Fidelity Bank VS PNC

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Wide variety of accounts available
  • Low opening amounts for most accounts
  • Waived ATM fees for some accounts
  • HSA earns good rates

Cons:

  • Tiered interest rates on account
  • Cannot open accounts online
  • MMAs have high opening amounts
  • Accounts interest rates are low
  • Financial Rates: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Virtual Wallet rates are competitive
  • Relationship Rates offer higher rates
  • Student accounts offered
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Low interest rates for other accounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • High required balances to avoid fees
  • Must open CDs at branch locations
Fidelity Bank Review

Fidelity Bank offers a good selection of personal accounts. Those include:

  • Free checking
  • Relationship checking
  • Legacy checking
  • Statement savings
  • Looney Tunes Children's savings
  • High Interest savings
  • Health Savings Account
  • Personal money market account
  • Superior money market
  • CDs from 12 to 60-months

The opening required amounts for Fidelity Bank accounts are low. The checking accounts and children's savings account require $25 to open. The statement savings account requires $100 to open. The CD terms require $500 to open.

ATM transactions made at Fidelity Bank ATMs are free of fees. Transactions made at other ATMs may have a fee. The Relationship and Legacy checking accounts waive the fees of foreign ATM transactions. You must meet the requirements to open these accounts.

The Health Savings Account offers good rates. It offers the highest interest rate out of the Fidelity Bank savings accounts. To earn the highest interest rate for the HSA, you must have $15,000 in the account.

The Superior MMA has tiered interest rates. To earn the highest rate, you must have at least $250,000 in the account. Balances below that amount earn interest, just not the highest rate. Even the highest interest rate is not competitive with other online accounts.

To open an account with Fidelity Bank, you must visit a branch location. They do not offer online account applications. They have branch locations in Kansas.

The money market accounts have high opening required amounts. The Personal MMA requires $2,500 to open. The High Interest savings account also requires $2,500 to open. The Superior MMA requires $10,000 to open.

The interest rates for Fidelity Bank accounts are low. They are not competitive with other online-only accounts. Some accounts offer rates slightly higher than typical banks. Most account rates are competitive with typical bank rates.

Read the full Fidelity Bank review.

PNC Review

Opening PNCs Virtual Wallet accounts earn competitive interest rates. This includes three specific accounts: the Spend, Reserve, and Growth accounts. The Spend account is your checking account for everyday spending. The Reserve account is a short-term savings account. It offers overdraft protection for the Spend account. The Growth account is for longer-term goals, like a down payment, car, or vacation. Virtual Wallet accounts offer interest rates that are competitive with other online accounts. You must link these accounts together to earn competitive rates.

Some Growth savings accounts offer slightly higher rates with Relationship Rates. You must qualify to earn the Relationship Rates. To qualify, you must have a set amount directly deposited into the Spend account. Making five debit transactions also qualifies you. The amounts of direct deposits vary from $500 to $5,000 depending on the account. If you qualify, your money will earn even higher interest rates.

PNC offers accounts for college students. With proof you are enrolled in college, the monthly fee is waived. This account offers a debit card and online and mobile banking. The same features of Virtual Wallet are available for the college account. Parents can sign up to receive alert texts when balances are low or overdrawn. Some colleges offer other perks with the account. For example, one college allows you to use your student ID card as a PNC ATM card.

PNC offers small and commercial business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available. CDs, credit cards, and online services for your business are available. Bill pay, remote check deposits, and online payroll are services offered.

PNC standard account interest rates are low. To earn the competitive rates on Virtual Wallet accounts, you must meet the set requirement. If you open a standard account or do not meet the requirements, interest rates are low. To earn the competitive rates, be sure you open the right accounts and meet the requirements.

Most PNC accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $5 to $25 depending on the account. There are ways to waive the fees. Having a set amount in the account or in qualifying PNC accounts will waive the fees. Direct deposits of a set amount or if you are 62 years or older will waive some fees. As of March 2019, PNC loan and investment balances are not included to waive monthly fees.

The amounts required to have in PNC accounts to waive the monthly fees are high. The money market account requires $5,000 to avoid the monthly fee. Virtual Wallet accounts require $500 to $5,000 to waive the fee or $10,000 to $25,000 across all PNC deposit accounts. After March 2019, loans and investment balances will no longer count toward the total amount to waive fees. Their standard savings account only requires $300 to waive monthly fees.

Customers must open PNC CDs at a branch location. Most PNC CDs required $1,000 to open. The CDs with terms of seven to 89 days require $5,000 to open. PNC has branch locations in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Read the full PNC review.

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