<p>any insights? i have no clue..</p>
<p>I used SFCU for freshman year, and then moved to PNC soon after. PNC has more advantages (not sure if these are still true, since it’s been a few years since I’ve used SFCU):
Easier online banking
About a million more ATMs where you don’t have to pay a surcharge
No minimum balance for checking accounts (SFCU had a 200 dollar minimum balance, and since I was below it a lot they siphoned away a quite a bit of money through fees - I guess it’s not an issue if you have a lot of money in your account though)</p>
<p>I guess SFCU has an advantage of having a branch in the Penn Bookstore, but if you’re living in the high rises or off campus past 40th st. then the PNC office is much closer.</p>
<p>definitely PNC</p>
<p>atms/branches in a lot more places</p>
<p>Hi, i am also trying to decide between the two and as of now sfcu seems like the better option. What i read on the SFCU website contradicts what the posters said above. It says
“In addition to free access to SFCU ATMs, using your penncard with your SFCU account gives you surcharge free access to all 22 on-campus PNC ATMs when you withdraw from checking”</p>
<p>Doesnt that mean you can PNC’s ATMs as well? what exactly does “withdraw from checking” mean?</p>
<p>It also says no minimum balance for checking account (just like PNC).</p>
<p>Also i think that SFCU is giving international students a lot of benefits, so that is a factor I am considering being an intl student.</p>
<p>Most people use PNC. There is also a branch right at 40th and Walnut when you need to cash a check or see the branch if you have any problems. Most of my friends with SFCU switched to PNC or something else after freshman year.</p>
<p>thx 4 the replies everyone i still have time to simmer on it but the responses were helpful</p>
<p>SFCU is run by a bunch of student volunteers. Pick out 20 of your most toolish friends. Give them all of your money. That’s SFCU. Do you trust it?</p>
<p>(PNC is a MUCH better option. Bank of America is also an option now, too)</p>
<p>is it necessary to use either?? I mean I’ll be going home every 3 weeks…and I plan to stock up, so i probably wouldn’t need to buy anything.</p>
<p>if you want to be active in SFCU, I think you need an account. Always something to consider…</p>
<p>nychica, you don’t need an account at any local bank. You could stock up on cash and use Wawa machines if you need extra (no surcharge, though your bank might hit you an additional charge for a buck or two). Most people I know don’t go to a branch while they’re at school. I had to go to the Wachovia branch every few weeks to get cash after I lost my debit card freshman year, so it was really convenient to have. Also, if you run into problems of overdrawing, needing to cash a check, etc. it’s easier if you have a branch on campus. It doesn’t hurt to open an account at a bank that has branches on campus.</p>
<p>a problem with sfcu is that they take forever to fix problems you experience</p>
<p>pnc provides a much better customer service experience imo</p>
<p>SFCU is a really terrible bank. They regularly apply incorrect fees and duplicate transactions. Not to mention that their online banking is offline a lot and often don’t respond to customer e-mails.</p>
<p>Avoid them at all costs.</p>
<p>I work at the SFCU, so this may be biased but you really cannot measure a bank’s worthiness solely on customer service. Most banks today have terrible customer service. It took me 1 hour to open 1 bank account at TD bank on Friday and the lady was all grumpy about it. The economy just isn’t doing too well so sadly, nobody is happy with banks. </p>
<p>Anyways, if you’re looking for a bank that gives you back high interest on your savings and the lowest fees around, that’s the SFCU for you. We are completely non-profit, so all the money we supposedly make go back to our members. I will admit our locations are limited but if you’re on Penn’s campus, it’s not so bad.</p>
<p>Any bank that emphasizes “you really cannot measure a bank’s worthiness solely on customer service” should set alarm bells ringing.</p>
<p>Their website (the part where you login) is constantly down. Moving from SFCU was the best financial decision I ever made.</p>