<p>I'm curious as to what all of you current UM students use as far as checking. I will be a freshman in the fall and I was wondering if it was worth switching to TCF.</p>
<p>--Can you use your MCard as a debit card?
--If so, why do they give you a Visa debit card?
--What is the easiest way you have found for your parents to transfer money to your account?
--There are only two ATMs on campus that wouldn't charge me for my current bank transactions. How many people go out of their way to do transactions like this? Is my time worth more than the couple of dollars?
--When you go back home do you transfer your funds back to your home account to avoid ATM fees?</p>
<p>Your MCard can only be used at the ATM, not as a debit card.
Cheapest way is just for them to write you personal checks at the begining of the year (perhaps one for each month) and you cash them as necessary. There are TCF ATMs all around. South Quad, the Union, Mason Hall, etc. This is the only reason to choose TCF really, and I hate the fact that Michigan made this deal with such a crappy bank.</p>
<p>I've been with TCF for about two years and have no complaints. Their banks also have the best hours of any I've ever seen. The biggest drawback, for me at least, is that there are no TCF banks where I am from (Tennessee), so it's more useful during the school year.</p>
<p>I got this in the mail couple days ago. I think I'll open an account because 1. it's free and 2. if TCF really sucks then I'll open another free checking account at a different bank. What's so bad about TCF anyway?</p>
<p>But I have a question though, there's a TCF branch near where I live right now, can't I just give my account number to my parents and have them deposit money when I need it?</p>
<p>I think all of the banking options are roughly equal...I haven't heard much in favor of or against any particular one. National City was my previous bank, so I just stuck with it since they have a bank on campus and ATMs just about everywhere I'd need one.</p>
<p>One example of what I think is a crappy practice by TCF is that they set their ATM's by default to not tell you if you're going to overdraw. I've never heard of another bank that makes the ATM not inform you of this. If you do overdraw it's $33 dollars per transaction. Also, in my experience, their employees have been rude and condescending. But the way the university has struck deals with them (biggest is having an ATM in your dorm), it's hard to choose any other bank at michigan.</p>
<p>Edit: Here are some more opinions of TCF on epinions. The first is for Illinois branch, the second for Michigan.</p>