Sallie Mae VS NBKC 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
4.65%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: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No monthly fees on accounts
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Competitive interest rates
  • Interest rates not tiered

Cons:

  • Special CDs have high opening amount
  • Limited accounts available
  • Wire transfers have fees
  • Customer service not available 24/7
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.

NBKC Bank Review

There are no monthly maintenances fees for NBKC Bank accounts. There are no required amounts to keep in the accounts to avoid fees. NBKC accounts are completely free.

The opening required amounts for most NBKC accounts are low. The personal account and money market account only require $5 to open and earn interest. The health savings accounts do not have a set amount required to open. Each of the CD terms require $1,000 to open.

The accounts offered through NBKC Bank offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. They are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.

The interest rates for NBKC Bank are not tiered. Any amount over $0.01 earns the most competitive interest rates offered. You will receive a slightly lower interest rate if you have more than $1 million in NBKC accounts. Any amount from $0.01 to $1 million earns a competitive interest rate.

NBKC Bank offers four special CDs. Those terms include a seven-month, 12-month, 14-month, and 18-month CDs. These CDs earn more competitive interest rates than the other accounts. The seven-month and 14-month CD terms require $25,000 to open. The 12 and 18-month CDs require $1,000 to open.

NBKC Bank offers personal and business accounts. The only personal accounts offered are a checking and money market account, with some CDs. There are some business accounts available. Other accounts may be offered if you contact the bank directly.

There are fees to make wire transfers with NBKC Bank. To send a domestic wire anywhere in the United States has a $5 fee. To send or receive an international wire has a fee of $45.

Customer service for online accounts is not available anytime. They have specific hours at their branch locations. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. Some branch locations are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read the full NBKC Bank review.

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