TD Bank VS Popular Direct

Which bank is better for you?

  • 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:

  • Wide variety of accounts offered
  • Specific checking accounts available
  • Business prepaid cards
  • Good variety of CD options

Cons:

  • Products not available everywhere
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Interest rates are low
  • Not all checking accounts earn interest
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
5.15%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • High-interest rates on accounts
  • Account available everywhere
  • Variety of CD terms
  • Online and mobile banking

Cons:

  • Opening accounts requires large deposit
  • The savings account has a monthly fee
  • Only offer CDs and one savings account
  • Linked external account required
TD Bank Review

TD Bank offers a large selection of bank accounts. They offer personal checking, savings, and money market accounts. CDs, loans, and prepaid cards are offered. TD Bank offers accounts for small and commercial businesses. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for businesses. Loans, CDs, and credit cards for businesses are also offered.

TD Bank offers two specific checking accounts. One is for those over 60 years old, and another account specific for students. The student checking account does not have a monthly fee. The TD 60 Plus account requires $250 be in the account to waive the $10 monthly fee. The TD 60 Plus checking earns interest.

TD Bank offers three prepaid cards for businesses. You can use the cards to pay employees their paycheck or as part of an incentive program. Load a specific amount for expenses to the card or use them as a reward or refund. TD Bank offers reloadable cards or one-time use cards. The cards are accepted anywhere Visa is accepted.

TD Bank offers a good variety of CDs. TD Bank’s No-Catch CDs allow you to make one withdrawal each CD term without penalty. Step Rate CDs increase your interest each year. The 12-month Rate Bump CD offers competitive interest rates. To qualify for that CD, you must have a qualifying checking account in good standing. The rate bump increases the amount of interest your CD earns by more than a full percent. Only $250 is required to open all TD Bank CDs.

Accounts with TD Bank are not offered everywhere. To qualify for an account, you must have an address within the footprint of TD Bank. Those areas are on the East Coast, ranging from Maine to Florida. They are also in parts of Canada.

Most all TD Bank accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The fees range from $4 to $25 each month, depending on the account. Not all account fees are easy to waive. Having a required amount in the account is the most common way to waive the account fees. Signing up for online statements will lower the monthly fee, not waive it. Having a direct deposit into the account will not waive the monthly fees.

Interest rates for TD Bank accounts are low. They are competitive with your typical brick and mortar bank rates. The TD Bank account rates are not competitive with online-only accounts. Only a few CDs offer interest rates competitive with online-only accounts.

Not all TD Bank checking accounts earn interest. The Premier, Relationship, and the TD 60 Plus checking account are the three that earn interest. The 60 Plus checking account does not require a large balance to avoid the monthly fee. The Premier account requires $2,500, and the Relationship requires $20,000 between TD Bank accounts.

Read the full TD Bank review.

Popular Direct Review

The interest rates on Popular Direct accounts are very competitive. They are considerably higher than your typical brick and mortar banks. The rates are competitive with other online-only accounts.

Because Popular Direct is an online-only bank, the accounts are available everywhere. Applying for the account is quick and completed online. Everything you need for your account is accessed online. There are no branch locations.

Popular Direct offers a variety of different CD term lengths. The terms range from a three-month term to five-year terms. The other terms include six months, one year, eighteen months, two, three, and four-year terms. The interest rates increase the longer the term length.

All Popular Direct accounts come with online and mobile banking. With online banking, you can set up account notifications and see statements. You can transfer funds between the linked external account. Mobile and online banking allow you to transfer money between Popular Direct accounts. You can check account balances and deposit checks.

To open a savings account with Popular Direct, you must have $5,000 as your opening deposit. To open a CD with Popular Direct, you must have $10,000 as the opening required deposit. You will still earn interest if your balance drops below these required amounts.

Popular Direct savings account has a monthly fee. The fee is $4 per month if your balance falls below $500. No fee is charged if your balance remains above $500. There is also a fee for closing the account before 180 days after opening it. A $5 monthly fee is charged each month if your account is inactive for 12 months. Following the 12th month, the fee is charged each month the account is inactive.

Popular Direct only offers CDs and one savings account. They do not offer a checking account, money market account, or any business accounts. The CDs range from 30-day CDs to a five-year term.

Popular Direct requires you link your account to an external account. The linked account allows you to make deposits into your Popular Direct account. The external bank account cannot be changed within the first 60 days of opening the account.

Read the full Popular Direct review.

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