Chase Bank - Checking

Average Score:

•   chase gives no real overdraft protection

  I had washington mutual and chase bought it out. I had a 600.00 overdraft without getting a credit card! I have an auotomatic deposit going into the account monthly. now chase is getting rid of my overdraft!! Im looking for a bank like wash mut! the one i really miss!!

  Posted by eme1msg2 -- Feb. 16, 2010

•   Switching to Chase was an awesome thing!!!

  My husband and I switched from Bank of America to Chase about two years ago. The switch was spurred on because of personal issues with our previous institution. Professionally speaking, however, we were very upset since we had a long term relationship with our previous bank through our checking accounts and we were offered such a high interest rate on our credit card account through Bank of America. We already had a Chase Visa and it seemed to be a logical switch. Since then, we have had nothing but great experiences. The customer service is awesome and every associate has been courteous and professional. The loan officer who opened our checking account was friendly and straight-forward. His manner put us both at ease and made the whole experience of switching financial institutions easier. I would describe both the customer service and the products as the best things about Chase. One draw-back has been in discussing obtaining an automobile loan for a new car purchase. Chase’s interest rate was higher than the car dealership. But we have to hand it to Chase they were honest and up-front that we would likely a better deal elsewhere. We would recommend using Chase to any and every one.

  Posted by lily42 -- Aug. 6, 2009

•   CHASE IS THE BEST!!!!

  I have had this account for almost three years and they are great! I got it because my mom also had an account there. The best thing about my account is the friendly customer service. They help me through anything and when I roll up to the bank some of the bank tellers know me by name. One time I forgot to pay my credit card payment because I had gone out of town and forgot about that payment. I came back a week after it was due and I get a phone call from the bank. They told me that they would give me another week to pay my credit card bill and I wouldn't get charged a late fee nor would It hit my credit that it was a late payment. The lady understood that I forgot because I was out of town and told me not to worry to just pay within that week and everything would be fine. I would recommend anyone to get this account because of the friendly customer service, the convienance of online bill pay, online account viewing and awesome credit card rates. I have almost no credit and my rate for my credit card isn't bad at all for a 19 year old with no piror history and they didn't nail me with late fees the one time I forgot to pay my bill. Also they have a rewards program that allows you to buy things such as I-pods and such just for using plastic instead of paper. It doesn't even have to be my credit card, my debit card also racks up points as well!!!

  Posted by hefrain12_1990 -- July 30, 2009

•   At least the card looked cool!

  I opened an account with Chase my Senior High school year and had it for about one year till I canceled it. I chose Chase since they seem to have the most ATMs in my area, and the ATms seemed really easy to use.

  I really liked the design of the card, it displayed Arizona's baseball team, I always got compliments on it. They own the baseball stadium here in Az so it was pretty cool. That was all I really liked. The tellers always tok way too long with people at any of the branches so I tried to avoid the bank as much as possible by using ATMs when readily available.
  
  The ATMs were easy to use, the card looked nice, that was probably the best things about chase.

  the worst was the long, and even short lines that always took forever. The tellers weren't all that friendly in any of the ones I went to.

  I never called chase and when I had a question I didn't like asking anyone because most of their employees always gave me some stupid look like I should know everything about my account already. i wasn't happy with the service but the card did its job, held money.

  I would say chase isn't the bank to go to. I'd recommend Bank of America when it comes to a checking account. I wouldn't recommend chase because although it's only 25 dollars to open an account, it is hard to get a replacement card if you lose it, the account can cost you if you over draft, and it seems easier for people to use your account info and take out funds. I had three unauthorized purchases never brought to my knowledge while i was with them and they refused to do anything about it.
  

  Posted by drkmggy -- July 29, 2009

•   Was WAMU

  My husband and I had banked with WAMU for approximately 13 years before the switch to Chase occurred. In the 13 years we had this account, we had little to no troubles. We loved their wonderful customer service. We even had to experience a dealing with their fraud department when my debit/visa was stolen. They could not have been more accommodating and helpful. Just as the buy out by Chase was about to occur, everything went downhill very fast. I heard many rumors of bad experiences and poor customer service but had not yet experienced it myself. When a scheduled payment on my mortgage was paid one day early, causing my account to go into serious overdraft, they made little to no attempts to rectify the situation. Thus leaving me with hundreds in fees to swallow. We ended up switching the majority of our banking to a different bank. We however have kept the, now Chase, account open with a small balance to allow for our children to have access to funds when needed. Even with this new acquisition, I fear that the customer service that once was has still not returned. Recently, when cashing a check through a drive through I was asked to give my driver's license. Normal, absolutely. What was not normal however was to not only NOT receive it back, but when I immediately asked for it was told that the teller did not have it and nor did he ever have it. It is a strange bank, and I no longer trust it.

  Posted by annmarieda -- July 24, 2009

•   I love Chase Bank!

  Chase is in general an excellent bank. I inherited them by default -- they took over my mortgage lender, my credit card, and my savings/checking accounts -- from three separate companies, all about one year ago. And, I am impressed and quite pleased with their high-level of customer care/service, flexibility, availability, and knowledgeability about their products, particularly their checking account.

  It's entirely free. There really are no strings attached; that's what I look for in a checking account. I do not have tons of money, but like all of us, I do use my checking to pay bills -- online and via checks.

  Their web site is excellent; it shows all of my accounts on one page, including my credit card. And, whenever I have questions, they are very eager and good at answering questions in the branch, online, or via telephone.

  So far, so good. Their online bill pay is phenomenal and saves me much time and money (no stamps, no trips to the post office) and payments arrive timely, as promised.

  I had to expand into a business account recently for my personal business, and they were knowledgeable, having their business banking representative walk me through the dos and don'ts of keeping my bus/personal separate. They even offer invoicing on the business checking side. I highly recommend it.

  Any time you can have a good relationship at a branch, and even with a corporate bank over all, I think that's a good thing.

  Posted by sami.corkill -- July 24, 2009

•   Poor Customer Service, Inexcusable Banking Policies

  I have had this bank account since I moved to Chicago two years ago. I wanted a bank with a branch near me that also had nation wide branches for when I travel. When I first opened my account, it was fine, just a bank, nothing great, nothing terrible. However, when I had a dip in income about a year later, and subsequently dropped under several times, my account snowballed very quickly due to their $35 overdraft fees. I realize the account going under was my error, but the bank should be responsible for posting transactions on a timely basis (not two weeks later).

  One time I went under by $1 and was charged $35, I had previously been told that any over draft fees for dips less than $5 could be removed, but when I went to the local branch, I was met with an extremely unhelpful and unfriendly employee. She was adamant that there was nothing she could do since it was not a bank error. I told her was I was told before about charged under $5, but she refused to help. I left the bank in a terrible mood, and honestly it ruined my whole week.

  However, I can give one story on good customer service. Another time I went to complain about fees, this time due to the bank automatically transferring money from my checking to savings. It was a different branch, and the girl fixed the error right away. She even removed the automatic transfer service on my account, and assured me I would not be penalized financially for having done so. Lesson learned, shop around for the best branch!

  Over all, I would not recommend this bank. They are a big corporation who is only concerned about making millions, not about their customer’s livelihood. You would be much better off banking with a small local bank.
  

  Posted by herownstar -- July 22, 2009

•   Unhappy with the transition

  I had an account with Washington Mutual opened in 2001, before they were absorbed by Chase. I had absolutely no problems with Wamu. Their customer service was great, any issues I had were quickly dealt with, their fees were reasonable, and the perks were great.

  Since converting to Chase, all of that has been taken away. I've had multiple problems with my account. They've sent through online billpay payments twice in a row with no authorization from me (this just happened to occur when they were doing conversion from Wamu to Chase online banking systems), then dinged me with multiple overdrawn account fees due to their mistake. Upon calling Chase, I received poor customer service, was told multiple different stories from each customer service representative, and ultimately was left with a double bill and what I felt to be multiple unreasonable fees for something that wasn't even my fault. To top it off my debit card perks have been taken from me. The transition to Chase has been rough, and it's only getting rougher.

  I'm currently closing my accounts with Chase and moving to another bank. I hate that a bank that I loved so much was swallowed by a bank that's given me such a poor experience so far.

  Posted by mockingbird -- July 21, 2009

•   Chase Bank Checking Account Review

  I have had a Chase Bank checking account since before it was called Chase; I opened my account when it Chase was still called Bank One. I was away at college and I only had a savings account back home. A roommate of mine told me about Bank One’s free checking for students, with no minimum balance. I decided that this was what I wanted/needed.

  Since I have had the account I have been generally satisfied. I had some issues with my account balance in the past. These issues included insanely expensive overdraft, and extended overdraft fees. For example when I was still a college student I went over my account balance by about 10 dollars, but I had made about 5 different $1 dollar and $2 dollar transactions. So instead of just having one overdraft fee for $39 and some change, I had five $39 overdraft fees that totaled approximately $120! I was outraged. I can easily say that the overdraft fees are probably the worst part of my banking experience with Chase.

  The overall best thing/s about Chase Bank checking is the options that are available to me. I still have the free checking account I signed up for in college. I also took advantage of the Chase Leisure Rewards program. For a $25 dollar annual fee, I became a member and for every $1dollar I spend I get 4 points. Those points can be redeemed for gift cards, movie passes, airline miles and even cash.

  My experience with customer service has always been pleasant. I have spoken with many customer service reps who were able to reverse a lot of the overdraft fees thus saving me tons of money.

  I would definitely recommend Chase Bank Checking to others, in fact I already have.
  

  Posted by glamgyrrl_1 -- July 17, 2009

•   Long term Customer

  I opened my account with Washington Mutual when I first moved to California seven years ago. For the most part I have been satisfied with it. I chose Washington Mutual after researching all the banks in the area, including the local banks. Washington Mutual was the only one at the time offering free checking. I did feel pressure to open a savings account at the same time, but only wanted a checking account. I eventually opened a savings account and a CD with the bank.

  Because I still had another account at a different bank, but one with no local branches, I did not have problems with the hold policy, though I know some people do. The best thing about the account is I can use other banks' ATMs and they will not charge me for it. I do have to pay the other banks' fee, however.

  I have had no problems since the bank has been taken over by Chase, though I am a little scared that the terms and policies will change drastically in the near future. For now, I am content with the bank.

  I would recommend Chase to users who travel a lot and need access to ATMs in a lot of different places. Otherwise, I would advise users to look into their local banks.

  Posted by jgilvin -- July 14, 2009

•   Free money is great, but with a catch

  Chase is pretty decent when it comes to customer service. The online tools are also very good, but they're just a little to tricky with their fees. They don't let your account go under and then really ram you with overage fees or anything, but they require a minimum amount of check card usages, and then if you don't meet that minimum they charge you six dollars per month. I've had the account for almost a year now, probably ten months, and it's my second account. I use it for all my non-necessary purchases, basically for entertainment, and sometimes for groceries and gas etc. Pretty much all non-bill stuff. They roped me into opening an account with a free 100 dollars, but the catch is you have to use the debit card at least five times a month. I've forgotten a few months, and I got charged a six dollar service fee for that. One month I didn't have six dollars, so they just took what was left in the account. I've had the account for almost a year, but the thing that kind of bothers me is that the minimum usage rule never goes away for the life of the account. Oh well, I guess I'm still in the positive for the account, so it's good as long as you watch it. It's just a pain in the rear to juggle two accounts, so I would suggest if you were going to open it to make it your primary account and make sure you use the debit card enough to avoid the fee.

  Posted by avwilson -- July 8, 2009

•   Flawless Service

  Moving back to the deep south after living many years in the northeast, I chose to open a checking account at my family's branch. I'd read once somewhere that it takes twice as much time to do something in the south because everybody talks to everybody and everybody knows somebody that you know.

  Once I'd adapted to that, I realized how comforting it is to have service providers who genuinely seem to care about you. And this has been true for me with my Chase account for almost 10 years.

  Now I do almost everything through direct deposit or ATMs, but I always know that if I have a question or a problem, it will be handled with the same service consideration as always.

  The best thing now is the ATM innovation that allows checks to be deposited without deposit slips or envelopes.

  The only bad thing is the occasional phone call trying to sell me an investment opportunity at the bank.

  Posted by ctravieso -- July 5, 2009

•   It's been a rough transition.

  I had two accounts with Washington Mutual. One was personal opened in California, and the other was the Joint account I opened in Utah. The Utah account was the first opened. One of the reasons we chose to bank with Washington Mutual (now Chase) is that it is a nationwide bank with offices everywhere which is one of the best things.

  I've had the Joint account for 8 years roughly. The second for a year.

  When we moved to California, we kept the same account for this same reason. We saw no reason to change. Small things would come up though. When I go into the bank they can't find me by name or SSN so I have to remember and give them the account number, and without fail, they'll have started looking it up by my name and I get asked "Was this account opened in California?" Then I remind them they have to look it up by account number. That's one problem. With this transition to Chase, I had hoped that the unifying of information would make it easier, but so far, it's been harder. Now I have to fill out a bank check just to withdraw cash instead of the standard withdrawl slip. Deposits take a week to clear because New Chase has to send it to Old Chase or something like that (at least that's what the tellers keep telling me).

  To top it off I requested a debit card for the Joint account, and was very specific to tell them it was for the joint account, and they sent me one for the personal account. I've been meaning to close that one for some time now. And when I used it for the first time, it almost resulted in an overdraft fee, because I thought I was depositing and withdrawing from one account when really it was the other. On top of that, the new site chase.com has glitches. It used to show my personal account along with my 3 credit card accounts, and now it shows my joint account. I still have to log onto the wamu site to get access to my old accounts, and I'm very concerned that they won't ever correctly merge the two.

  It's more than a little frustrating that they can't get things right after all this time. A big bank like this should have their stuff together.

  I wouldn't recommend this bank to anyone, but I would warn them off either. I'm sure new accounts won't have these problems.

  Posted by jared.riddle -- July 2, 2009

•   good for simple banking needs

  I use the debit/checking account for all my banking needs, and I have never really encountered any problems with the account.

  I originally chose Chase in college when I needed a bank that provided service in both Texas and New York. I have stayed with Chase mainly out of convenience. Now, I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, and I rely on the fact that there is a Chase bank or ATM on practically every other corner in this city.

  Also, I like the fact that I rack up airline miles when I use my debit card as a "credit" card.

  Posted by roxy.tizravesh -- June 22, 2009

•   College Student Figuring out Banking

  As a full time college student living in LA, there is always a lot going on. The last thing I need is a bank rep giving me trouble when all I want is to deposit a check. I had a Washington Mutual account for a long time (2 years), until Chase bought them out. After the buy out, I was optimistic the service would improve, but it has not.
  My last trip to the bank left me somewhat stunned. I felt like the staff was treating me with less respect because I had a college student's savings--not a multimillionaire's in my checking account.

  While I have much to say about the unfortunate service I have received--which I feel is due to the changed policies--I must say there are a few things I still like about this account. For one, being able to view my bank statements online and see how much is in my limited budget pool at any time is a huge thing for me. Secondly, even though it was while WaMu was still independent, I received a few overdraft charges which were forgiven when I made a miscalculation.

  As far as advice as to whether or not to choose to bank with Chase: I'm probably just down on my luck as far as service in my area goes. I would definitely give a big thumbs up, however, if you want to be able to view your statements/pay for bills online. The Chase/WaMu online resources are great.
  

  Posted by cfro7211 -- June 21, 2009

•   Mourning the loss of a bank

  I have had my account with Chase since they took over WaMu. I’ve had my bank account for about a year now and I picked WaMu because of their easy to use website. I have to admit that even though Chase seems to be pretty widespread, they aren't as first-class as Washington Mutual. Sure they merged and now Washington Mutual IS Chase but I miss Washington Mutual’s friendly faces and colorful clothing. Chase reminds me of a generic government office similar to that of a post office or dmv and just makes me want to change banks! My last visit I noticed that the security guard was no longer greeting customers the way he used to do. He merely looked on as if disgusted by his job. He used to have a friendly smile on his face when I would come in to cash my check. I also heard that they are changing the bank back to it’s old bullet-proof windows and taking away the personal experience you get with each teller. I believe that being able to talk to a teller face to face is great customer service and made me feel more like a customer and less like a number. Chase is trying to improve WaMu’s ways and even though most of the employees are the same, the fees and incentives have certainly changed. I wouldn’t recommend this bank to anyone I don’t like their customer service and believe you can find a better bank elsewhere.

  Posted by marialaughs -- June 19, 2009

•   Unreasonable rules and overdraft policies

  I have had a checking account with Chase bank for 1 year and I originally got it to have a bank up at college. I had previously banked with Baker Boyer National Bank, a bank local to my hometown of Walla Walla, Washington but since they offered no branches up at school I decided to try out Chase. I'm not going to lie, while I initially thought the account would accommodate all of my needs in the end the bank really was a let down. Maybe it was because I was spoiled by my bank at home but Chase was very unreasonable in my mind. Don't get me wrong, the people were friendly for the most part, they offered an online banking option which was very convenient and the bank's location was on my way home from work so no complaints there. It was one instance that put me out with Chase. My cable company charged me twice once, as soon as I realized my account was overdrawn I checked into why and it was because of the double charge. I immediately called the cable company and put in a request for them to fix the problem however the funds could not be credited back to my account until the following business day. I went into the bank to explain what had happened and make sure I wasn't going to get a overdraft fee of $32 since the account actually was only overdrawn one penny. I went in and explained and told them the funds would be back the next day and they acknowledged that the reinburstment was pending in their system however they refused to remove the overdraft fee. Again, maybe I'm just spoiled by my local bank but if that would have happened there they would have understood and remitted the charge but not Chase they made it stick. That's when I decided to stop banking with them. So it really depends on your situation I suppose but I'd rather do my baking with a bank that cares about their customers and are understanding and helpful rather than a bank that's trying to stick it to the man.
  

  Posted by maliasuzui -- June 17, 2009

•   Old Reliable

  One year ago I decided to apply for a Chase checking account after the Washington Mutual branch near my house closed down. Conveniently Chase absorbed WaMu a few months ago, and my credit cards and accounts have been consolidated into one bank.
  What attracted me to Chase though was their expansion throughout the United States. No matter I was I could always find a Chase bank with a Chase ATM. It made worry about ATM fees less of a hassle, and it also meant that speaking with a personal accountant would be just a ride down the block.
  Chase isn't too different from any other bank. Their fees seem absurd, but it's what I've come to expect nowadays. As long as you stay out of negative balance Chase won't give you many problems.
  The most appealing aspect of Chase from my personal experience has been the accountants. They are easy to relate to, and get along with.
  In Chase's downtown Louisville branch a personal accountant named Kyle offered to drive me to my car which had been impounded earlier in the day before taking care of some credit card fees for me.
  The worst thing about Chase is its nature. They want to get money from you, and they're going to make sure that the accountants don't have too much swing in what you're getting back.
  Unless you're stapled into one home and don't have much of a need for the expansive services of a Chase bank I definitely recommend J.P. Morgan's checking account service. They're broad, reliable, and have unbeatable in-person customer service from my experience.

  Posted by amgaug -- June 16, 2009

•   So far so good

  I was switched to Chase recently when they took over Washington Mutual. I have to say it is a welcome change. Washington Mutual had become everything they originally were rebelling against. Obviously it was a desperate bis to keep afloat but everything from their customer service to their penalties and fees got worse.
  Chase steps in and almost immediately rights the ship. The fees that had been hiked up have been brought back down, the customer service is excellent. They even took it upon themselves to suggest I switch the checking account I was enrolled in because their regular checking offered everything I needed and was free with free checks too.
  I'm very pleased and look forward to opening other accounts with them. I think I might move my business account over to them too.
  I am especially glad to see their employees feeling good about their jobs again. I recall a foreboding sense of despair when the same location was WaMu. Now it is as if the clouds have cleared and the sun is beaming in on them.

  Posted by dardvl -- June 16, 2009