PenFed Credit Union VS IncredibleBank

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: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • High-interest rates on accounts
  • Money market account for businesses
  • ATM fee reimbursement

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Limited options for accounts
  • Highest rates require a large balance
  • Checking account does not earn interest
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.

IncredibleBank Review

IncredibleBank accounts do not have monthly fees. The checking and savings accounts are completely free accounts. The CDs do not have a monthly fee. The only fees are from withdrawing your money before the CD reaches maturity.

The interest rates on the IncredibleBank saving account and CDs are high. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. The interest rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar interest rates. Even the interest rates offered for lower balances in the accounts are competitive.

IncredibleBank offers a money market account specifically for businesses. This account comes with free online banking, mobile banking, and bill pay. To open the account requires $2,500. If your balance falls below $2,500, a fee of $10 will be charged. There is a $5 monthly fee if you do not sign up for electronic statements. This account earns a competitive interest rate for money market accounts for businesses.

With an IncredibleBank checking account, you will be reimbursed for domestic ATM fees. ATMs through the MoneyPass network are free. If you use an ATM not part of that network, IncredibleBank will reimburse you the fee you are charged. This does not apply to international ATM fees.

The required amounts to open IncredibleBank accounts are high. The opening required amount for checking accounts are $500. To open a savings account with IncredibleBank requires $2,500 to open. All the different CD terms require $1,000 to open.

IncredibleBank has a limited amount of accounts available. There is only one checking account and one savings account to choose. IncredibleBank offers CDs, but only three different term lengths. Those terms are a 12-month, 24-month, and a 36-month term.

To earn the highest interest rates, IncredibleBank requires a large balance. The savings account requires $25,000 to earn the highest rate offered. Balances below that amount still earn competitive interest rates. The lower rates are higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates.

The IncredibleBank checking account does not earn interest. To open the account requires $500. The account does not have monthly fees or a required amount, but you do not earn interest on the account. Only the savings account and CDs through IncredibleBank earn interest.

Read the full IncredibleBank review.

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