How to Compare Free Checking Offers
Many banks across the country are offering free checking accounts for new clients. When you start to shop for one, you should know what things are important to give you the access to your money that you need without having to worry about "surprise" charges from the bank for your "free" checking account.
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Instructions
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1
Sit down and write out what things are important to you in your bank account. Include how you normally access your money, how often you write checks and how many you write per month.
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2
Look through the phone book and make a list of the local banks that you would be willing to do business with. Write their names and phone numbers down for quick reference.
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3
Go online and search for "free checking accounts." Note any accounts that interest you with banks that you have heard of or that have a good reputation. Follow the links and take notes on the key important things that you identified in Step 1.
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4
Call the local banks that you have listed in Step 2 and ask about each and every attribute from Step 1. Make sure you ask if there are any extra charges for the types of transactions that you anticipate performing on a regular basis.
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5
Decide if you want to do your banking with a local branch or if you feel comfortable doing business at a distance with one of the banks you found in Step 3.
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Tips & Warnings
Be careful of hidden charges that banks often impose on their customers. Such charges can include per check charges, limitations on numbers of checks per month that can be written, number of deposits that can be made per month, ATM fees, out of network ATM fees and minimum balances that have to be maintained in the account in order to be a free account.
