Vio Bank VS BankDirect

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
1.10%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates
  • Low required opening amounts
  • Variety of CD terms available
  • No monthly fees

Cons:

  • Limited personal accounts offered
  • Customer service not available 24/7
  • No business accounts offered
  • Specific transfer regulations
  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Low required opening amounts
  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Money market account earns good rates

Cons:

  • Highest MMA rate requires large amount
  • High required amount to open CDs
  • Checking accounts have a monthly fee
  • Must mail in application to open account
Vio Bank Review

Vio Bank offers competitive interest rates on their CDs and high yield savings account. The interest rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates. Vio Bank interest rates are competitive with other online accounts. They monitor their interest rates to keep them competitive with national rates.

Vio Bank accounts have low opening required amounts. All the different CD terms only require $500 to open. The high yield savings account only requires $100 to open.

Vio Bank offers a good variety of CD terms. The CDs range in length from six-month to 120-month terms. Each of the CDs requires $500 to open. They are all FDIC insured and can be opened online. The CD terms all earn competitive interest rates.

The savings account at Vio Bank does not have a monthly fee. There is no required balance to avoid a monthly fee. The CDs only have a fee if the money is withdrawn before the maturity date of the CD.

Vio Bank offers limited personal deposit accounts. Only a personal savings account and CDs are available. The CD terms range from six-months to 120-months. No checking or money market accounts are available.

Customers cannot reach a Vio Bank representative 24/7. Customer service has specific hours of operation. They are open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central Time. Saturday they are open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday they open from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Vio Bank does not offer business accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include a personal high yield savings account and CDs. The CDs range in term from six-month CDs to 120-month CDs.

Money can only be transferred from the savings account to external bank accounts. If you want to make a wire transfer, you must submit the forms 72 hours before the transfer takes place. Federal regulations only allow six withdrawals per month from your savings account.

Read the full Vio Bank review.

BankDirect Review

Most of the BankDirect accounts have a low amount required to open the account. BankDirect checking accounts only require $500 to open. Both BankDirect money market accounts require $500 to open. The basic savings account only requires $100 to open.

BankDirect does not own any ATMs; they reimburse their customers the ATM fees. The first four ATM withdrawals per statement cycle are refunded. The refunds are up to $2.50 per transaction. There is a withdrawal limit of $500 from an ATM each day.

BankDirect offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. There are three different checking accounts and two different money market accounts. There are a variety of different CD terms available. BankDirect offers one savings account. There are no business accounts available.

The BankDirect Money Market Plus account offers a competitive interest rate. BankDirect also offers a mileage money market account. This account earns American Airline miles. Both MMA require $500 to open. The mileage money market account earns much lower interest rates. You earn miles instead of interest. There is no monthly fee for either account.

To earn the high rates offered on the BankDirect Money Market Plus account you must have $10,000 in the account. Amounts under $10,000 do not earn any interest. Only $500 is required to open this account, but to earn any interest requires $10,000.

BankDirect offers a variety of different CD terms. The required amount to open any of the CDs is $10,000. There is no monthly fee. The interest rates for CDs are competitive. The 12-month, 18-months, 24-months and 36-month CDs offer the most competitive rates. To open a mileage CD also requires $10,000.

Two of the BankDirect checking accounts have monthly fees. The interest and mileage checking accounts both have a monthly fee. The fee is waived for the interest checking account if you have at least $2,500 in the account. The mileage checking does not list a way to waive that monthly fee.

Opening an account with BankDirect is not entirely online. To open an account, you must fill out the application online, then print off part and mail it in. You will then receive a welcome kit within one to two weeks. Once you get your kit, you can finish setting up your account.

Read the full BankDirect review.

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