Sallie Mae VS Dime Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
4.10%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Cash rewards on savings accounts
  • No account fees or required amounts
  • Personal and student loans if you qualify
  • Five year CDs have amazing interest rates

Cons:

  • High opening amount for CDs
  • CDs require large sum to earn interest
  • No checking accounts offered
  • High-interest rates on personal loans
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Most accounts have low opening balance
  • myDime Student account
  • ATM fees refunded with DimePrime
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Opening accounts done at a branch
  • Accounts not offered everywhere
  • Low-interest rates
  • Most accounts have monthly fees
Sallie Mae Review

To get the cash back rewards you have to meet requirements. You must link a UPromise Goal Saver Account with the UPromise Rewards Account. You must also either have $5,000 in the account or make ten deposits within the first 90 days. You earn 10% of the amount of money transferred from your Rewards account to your Goal Saver account. If you meet the requirements, you earn an annual bonus of $10 the first two years and a loyalty bonus of $100 the third year.

The high yield savings account and money market accounts do not have any monthly fees. There is no required amount to open these accounts. They offer competitive interest rates, and there is no required monthly balance.

Sallie Mae is a college funding bank. They offer student and personal loans. Some of the different loans include undergraduate loans, parent loans, MBA loans, dental or medical school loans, medical residency loans, bar study loans, or graduate student loans. Sallie Mae offers a personal loan to help consolidate your debt, pay for major expenses, or life events.

The interest rates on Sallie Mae CDs are exceedingly higher than other banks. CDs range in term from six months to five years. The five year CD offers the best interest rate, but the other terms are still better than other banks.

To open a CD with Sallie Mae bank, the required opening balance is $2,500. The interest rates on the CDs are much higher than other banks.

To earn interest on Sallie Mae CDs, you must keep at least $2,500 in the CDs at all time. If your account balance drops below that amount, you will not earn interest. Sallie Mae CDs offer interest rates that are considerably higher than other banks and even other online banks.

Sallie Mae does not offer a checking account. This is a college savings bank. They do offer different savings accounts to help you prepare for college. Sallie Mae also has different loans to help pay for college, but no checking accounts.

As with any loan, the interest rates are high. Know the different repayment plans, interest rates, and if there is a fee for paying your loan off early. High-interest rates mean you could end up paying almost $9,000 in interest on a $10,000 loan.

Read the full Sallie Mae review.

Dime Bank Review

Most of the Dime accounts only need $25 to open the account. Those accounts include checking, savings, and money market accounts. The cost to open a CD is $500. The money market account requires $500 to establish the account. The minimum amount per check is $500 for money market accounts.

The myDime Student account is a basic checking account for students. There is no minimum balance to open the account. This account refunds fees charged from using other banks ATMs. myDime account offers an "oops rebate." Students are refunded the fee of one overdraft per calendar year. Online, mobile banking and bill pay are available. When students open this account, they receive three free deals from DimePerks.

DimePrime offers free withdrawals from any ATM. If you use a non-Dime ATM, they will refund the ATM fees. They refund up to $10 each month in ATM fees. To qualify for DimePrime, you must have $15,000 in Dime checking and savings accounts. Another option to qualify is to have a consumer or residential Dime loan balance of $150,000.

Dime offers a variety of business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for your business. CDs, commercial mortgages, loans, and credit lines are also available.

Even when you meet the required account balance to earn interest on your accounts the interest rates are low. Only a few of the CD term interest rates are competitive. All other interest rates are considerably lower than other online-only banks. They are competitive with typical banks.

To open an account with Dime, you have to visit a local branch. Their branches are in southeast Connecticut and west Rhode Island.

Since you have to visit a branch to open an account, accounts are not available everywhere. To be an account holder, you must live in southeast Connecticut or western Rhode Island.

Most all Dime accounts have a monthly service fee. The fees vary in range from $2 to $20 per month. The fees vary from accounts. To have the fee waived there are requirements you must meet. You must also have a certain amount in the accounts to earn interest.

Read the full Dime Bank review.

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