the Price of Checking Accounts

I have a checking account with a big national chain bank - which many people have said they would never do because this bank is "the Man" or "the enemy." I pay nothing for it and I have had very few problems with it!

I have had this bank account in various cities and, because it's a national chain, have been able to keep the same bank when I have moved. I pay nothing for checking because I have direct deposit. This was not a sacrifice for me because I love direct deposit. I can only use this bank's ATMs but they are pretty widely available.

I do most of my banking online but when I have had to go into the bank, I have never had any problems. Their number to call sometimes makes you wait for a while, but you can usually get a live person pretty carefully.

I would like to be able to use other ATMs, and I have thought about changing my bank to one that will allow me to use other ATMs, but it really isn't usually a problem to find machines for my branch.

Look into direct deposit, because I think that many banks will waive fees for direct deposit holders. I'm not sure why this is, but like I said, it works out nicely because direct deposit is actually quite convenient.

Make sure you know if your bank will charge you for phone calls or to see a real person, as many of them do. Also check on which ATMs you can use without a fee.