<p>I'm wondering which banks are most accessible in Northampton. Currently I have a debit card with a local credit union, but I'm looking to set up an account with a national chain, like Bank of America, Chase, etc., that I can use at Smith. Thank you in advance for your help! :)</p>
<p>I am a first year student at Smith College and made the same inquiry after I was accepted. There is a Bank of America branch with an ATM in downtown Northampton. It is a 5 minute walk from campus. There was a special student account which I opened which has no fees so long as you keep a minimum $25.00 balance and only use the ATM’s for deposits and withdrawls and your debit card for puchases. If you use the tellers, fees are then assessed against the account monthly thereafter. Check and see if such an account is still available.</p>
<p>Great, thank you so much!</p>
<p>I second the BofA idea although I am not always thrilled with some of their practices. The branch is close by and right near a lot of the downtown shopping.</p>
<p>It’s important to have an account, especially if you are on work-study, as the school direct deposits your pay.</p>
<p>For those who haven’t opened an account before coming to Smith, BofA and other banks will have reps on hand during orientation to help you open one. But if you have a branch nearby home, you can take care of that in advance. Good luck.</p>
<p>The Bank of America is the only national bank, and so many students find it useful for that reason. They can use the same ATMs near campus as they can at home, their parents can go to BofA banks in their towns and deposit money into their children’s accounts, of you’re visitng friends you can still deposit checks/use ATMs. That’s why I joined it. </p>
<p>There are however several regional banks with branches in Northampton as well, so if you live in the New England area or you want a local bank/credit union, you have those options too. When you arrive for Central Check in there will be several banks there with booths where you can ask questions.</p>
<p>I’m from CA and use Wells Fargo, but as there aren’t any in the area I opened up an Easthampton Savings account. They have an ATM on campus and downtown, which is extremely useful. (There’s no BofA ATM on campus, so if you get cash you have to pay a fee.)</p>
<p>If you are from the east coast, the only other large bank with a branch in Northampton is TD or Bank North.</p>
<p>Parents and students-- Does Smith have its’ own Credit Union? D has one of those BofA electronic debit accounts.</p>
<p>Thanks David</p>
<p>Smith is a member of the UMassFive College Federal Credit Union </p>
<p><a href=“https://secure.umassfive.org/about_umassfive.html[/url]”>https://secure.umassfive.org/about_umassfive.html</a></p>
<p>A UMassFive College CU–wow. This sounds good. I’ve enjoyed being a member of the CU created by the State university I work at for pushing 30 years. Credit unions are wonderful so far as I’m concerned-- minor balance (free checking), mortagages and auto loans, small personalized service. Sort of like banks of old. I pay $0 to cash, cash checks. </p>
<p>Is there a UMassFive College CU office on the Smith campus? Do you believe they will have a representative at the Open Campus event this month?</p>
<p>.02 and thanks. David</p>
<p>edit-- 243 King Street. Is that an easy location for a student on their feet- walking? Thanks</p>
<p>Maybe if she really likes to walk. 243 King Street is near the Stop N Shop, at least 25 min from campus. Credit unions are great, but if that’s her only fee-free ATM, it’s not a great option. </p>
<p>The ATM in the campus center is Easthampton Savings Bank, but there’s no physical ESB branch in town (just an ATM downtown). Maybe not a big deal, but since I moved in on my own and had no folks to drive me to open up an account, I had to choose the options that were in town. With the BofA or the Bank North you can open up free checking accounts that they have for students, and then those roll over into free adult checking accounts later on in life (assuming you choose to keep them). The biggest benefit of my BofA account was really the mobility of it. I could use BofA ATMs when home on break (on the West Coast), when I lived in DC my junior year I could use the ATMs and bank branches there, and when I went abroad I could use BofA’s connections with overseas banks to withdraw money fee free, all without needing to open a new account or change accounts in each place. </p>
<p>I’m no corporate bank cheerleader, up until college I was a proud credit union member, but for the unpredictable mobility of your average college student, it’s very useful to have a national bank.</p>
<p>As ^^ she has a BofA debit, electronic account-- I suspect we’ll expand it to include use of tellers for the fee. The CU doesn’t sound viable for the average Smith student.</p>
<p>Thanks. David</p>
<p>One other thing to add to the mix on banking is credit cards. Parents, if your D is going to be traveling to or from Smith alone at some point, I’d strongly encourage you to look into options for a low-limit credit card. Nearly every time I travelled home for winter break there was some kind of weather catastrophe, more than once requiring a stopover in a hotel. Then there’s the oversize luggage fees you can incur carrying a life’s worth of stuff on planes. And then in general there may be bigger purchases thy are needed. Both the routine (boots, coats, suitcases, books) and the emergency (use you imagination) for which having some available credit is both useful and prudent.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s very helpful responses! :)</p>
<p>Easthampton Savings has been quite workable for our daughter and now that she’s abroad, we found that they have better international rates than our own bank! S&P, they now have two branches in Noho as well as the ATM on campus.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.bankesb.com/learn_about_esb/contact_us/hours_and_locations/[/url]”>https://www.bankesb.com/learn_about_esb/contact_us/hours_and_locations/</a></p>
<p>Sorry, I should have been more clear: there are two locations in Noho, but both are too far for a student to reach very easily on foot. However, if you can open up an account at central check in, or you want to hoof it out to a branch (or get your folks to drive you), I agree that it’s an excellent option. Convenient to be able to use the Campus Center ATM with no fee.</p>