<p>I am trying to figure out what bank I should become a member of... I think that Bank of America and Wells Fargo are the best ones but I'm not quite sure. All I need is a basic checking account with an atm card... what should I go with?</p>
<p>Wells Fargo is good if they give you free checking because I got charged $3 a month to keep it open don't know why. Washington Mutual is another really good bank if you know how to balance your ledger. If you go over the money you actually have deposited you get charged a $25 fee no exceptions.</p>
<p>go to a credit union. They are superior due to the fact that they aren't in the business to make money since they are non-profit. I'm fed up with bank fees. Why the heck should i pay money to withdraw my money or deposit a check?</p>
<p>I have a checking account with Washington Mutual. It's free, and they have an ATM at UCLA and several around Westwood.</p>
<p>i was thinking about getting a checking account with citibank. 1) because i like the translucent blue ATM/ debit master card :D and 2) because i can link it to my parents' accounts to avoid monthly fees.</p>
<p>any opinions on citibank? any citi atms nearby?</p>
<p>Citibank ATM's are actually pretty rare in CA compared to BofA and Wells Fargo... especially on the UCLA Campus as those two can be found everywhere.</p>
<p>Bank of America is the best... they have the most ATMs in and around campus, as well as a Bank of America branch in Westwood very close to campus (next to Burger King).</p>
<p>Yeah I was able to link my account to my parent's to avoid fees. I could have free checking at Washington Mutual on my own, but I would have to have a savings account with at least $300 in it in addition to my checking account. I think that's part of the student free checking plan, which includes automatically moving money from checking to savings every month. I'd rather just have checking really.</p>
<p>If you do BoA, you can go there to stock up on quarters...instead of hoping that the front desk or the change machine has quarters.</p>
<p>i was thinking about getting a checking account with citibank. 1) because i like the translucent blue ATM/ debit master card and 2) because i can link it to my parents' accounts to avoid monthly fees.</p>
<p>Hehe, I have Citibank. the debit card is definitely cool! None other like it.</p>
<p>^ Or you could get an American Express Blue card :) same clear coolness hehe</p>
<p>any bank of the west atms on campus?</p>
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<p>already got one. :D</p>
<p>Actually once you open a chaecking account with Washington mutual you can have your savings account closed and keep checkings. HOnestly washington mutual is by far the best. Iv'e literally had a balnce of $0.03 for about five months and they don't close it or charge me any fees (yes I know I'm broke but I like to use cash more than my debit card also) there's several atm's in soucthern cali and there is one on westwood and wilshire. Wells Fargo is a great way to start building credit because they automatically approve you for a credit card when you open a checking account but its only free if your parents have a checking account with them and BofA rips you off if you dont maintain a certain amount of funds in your account. Everyone should WAMU.</p>
<p>yeah, if you dont plan on keeping a lot of money in there and dont want to pay fees (who does?), then WaMu free checking is definitely the best choice. if you plan of having at least a $1000-$1500 balance in it at all times, then you have many more options.</p>
<p>or just open an account at the same bank as your parents. i believe most banks will waive the fee if your parent banks there or if you link your account to theirs (and they have to co-sign your account)</p>
<p>Yeah I like Wamu - I don't know what you are talking about with the savings account thing. I kept my savings account at my credit union in Orange County, but opened a checking account at Washington Mutual for use at school. Never had to even open a savings account.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo is the biggest rip-off of a bank in the history of man. They rape you with fees. BofA is all right, and in fact the BofA in westwood advertises free checking for UCLA students. As was said earlier, Citibank doesn't have much of a presence on the west coast yet. (but they are getting a lot better - i've been seeing branches springing up everywhere) Citi does have the best credit cards, though, IMO.</p>
<p>i think i'll just go with citibank since my parents have a citi account (and cuz the cool debit card :D). it was either that or wamu, but the citi branch is closer to campus than wamu.</p>
<p>i can always buy stuff with credit/debit cards at most places right?...i dont like messing with cash anyways :)</p>
<p>^ exactly... I use cash as little as a possibly can.</p>