WaFd Bank VS Nationwide

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Money market and CDs earn good rates

Cons:

  • Low interest rates on accounts
  • Tiered interest rates on some accounts
  • High rates require eligible checking
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Chief Customer Advocates on your side
  • Free ATM transactions
  • Earn cash back on debit transactions
  • Low minimum opening account amount

Cons:

  • Popmoney has fees and isn't instant
  • High deposit needed to open CDs
  • No credit cards or prepaid cards offered
  • Fee for dormant accounts
WaFd Bank Review

WaFd Bank offers a good variety of accounts. Those include:

  • Savings account
  • Savings account for minors
  • Checking accounts
  • Money market accounts
  • CD terms from three-months to five-years
  • Retirement accounts
  • Lending options
  • Credit cards
  • Small business accounts
  • Commercial options

The opening required amounts for WaFd accounts are low. Most savings and checking accounts only require $25 to open. A savings account for minors requires $10 to open. The Stellar Plus checking account requires $100 to open. The money market accounts require $100 to open. All CD terms require $1,000 to open.

WaFd Bank offers business accounts along with personal accounts. Those accounts include small business checking and savings accounts. They also offer some commercial business accounts. To open those accounts, you need to contact a commercial banker.

The WaFd Gold Money Market account has competitive rates. These account rates are the most competitive rates offered at WaFd. They are lower than other online money market accounts but still competitive. The seven-month and 13-month special CDs also earn higher rates than other WaFd CDs.

WaFd accounts besides the Gold MMA and special CD terms have low interest rates. These rates are similar to other brick-and-mortar bank rates. They do not compare to other online-only accounts.

Some WaFd accounts have tiered interest rates. To receive the highest rate for the Stellar Plus checking account requires a $10,000 balance. The regular money market account requires $90,000 to earn the best rate. Even the highest interest rate for these accounts is low.

Specific WaFd accounts require you to open other eligible accounts. To earn the best rates on the special CD terms, you must have an eligible checking account. The rates are only 0.05% higher if you have the checking account.

Most WaFd Bank accounts have monthly fees. The checking account fees range from $0-8 per month. The savings accounts have monthly fees from $3-10 per month. There are ways to waive some of the monthly fees. Those include keeping a set account balance. That balance ranges from $100-$20,000, depending on the account.

Read the full WaFd Bank review.

Nationwide Review

If you have a question, the Chief Customer Advocate is there to help. This person works with the CEO of Nationwide to ensure the customer's needs are being met. If you have a policy problem or a question about a statement, call the Chief Customer Advocate.

Nationwide customers can make eight transactions at any ATMs each billing cycle. Nationwide will not charge you a fee, but the ATM owner might. If you are a premier member, you get unlimited ATM transactions without fees. To be a premier member, you must have another bank account, loan, credit card, or an insurance policy with Nationwide. There are over 77,000 surcharge-free ATMs.

As a premier member, you earn cash back on your debit card purchases. If you use your debit card for at least $1,200 in purchases each month, you will earn 0.25% on those purchases. The reward cap is $20 per month. This reward will not start until your account is active for 180 days.

Opening a savings or checking account with Nationwide only requires $25. You start earning competitive interest rates with the $25 you deposit to open the account.

Nationwide uses Popmoney to transfer money between people. Money transferred with Popmoney is not instant. The delivery takes three business days. If you want the money sent instantly, it will cost $0.25 per transaction. Each transfer must be at least $5.

To open a CD, you must have at least $500. Once you open an account, you can choose from three month to five-year CDs.

Nationwide does not offer credit cards or prepaid cards anymore. If you already have a prepaid card, you can use it until the money is gone, but you cannot reload money onto it. If you currently have a credit card with Nationwide, you can use it as normal, but Nationwide is no longer taking credit card applications.

There is a fee if you do not use your checking account for 365 consecutive days. On the 366th day, a $5 fee will be charged. Each month the account is not active will have a $5 fee. To avoid the fee, sign up for direct deposit.

Read the full Nationwide review.

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