USAA VS Wings Financial

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: 5.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • No monthly fees or required balances
  • Youth and college accounts available
  • ATM reimbursement for USAA accounts

Cons:

  • Low-interest rates
  • Business accounts are not offered
  • Not a wide variety of accounts
  • Must be a member to open accounts
  • 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
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Variety of accounts offered
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Only one account has a monthly fee

Cons:

  • Must join credit union to open accounts
  • Accounts have tiered interest rates
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • High yield checking has requirements
USAA Review

Most USAA accounts only require $25 to open the accounts. To earn interest on the Classic checking account, you must have $1,000 in the account.

There are no monthly fees for any USAA accounts. They do not have a set amount required to keep in any of their accounts. Some accounts only earn interest if the balance is a set amount. However, you will not be charged a fee for not having a certain amount in the account.

Youth and college accounts offered through USAA do not have a monthly fee. There is not a required balance to keep in the account. The youth savings account earns interest. The youth checking account offers parental controls. Parents can set debit or ATM limits and receive text alerts. The college account only requires $50 to open. Friends and family can contribute to these accounts.

There are over 60,000 free USAA ATMs. The first ten withdrawals from a USAA owned ATM are free. USAA refunds up to $15 in ATM fees charged from using other banks ATMs. The ATM reimbursement does not apply to the USAA Cashback Rewards checking account.

USAA accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. The rates are slightly higher than those of your typical brick and mortar banks. Some CDs receive more competitive interest rates. All other accounts are much lower than other online-only accounts.

USAA does not offer business accounts. The only accounts offered are personal checking and savings accounts and CDs. Insurance, investments, and retirement options are available. Loans, credit cards, and real estate options are offered.

USAA only offers two different checking accounts and two savings accounts. The basic savings account only requires $25 to open the account. The other savings account requires $10,000 to open. Only one checking account earns interest. The other checking account earns cashback rewards. They do not both have the same benefits.

To open an account with USAA, you must become a member. Those eligible to become a member are active and former military and their families. Cadets and midshipmen at academies are eligible to become a member. Once accepted, USAA will help you find the right accounts for your needs.

Read the full USAA review.

Wings Financial Review

Wings Financial accounts offer competitive interest rates. The checking account rates are competitive with online account rates. The savings and money market account offer rates that are lower than online accounts. These account interest rates are higher than typical bank rates.

A good variety of accounts are available through Wings Financial. They offer checking, savings, and money market account. Specific holiday savings accounts are available. They offer CDS, personal loans, and credit cards. Personal investment and insurance opportunities are available. Some business accounts are also offered.

Accounts with Wings Financial have low opening required amounts. The checking accounts require either $1 or $5 to open. The savings accounts do not have a required amount or require $5 to open. Each CD term requires $500 to open. The money market account does require $5,000 to open.

Only the World Class Money Market account has a monthly fee. That fee is $10 per month. To waive that fee each month you must keep an account balance of $5,000. No other Wings Financial accounts have a monthly fee.

Before you can open accounts with Wings Financial, you must first join the credit union. To be eligible to join requires living or working in Minnesota or Wisconsin county, or Seattle-Tacoma, Washington. Family members of Wings Financial members are eligible. Aviation workers are eligible. You can join Wings Financial Foundation to become eligible to join the credit union.

Some Wings Financial accounts have tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive interest rate in the money market account requires a balance of $25,000. The investment MMA requires a balance of $100,000 to earn the best rate. The savings account requires $50,000 to earn the best rate. Wings Financial CDs requires $90,000 to earn the best rate.

Not all Wings Financial accounts can be opened online. Their special CDs require visiting a branch location to open. The high yield checking account requires a branch location to open.

You must meet requirements to earn the competitive rates of the high yield checking account. That includes making 15 debit card transactions over $5 and have a direct deposit over $300 each month. You must also sign up to receive e-Documents. If you meet these requirements, you earn the competitive interest rate. The competitive interest rate applies to account balances under $25,000.

Read the full Wings Financial review.

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