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Citizens Access bank accounts do not have any fees. There are no monthly maintenance fees or fees to open the account. The Citizens Access savings account is completely free. The only fee with the CDs comes if you withdraw money before the maturity date.

The online savings account and each of the CD terms earn competitive interest rates. Citizens Access rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. To earn the most competitive rate requires a balance of $5,000 in each account.

Any account balance in the Citizens Access savings account earns interest. If the account balance falls below $5,000 the interest you earn is less, but you still earn interest. To earn the most competitive rate requires a $5,000 balance in the account.

Citizens Access offers a good variety of CD terms. Those terms range from six-month terms to five-years. Each of these CDs requires $5,000 to open. The interest rates are competitive on each term. The longer the CD term, the higher the interest rate.

To open an online savings account or CD with Citizen Access requires a large sum. Each of these accounts requires $5,000 to open the accounts. To earn the most competitive interest rate requires a balance of $5,000.

To transfer money in and out of your Citizens Access account you must link to an external bank account. That account can be a different banking institution. Once you link the accounts, you can transfer money electronically between the two accounts. To withdraw money, you could request a check.

Currently, Citizens Access does not offer ATM cards, debit cards, or checks for their online savings account. Access your money easiest through electronic transfers. You can call customer service to request a check.

Citizens Access has a limited variety of account. Only personal deposit savings account and CDs are available. No personal checking accounts or money market accounts are available. There are no business accounts offered.

Read the full Citizens Access review.

Accounts offered through Alliant do not have monthly maintenance fees. The only fee is if you receive paper statements. To keep the account open requires a $5 balance. To earn interest does require $100 in all the savings accounts.

Alliant participates with over 80,000 ATMs free of charge. If you withdraw money from an ATM not in their network, Alliant will reimburse those fees. They reimburse up to $20 per month in ATM fees. Deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and checking account balances qualify for a rebate. The high rate checking, and teen checking account qualify for ATM reimbursement.

The amounts required to open Alliant accounts is low. The savings accounts require $5 to open. The checking accounts do not list a set amount to open. All the regular CD terms require $1,000 to open. Alliant does offer jumbo CDs, but they require $25,000 to open.

Alliant offers a good variety of personal accounts. They offer a free, high-rate, and teen checking account. They offer two savings accounts and a savings account for kids. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance options are also available.

To open Alliant accounts, you must become a member of their credit union. You must meet qualifications to become a member. Those requirements include working with specific companies or be related to someone who is a member of Alliant. If you do not meet those requirements, you may be able to qualify through Support Foster Care to Success. Find out if you are eligible on the Alliant website.

Alliant does not offer specific business accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance are also offered.

The interest rates on Alliant accounts are not tiered. To earn the most competitive interest rate, you must meet specific qualifications. Those include receiving eStatements and having at least one monthly electronic deposit. Direct deposits help you qualify.

The Alliant jumbo CDs interest rates are only slightly higher than the regular CD rates. The jumbo CDs require $25,000 to open, but do not offer much higher rates than the regular CD rates. The regular CDs require $1,000 to open. Alliant offers six regular and six jumbo CDs.

Read the full Alliant Credit Union review.