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Old 03-18-2008, 08:08 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
1,318 posts, read 3,549,441 times
Reputation: 767

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What are good banks to use here in the Bay Area? I currently use Bank of America, but they charge me money to use other bank's ATMs. Which really annoys me when I can't find a BofA ATM.

I was thinking maybe opening an account with Wachovia, since a few of their accounts allow you to get money from 3rd party ATMs for free twice a month. But at the same time I don't want to be without a bank ATM for miles.

What about Wells Fargo, or Washington Mutual? What do people suggest?

Thanks.
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Old 03-18-2008, 08:10 PM
 
2,652 posts, read 8,569,708 times
Reputation: 1915
We always used B of A. I doubt if you are going to find many banks that don't charge that fee. There is usually a B of A close, and Albertsons has B of A ATM's in it.
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Old 03-18-2008, 08:12 PM
 
495 posts, read 1,829,443 times
Reputation: 205
I'm a credit union person. I suggest you check out the San Francisco Federal Credit Union. You can join if you're a resident of SF, work for the city or someone who's a member refers you. They're not out to make a profit and you get great rates on credit or loans if you ever need them. Plus I think they're more friendly and customer service oriented than the major banks. I used to be a loyal Wells and WAMU customer, but after getting whacked numerous times in the head by them I finally switched over to a credit union. I'll never go back to a bank.

Edit: Oh hey I just noticed you're in Belmont. In this case there are tons of credit unions out there. A lot of major corps in the Bay Area have the hookup to one at least...like Patelco. Anyhow, just my opinion. I haven't had ANY problems since going to a credit union. No mysterious charges...it's nice.
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Old 03-18-2008, 08:50 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
802 posts, read 2,262,395 times
Reputation: 257
I've been pretty happy with my Wells Fargo account. They have locations all over the Bay Area. If you have a PMA account, they won't charge you to use another bank's ATM (though the other bank may charge you to use their ATM).
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Old 03-18-2008, 10:12 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,107,018 times
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Citibank has an ATM near Ralston & Alameda in Belmont, and you can also get money out at any 7-11 with no fees. I've never found myself too far from my money.
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Old 03-19-2008, 02:11 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,837,829 times
Reputation: 23660
My roommate uses Washington Mutual, and they give you a certain number of "outside ATM" withdrawals per month - 3, I think? I've been with BofA forever, and have been fairly happy... you'll find their ATMs everywhere, so the outside fees shouldn't be much of an issue. Only annoying thing is how they shut off certain ATMs at night, when they're in a bad neighborhood. I wondered why the one at Leland & Bayshore (Visitacion Valley, where I used to work) was ALWAYS "out of order" at night, and then someone clued me in. The gas station near me does the same thing, but the clerk lets me use it when I smile nicely.
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Old 03-19-2008, 05:00 AM
 
Location: Ostend,Belgium....
8,827 posts, read 7,312,492 times
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So Wells Fargo and Bank of America are the most represented all over the Bay area?
Something else I wanted to ask, is it best to use calling cards to be used with a regular phone to call Europe; does anyone here know?
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Old 03-19-2008, 02:15 PM
 
15,633 posts, read 26,186,341 times
Reputation: 30922
Quote:
Originally Posted by cardinal2007 View Post
What are good banks to use here in the Bay Area? I currently use Bank of America, but they charge me money to use other bank's ATMs. Which really annoys me when I can't find a BofA ATM.

I was thinking maybe opening an account with Wachovia, since a few of their accounts allow you to get money from 3rd party ATMs for free twice a month. But at the same time I don't want to be without a bank ATM for miles.

What about Wells Fargo, or Washington Mutual? What do people suggest?

Thanks.
Go smaller -- we use Mechanics Bank. You get your fees refunded of other bank ATM fees -- but note -- when you take the money out, the fee is taken. At the beginning of your next statement cycle, the previous months fees are rebated.

You can also mail your deposits in, if direct deposit isn't available to you for payroll.
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Old 03-20-2008, 10:31 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
1,318 posts, read 3,549,441 times
Reputation: 767
Thanks for the suggestions I'll look into them. I think I'll probably have my money split between B of A and a credit union. Which should be a good solution for the time being.
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Old 03-21-2008, 03:21 PM
 
655 posts, read 1,980,041 times
Reputation: 375
Patelco is great, just to echo the credit union recommendation--they have a deal that waives fees on the ATMs of most area credit unions as well as any 7-11 ATM, which means you have a lot of options. Plus, they're based in SF so it's nice that they're local. (That said, their online account access is notably less tech-savvy than what the big boys use--completely functional, but very very simple.)
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