6-months, one-year, 16-month, two-year, and five-year.

Dollar Savings Direct requires you link account to an external checking account. You can transfer money between the saving account and the linked external account. You can link another external checking account to the savings account after 60 days. The names on all accounts must match.

There are no business accounts offered through Dollar Savings Direct. The only accounts offered are personal deposit accounts. One saving account and five different CD term lengths are available.

Any deposit made into a Dollar Savings Direct savings account must be in the account for five days. You cannot withdraw the money until after the five days. Once the money is in the account five days, you can transfer the money.

Read the full DollarSavingsDirect review.

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