Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
I am moving from Washington to Arizona. I am not going to have my home theater setup for some time which is going to be tough. :( Really, though, I have a question about banking.

I have been with Key Bank ever since I opened my first account more than 10 years ago. I have never had an issue with their products or customer service. It has always been top notch. The problem is that there are no Key Bank branches in Arizona.

1. Should I even worry about it? The only time I ever go into a branch is to deposit the odd check but even that I can do through the app on my phone. Does it make sense to simply keep my current account and simply do everything online?

2. If I do switch should I go for a national bank (convenience), local bank, or credit union?

I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card that I use to make all of my purchases and I have nothing but great things to say about that. I was thinking of opening a checking account with them but after looking up reviews I am a bit scared. I have no complaints with their customer service but the Sapphire Preferred is one of their premium cards and they make a big deal about that fact that Preferred customers get 24/7 customer service in the US and that has been awesome. Apparently the bank side of things is not as great. I've also been looking at online banks such as Simple.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Any experiences (good or bad) with any particular bank?
 
Matt34

Matt34

Moderator
Look at Credit Unions, SunWest is a good one in Arizona. I personally would not bank at Chase, not a fan of most banks.
 
jcparks

jcparks

Full Audioholic
There is some convenience that comes a long with national banks, but the reality is all you are with them is a number. If you want less headache when some sort of problem inevitably comes up, then join a credit union. That's just my opinion...
 
its phillip

its phillip

Audioholic Ninja
the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good card, but I would not bank with them.. I would definitely look for a credit union. I have no problem going with a bank that has no branches nearby though...been with USAA for well over ten years and I've never had to go to the bank.
 
H

herbu

Audioholic Samurai
I've been happy with our credit union for 40 years. BUT, I've been a "good" customer, and we only use them for checking and a small rainy-day savings account. Investments through somebody else. Have done a few cars through them, and they used to offer the best rates, but these days some car companies offer 0% or 1.9% or something ridiculously low like that.

My suspicion is that most banks and credit unions will be satisfactory if you pay stuff on time. It is nice to have local people with the authority to make decisions as in a local bank or maybe credit union. If you're only thinking about checking, savings and maybe a car loan, I would go local.
 
ParadigmDawg

ParadigmDawg

Audioholic Overlord
My wife is a banker and I hear all her stories about mad customers and people she deals with. I never get it, I have used the same bank for 25 years and have yet to go there or email them, I have returned one call from them.

Last year they sent me an email, a text and called me all within minutes. I returned the call and they said they saw suspicious activity on my card and named off 5 businesses in the Mid-West and asked if they were my charges. None were and they said they had already put a hold on my account and all my money missing had been put back in my account.

I was like "cool, I guess I have a good bank".
 
Last edited:
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
Wells Fargo love to add a fee every couple years to my checking account, but the convenience is too much for me to give up.
 
darien87

darien87

Audioholic Spartan
Look at Credit Unions, SunWest is a good one in Arizona. I personally would not bank at Chase, not a fan of most banks.
I second the "don't go with Chase" vote. I've been with them for years (since they took over Great Western back in the day), and they completely suck! I've stayed with them only because I'm too lazy to switch banks.

I tried to get an auto loan through them and was denied. Got one through a local credit union and have been paying on my car since 09. I recently tried to get them to increase my credit limit on my Chase card so I could to some balance transfers since they were offering 0% interest and they said "no".

truck Chase!!!!
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
Thanks for the responses guys! I think I will find a good credit union and go from there. My move date is approaching quickly (12/30). This is going to be a huge change for me but it's the time to do it.
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
Moving is stressful but kind of exciting - good luck! You may have mentioned it, but are you willing to say where in Arizona? Just curious.
 
ParadigmDawg

ParadigmDawg

Audioholic Overlord
Moving is stressful but kind of exciting - good luck! You may have mentioned it, but are you willing to say where in Arizona? Just curious.
More than likely...in your basement...
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
I'm moving to the North Scottsdale area. I have lived in a small town in Washington my entire life. I decided I just need a change. I have family there and I will be staying with them for a while. My last day at my current job of eight years is actually tomorrow. I have no new job lined up. I am taking only what fits in the trunk of my Mazda 3. It's exciting and scary at the same time.
 
ParadigmDawg

ParadigmDawg

Audioholic Overlord
I'm moving to the North Scottsdale area. I have lived in a small town in Washington my entire life. I decided I just need a change. I have family there and I will be staying with them for a while. My last day at my current job of eight years is actually tomorrow. I have no new job lined up. I am taking only what fits in the trunk of my Mazda 3. It's exciting and scary at the same time.
Holy cow, that is a big life change. What field are you in?
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
That is quite the change, good for you. I think about the settlers who moved west across the Mississippi, the balls that took, just pack up your horse maybe a cart and start over... Pretty cool...

As far as banks go, I use 3 banks and none of them are breaking any records in customer service. I use an international bank, then BOA, and a local credit union. The truth of the matter is, if you don't have any loans and you are just looking for a checking/savings account with a debit card, then use Bank of America or something comparable, I can go anywhere in the country and get money with just my pass word and a finger print, I can have people 30 states away walk in a branch with my account number and deposit cash into my account. Its just more convenient and easier...

Do not use them for loans but for save/check they aren't that bad to deal with, you should really never have to deal with them except for starting the account which is easy.. If you are going for a loan go to a local credit union or AAA...

So if you are not sure of where you will be next, use a bank that is everywhere, if you are all settled in and never plan on moving, then use a small local bank where you get better CS. I used a local bank for all of my work related stuff, payroll accounts and small business checking. If your life isn't that confusing then BOA should be fine, don't get me wrong they suck when it comes to loans and dealing with anything out of the ordinary, but their online banking is very easy to use, they are everywhere, and they are not going anywhere...

For example - I recently went from 11 bank accounts to maintain down to 4, closing the local accounts was simple and painless, closing the national accounts turned into a headache and they were still sending me zero balance statements because they said they had to leave one of the accounts open for 90 days incase there are other debits out, but if you have a zero balance in the account and it is open they charge you a monthly service fee, which I didn't know, so if my office manager didn't catch it I would have paid them fees and probably $70 a month in over drafts since there was nothing in there, so she had to transfer {which because the other accounts were no longer linked to it had to be hand deposited} $500 into the account and then after 90 days they will send me the $500 back when the accounts are closed...

Luckily I have someone to deal with all of that, she just vented to me what a PITA it was and all I had to do was listen, but if I had to deal with it I would have been pulling my hair out screaming into a phone for 4 hours...

Anyway, good luck with the move, I hope everything turns out well and you find what you are looking for...
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
The only thing that I know about Scottsdale is that your family must be like Irv. :p (Just kidding, but it's a relatively well-off town, I think.) Congrats on the move, and that takes a lot of courage to just pack up and move. Well, unless you're running from the law or something. :D I've lived in Tucson for over 18 years, and I think that I've made it to Scottsdale once - and that was 18 years ago. I don't dislike the place, not at all - I'm just too lazy to drive up there. I wouldn't mind going to the Tesla dealer there, though...
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
Haha well the main auto town consists of BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, Bently, and the like. I may get to drive my aunts Maserati if I'm nice. :D
 
H

herbu

Audioholic Samurai
My company sent me to Scottsdale for a week retreat a number of years ago. Was in the winter and I was excited to get a week of sun and warmth. It snowed. They said it was the first time in something like 50 years. :(
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
The only thing that I know about Scottsdale is that your family must be like Irv. :p (Just kidding, but it's a relatively well-off town, I think.) Congrats on the move, and that takes a lot of courage to just pack up and move. Well, unless you're running from the law or something. :D I've lived in Tucson for over 18 years, and I think that I've made it to Scottsdale once - and that was 18 years ago. I don't dislike the place, not at all - I'm just too lazy to drive up there. I wouldn't mind going to the Tesla dealer there, though...
My closest neighbor used to live in Scottsdale {actually had a tesla, lol}, I seen pictures of their previous home and it looked like a very nice area, their AZ home sold for like $4m years back so I would say there are some expensive areas out there, in the pictures I seen of his previous home, their pool stretched across the entire rear of the house, so you could leave any room and walk out to the pool, it had to be 90 feet long and U shaped. I think its funny because some years they don't even open the pool they have now, but as I understand it we have much different climates :(, its 12 degrees here this morning probably 55-60 in AZ, lol...
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
...probably 55-60 in AZ, lol...
57, actually. Great guess! Well, or you just looked it up. :D

It feels pretty darn cold, though. I think that temperature is wrong. The wind is darn chilly, and there's no sun out. It's supposed to get down into the high 20's again tonight, but I know it's been a lot colder out there.
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
57, actually. Great guess! Well, or you just looked it up. :D

It feels pretty darn cold, though. I think that temperature is wrong. The wind is darn chilly, and there's no sun out. It's supposed to get down into the high 20's again tonight, but I know it's been a lot colder out there.
I was just guessing, lol I was actually shooting high, to be really honest I figured it was high 40's, you guys suck, I wish it was 57 here, my bedroom is only 6 degrees warmer than your outside ambient, lol... I was just on the phone with a friend of mine from Tampa and its only 60 there...
 
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