How to Open a Bank Account

Opening a bank account is part of everyday life and is something most people should do by the time they begin earning money.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bank Account

1. Talk with friends and relatives about where they have their accounts. Find out what they think and whether they are satisfied with their own banks.

2. Determine what type of account(s) you want. The most typical accounts are checking and savings. A savings account allows you to deposit money and receive interest on the money held in the bank. A checking account generally does not generate interest, but allows you to write checks.

3. Determine what services are important to you - low prices, Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) access, customer service by phone, Internet banking or how close the branch is to your home or business.

4. Go to the bank of your choice, fill out an application and provide the bank with money with which to open the account. You will be given an account number (or two) as well as an ATM card if you choose that option. You will also be given a book of checks if you decide to open a checking account.

Tips & Warnings

• Open your account(s) at a bank near your home or office so that it is convenient for you to make deposits, use an ATM or talk with bank employees.
• Consider how many ATMs the bank offers, whether they charge a fee and whether 24-hour customer service is available by phone.
• Low price does not always mean best choice. Look into the services you are getting for your money. Do they meet your needs or will you have to spend extra to get those services?
• Make sure that any bank with which you open an account is FDIC-insured, which means your money is insured up to $100,000.

[hamlak]

on 8/31/2009 Opening a US Bank account now as a non resident is "almost" impossible now because you can not even access the info online now.

The service below was the ones that helped me set up one recently.

http://www.ewealthsuccess.com/us-bank.html

hope this helps someone looking for this info online.

[xnetservice]

on 4/21/2009 There is a complete guide about how you can open us bank account in usa:http://us.openabankaccount.biz/

[szandra]

on 4/14/2009 You can open an account without paying any fee, it has got restriction, like how much money you can store on the account, but If you like to expand you can upgrade.https://www.alertpay.com/?ml4iqep1A9UmLKQ1+JJl/Q==.

[szandra]

on 4/14/2009 You can open an account without paying any fee, it has got restriction, like how much money you can store on the account, but If you like to expand you can upgrade.Try this out: https://www.alertpay.com/?ml4iqep1A9UmLKQ1+JJl/Q==

[ikevin1688]

on 2/4/2009 Check out these sites:

http://www.usabankaccount.net
http://www.openusbankaccount.com

They have information on how to open U.S. Bank Accounts for non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents. Includes Wells Fargo, Bank of America, E*Trade, Charles Schwab, Citi Bank, SunTrust, Chase, etc.

Cheers,