PenFed Credit Union VS Chase Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • CDs have competitive interest rates
  • Low opening required amount
  • CDs offered to save for education
  • Low monthly fee for checking account

Cons:

  • High opening balances for CDs
  • Low-interest rates
  • Best rates require large balances
  • Do not offer a variety of accounts
  • 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
PenFed Credit Union Review

PenFed CDs have competitive interest rates. The rates on CDs are competitive with online-only accounts. The longer you can invest the money in the CD the higher the interest rates you will earn. CD terms range from six months to seven years.

All accounts, other than CDs, have a low opening balance of only $25. The more you invest in the money market account, the higher interest rates you will earn. However, you are only required to have $25 to open an account with PenFed.

PenFed offers CDs designed to save specifically for education costs. These CDs only require $500 to open instead of $1,000. The education CDs range in term from one year to seven years. The interest rates earned on these CDs are competitive with other CD accounts.

Only the checking account has a monthly maintenance fee. The fee is low and is easy to waive. The fee is waived by having a daily balance of $500 in the account. Having a direct deposit into the account of more than $500 each month will also waive the fee. The savings account and money market accounts do not have a monthly fee.

To open a CD, PenFed requires $1,000. The CD terms vary in length from six months to seven years. The longer you can invest your money in a PenFed CD the higher interest you will earn over the CD term. The interest rates on these CDs are competitive with other online-only CDs.

The interest rates for PenFed savings, checking, and money market accounts are not competitive. The rates are low. Those interest rates are competitive to your typical bank rates. Online only accounts offer much higher interest rates for these accounts.

To earn the highest interest on the PenFed checking account, a daily balance of $20,000 to $50,000 is required. If you do not have at least $20,000, you will earn much lower interest rates. Any amount earns interest. To get the highest rates, your daily balance must meet the requirements.

PenFed only offers one checking account, savings account, and money market account. This does not allow you to find the account that best fits your needs.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union review.

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.

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