Chase Bank VS California First National Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 2.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Chase Pay
  • Chase Liquid
  • Credit Journey
  • Chase QuickDeposit

Cons:

  • Products Not Offered Everywhere
  • Accounts Have Fees
  • High Opening Amount
  • High Daily Balances
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Interest rates are not tiered
  • Free first order of checks with checking

Cons:

  • Not a wide variety of accounts
  • High opening required amounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Not all CDs offer competitive rates
Chase Bank Review

Chase Pay is a digital wallet. It makes purchases easy. Pay for gas without getting out of the car. Pay without transferring your card number to websites and apps with the Chase Pay logo. You can use the QR code at stores. Coupons are automatically added to your favorite stores.

Chase Pay lets you use your Chase Ultimate Reward points to make purchases. This keeps your information secure and up to date. Thousands of places accept Chase Pay including Walmart and Best Buy. You still earn reward points when you use Chase Pay. This cannot be used with subscriptions like Netflix or Amazon Prime or outside the U.S.

Chase Liquid is a reloadable card. Opening deposit is $25. Money is directly deposited on the card. Money can be deposited through Chase QuickDeposit, direct deposits, or you can transfer money from other accounts to the cards. With the Chase Liquid card, you can make purchases, withdraw cash, pay bills, and use Zelle. It offers zero liability protection for unauthorized transactions. There is a $4.95 monthly fee to use Chase Liquid.

Chase Credit Journey helps get your credit under control. This is free to anyone, not just Chase customers. Get email alerts about changes to your credit. Check your credit score anytime for free, without hurting your score. Credit Journey shows how credit is affected when debts are paid off, or new accounts opened. Using this tool helps prevent fraud.

Deposits are easy with Chase QuickDeposit in the Chase Mobile App. Snap a picture of your check and follow the instructions. Make a deposit anytime, anywhere from a mobile phone or tablet. Step-by-step instructions are on their website.

Not all Chase products and features are offered in all areas. Input your zip code to learn what products are available in your area.

All Chase accounts, except CDs, have fees. Savings and checking accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The fees range from $5 to $25. Waive fees by having a minimum balance in the account, or by linking a checking and savings account together. Direct deposits or automatic payments waive the monthly fees as well.

Every account with Chase needs a minimum of $25 to open. Some accounts require $100 as the opening balance.

Savings and checking accounts require a daily balance to avoid fees. The daily balances range from $1,500 to $100,000. If you cannot maintain this amount, you will have to use one of the other ways to have your fees waived.

Read the full Chase Bank review.

California First National Bank Review

You can withdraw money from any ATMs with the specific “Plus” logo. If you withdraw money from another ATM, you are reimbursed for the fees charged. CalFirst will reimburse up to $6.00 each statement cycle in ATM fees.

Most CalFirst accounts offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates are not tiered, so you earn the highest rates offered on any balance in the account. Interest is paid monthly on the actual daily balance.

The interest rates for CalFirst accounts are not tiered. Any amount you have in their accounts earns the competitive interest rates. You do not have to have a certain amount in the account to earn the most competitive rates.

The first order of checks is free when you open an interest checking account. You get an ATM card when you open an interest checking account. Free online bill pay comes with each CalFirst checking account opened.

CalFirst does not have a wide variety of accounts. No business accounts are available, only personal deposit accounts. One money market account and savings account are available. There is an interest checking and one regular checking account. CalFirst only offers five different CD terms.

CalFirst accounts have high opening amounts. The money market account and CDs require $5,000 to open. The interest checking account requires $2,500 to open. The savings account and regular checking account both require $1,000 to open.

The accounts at CalFirst all have a monthly fee. The fees range from $10 to $20 a month, depending on the account you open. Waive the fee by keeping a set amount in CalFirst accounts. You can also have a combined balance between a variety of CalFirst accounts.

Not all the CD terms offer competitive rates. The most competitive rates are the three-month, six-month, and the one-year terms. The two-year and three-year terms have interest rates much lower than the other terms. Regular CDs require $5,000 to open. The IRA CDs require $2,000 to open. The only fees are if you withdraw the money before the maturity date.

Read the full California First National Bank review.

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