Charles Schwab Bank VS ableBanking

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
0.15%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Unlimited ATM fee rebates
  • No monthly fees
  • No amounts required in accounts
  • Offer investing products and advice

Cons:

  • Must link checking account to a brokerage
  • Low-interest rates
  • Opening savings account is not online
  • CDs have fees
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • No set balance to earn highest rates

Cons:

  • Limited deposit accounts offered
  • Customer service not always available
  • Must link another bank account
  • No debit card offered for MMA
Charles Schwab Bank Review

Charles Schwab refunds any ATM fees acquired worldwide. Unlike other banks, there is no limit to the number of times your ATM fee can be refunded. If you make use of ATMs, this is an ideal benefit.

There are no monthly maintenance fees for Charles Schwab savings or checking accounts. The checking account does have a fee, but the fee is waived when you open the brokerage account. The brokerage account is a requirement for a Charles Schwab savings or checking account.

Charles Schwab does not have a set amount you must keep in their savings and checking accounts. You will earn interest on whatever amount you deposit with no monthly fees.

Charles Schwab has a wide variety of products to help you invest and trade. They offer accounts for trusts, college, retirement, small businesses, and IRA accounts. Their website offers tools and advice in these different areas. This can help ensure you open the right account for you.

When you open a Charles Schwab checking account, you have to open a Schwab One brokerage account. Opening this account waives the checking account fee. There isn't a required amount to keep in either account, but you must open both accounts.

The interest on their checking account is competitive with other banks for low account amounts. The interest on their savings account is slightly higher than typical banks. The savings account rates are significantly lower than other online banks.

To open a savings account, you must download an application, fill it out, and send it back to Charles Schwab. Other banks let you open a savings account all online. You can open a checking account with Charles Schwab online, but not a savings account.

Charles Schwab CDs have a fee. They charge a set amount based on the CD opened. There is also a fee to sell based on a broker-assisted fee. The interest rates for their CDs are competitive with other banks, but there are fees.

Read the full Charles Schwab Bank review.

ableBanking Review

The ableBanking accounts have low opening required amounts. The money market account only requires $250 to open. The different CD terms each require $1,000 to open.

There are no monthly maintenance fees for the ableBanking money market account. The CDs have a fee if you withdraw money before the CD reaches maturity. Federal regulations allow six withdrawals from a money market account per month. There is a fee if you make more than six withdrawals.

The interest rates for ableBanking accounts are high. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. ableBanking interest rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar rates.

Any balance in ableBanking accounts earns the highest interest rates offered. There is not a set amount required to keep in the account to earn the highest rates. There is not a required balance to keep in the accounts to avoid monthly fees.

ableBanking has limited personal deposit accounts available. The only accounts offered are a money market account and CDs. There are five different CD terms available. The terms range from a 6-month CD to a four-year CD. ableBanking does not offer checking accounts or business accounts.

ableBanking accounts are entirely online. There are no branch locations. Customer service has specific hours they are open. They are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. On Saturday, they are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

When you open an account with ableBanking, you must link an external bank account. You fund your ableBanking account from the external account. You cannot change the external account for the first 60 days. After that time, you may link a different account to the ableBanking money market account. You can only have one external account linked to your ableBanking account at a time.

The ableBanking money market account does not offer an ATM card. They do not have ATM locations where you can access your money. To withdraw money, you must make an electronic transfer into a linked account.

Read the full ableBanking review.

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