I opened a Chase checking account yesterday. I needed to set up a local bank account because TCF wanted to charge me a fee to use their ATMs since my account was opened in Illinois. In order to avoid that, I would have to open a new TCF account down here, and since their branches are hard to find and the closest one to me is really difficult to get to, it made little sense to do so.
I already switched over to using ING Direct’s checking account for all of my ATM and check sending needs and they are AMAZING! I freakin’ LOVE ING!! I have free ATMs in places I never imagined I ever would with them, AND they pay me interest on my checking account! But, I needed a convenient way to cash physical checks. Enter Chase.
I wouldn’t have gone with Chase, but they run the show down in the Phoenix area here. In addition, they sent me a coupon good for $100 if I open an account with $100 or more. I just got a $57 reward check from Citi card so I thought I’d deposit that, some ING checking cash (thanks to the seemingly endless supply of ATMs at my disposal) and cash in on that reward. Seemed like a solid plan to me, and in the end it was. But it had its hassles.
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