Charles Schwab Bank VS Bank5 Connect

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
Advertiser Disclosure
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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: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
1.50%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Competitive rates on all accounts
  • ATM fee reimbursement
  • Low opening required amounts
  • No monthly maintenance fees

Cons:

  • Limited personal deposit accounts
  • External transfers only for checking
  • Daily withdrawal amounts low
  • Customer service not always available
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.

Bank5 Connect Review

Bank5 Connect offers competitive interest rates on all accounts. The rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. Interest rates are not tiered. Any amount over $100 earns the most competitive rate.

To get cash from a Bank5 Connect account, you can access any ATMs in the SUM network. If you withdraw money from an ATM that is not in the SUM network, Bank5 Connect will reimburse you the ATM fee. Bank5 Connect will reimburse up to $15 each month in ATM fees.

Bank5 Connect has low opening required amounts. The checking and savings account only require $10 to open. The CDs require $500 to open. To earn interest on the checking and savings account you must have $100 in the accounts.

Bank5 Connect accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is not a required balance to keep in the account. To earn interest, you must have $100 in the checking and savings account. However, you will not be charged a fee for not having that balance.

Bank5 Connect does not offer a wide variety of accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include a checking account, savings account, and CDs. CD terms range from 6-months to 36-month terms. They also offer one investment CD. That term is a 24-month CD. There are no business accounts offered through Bank5 Connect.

Only money in a Bank5 checking account can be transferred to an external bank account. You cannot transfer funds from the Bank5 Connect savings to an external account. You must transfer the money from the Bank5 Connect checking account.

The Bank5 Connect checking account has daily withdrawal and purchase limits. You can only withdraw $500 each day from an ATM. There is a daily purchase limit of $1,000 with your debit card. If you need to spend more money, you must contact a Bank5 Connect representative.

Bank5 Connect customer service are not available 24/7. Their hours vary depending on the day. They open at 7:30 a.m. every day, except Sunday. They open at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. They are open until 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Wednesday, and 7:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday. They close at 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Online chat is available Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Read the full Bank5 Connect review.

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