<p>Can anyone give us some ideas on which bank is the most convenient? A relative in NYC had recommended Chase, but Columbia mailed us info about citibank with an application for an account that would allow my son to have his debit card before arriving for orientation.
Would either Chase or Citibank be preferred? Thanks!</p>
<p>Isn’t Citibank the one who owns the ATM in Lerner? Chase has a location close to campus. </p>
<p>I chose Bank of America because it is the only bank that has a location in NYC and my hometown.</p>
<p>This has been asked and answered a million times-- try the search. In short, Citibank is more convenient IMO because it has ATMs on campus.</p>
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<p>What is the basis of this recommendation? Did you provide the relative with the pertinent info, i.e., the relative locations to Columbia of the nearest Chase and Citibank branches/ATMs?</p>
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<p>You could probably apply by mail for a bank account at the Third Bank of Swaziland.</p>
<p>i would go with chase. i know there are citibank atms on campus but chase’s atm is only one block away and chase has more atms/branches in the city than citibank, although not by much. Can’t go wrong with either citibank or chase though</p>
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<p>If you’re going to argue a point, please try to use f’ing logic. Is your reason for choosing Chase that there are supposedly more (but not much more) ATMs/branches in NYC, or something else? Do you believe that the raw number of ATMs/branches in an entire city is the sole determining factor in which bank is more convenient, or something else?</p>
<p>Apparently, the Citibank ATM in Lerner doesn’t charge a fee if you use your non-Citibank card. This is what I’ve heard, although I’ve never tried it myself. I usually walk to the 107th and Broadway BoA when I go to West Side.</p>
<p>Charles Schwab Bank.</p>
<ul>
<li>Doesn’t charge you ATM fees</li>
<li>REFUNDS any ATM fees charged to you by other banks/ATM owners</li>
<li>Pays you a 2-3% interest rate on checking balances</li>
<li>Prestamped envelopes for mailing deposits - never need to go to a branch</li>
<li>The most helpful customer service I’ve ever seen in financial services. It’s because they’re primarily a brokerage, so keeping customers happy is more important to them than most normal banks.</li>
</ul>
<p>Yeah, you can go with Citi or Chase or WaMu because it’s there, you see them around and their ads are everywhere. Or you can be smart.</p>
<p>Heck, if you really want to go nuts:
[High</a> Yield Checking Deals - Reward Checking](<a href=“http://www.highyieldcheckingdeals.com/#New%20York]High”>http://www.highyieldcheckingdeals.com/#New%20York)</p>
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<p>Does anyone know if this is true?</p>
<p>This is related to banking/ Columbia. Is there a Key Bank in Manhattan, located close to Columbia? My mom wants me to look at what banks are around schools I am interested in to see what bank to switch to.</p>
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<p>the citibank in lerner does not charge you a fee, but you can certainly bet your bank will charge you a fee for using an ATM that’s not theirs…</p>
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<p>Not if you manage to score a private bank / HNW account. :)</p>
<p>If you currently don’t have a Citibank checking account, why don’t you open one as your secondary bank or make it your primary bank and keep another one from your hometown? I don’t see why people need to switch banks just for college. I use Citi, HSBC, and Chase. If you use online banking, Citibank is the best, from my point of view. (Very easy to view the transaction history online, and ATM deposits will be reflected (=available) in your account immediately.)</p>
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<p>worry about this when u get in</p>
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<p>e-trade doesn’t charge you a fee and refunds ATM fees charged by other banks …but there is a $5000 minimum (or regular direct deposit i think) required to avoid a monthly fee</p>
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<p>regular college kids who aren’t trust fund babies from the upper east side would find it hard to maintain minimum deposits in order to avoid fees at three banks. College student accounts aren’t completely free as they once used to be. </p>
<p>I think this is an extremely easy choice…at columbia citibank is by far the easiest and most convenient</p>