Ask for what you want part 81493

Posted at 8:53 on Thursday June 22, 2006 | Filed Under Saving

A couple years ago, I lived in New York for a while when I was doing a summer internship. While I was there, I decided not to open a bank account because it would take time, blah blah blah. So I just used those ATMs and ate the $3.00 charges ($1.50 from my bank, $1.50 from the ATM) each time. It was a revolting feeling but I didn't think it was worth it to open a bank account just for a couple of months.

Now I feel dumb. I was just talking to my friend, who recently moved to New York in the same situation as I was: She'll be there for a few months and didn't want to open a bank account, but instead of just shrugging and saying "Damn that" she actually called her bank. She just asked them if they would waive the ATM fees while she was there. "No problem," they said, and she's going to save $100+ just for making a phone call.

I've written about how to negotiate out of bank fees before. But I didn't even think of this!

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Comments (6)

1.: Or just buy a stick of gum at target or any store and get cash back

Posted by Avery at June 22, 2006 09:18 AM

2.: Avery, not all stores do cash back. Just to clarify.

For example, OfficeMAX does not. I don't know why.

Posted by Hawk at June 22, 2006 09:50 AM

3.: I had the same experience when I moved to DC for an internship a few years back. Like your friend I asked my bank to waive the fees. They said they were happy to oblige; but they had no way of controlling how long the fees would be waived for. So, they told me that they would just waive my fees permanently. This turned out to be an extremely smart move on their part as I have since moved back to DC and while I opened a new bank account out here, I still keep my account open with them with a small amount of emergency money in it.

Posted by Elizabeth at June 22, 2006 11:18 AM

4.: My new bank refunds all ATM fees up to $15 or $20/month. (And yes, they allow non-military members, like me -- just call and ask for a membership number.) Between this for checking and HSBC for savings, I get great service and interest rates, pay no fees for anything, have infinite free bank-to-bank transfers, AND get free Quicken AutoSync for all my accounts. Compared to Wells Fargo, BofA, and ING, I absolutely love it.

Posted by Jonathan Ragan-Kelley at June 22, 2006 11:45 AM

5.: Jonathan -- They're a great bank, was unaware they allow non-military members w/o military affiliations.. I highly recommend the car insurance too, I've found them to be pretty fair. and the check card gives back .5% cash back which isn't great but, its free money versus some banks that charge you to use your debit card as a credit card...

Posted by Trevor at June 22, 2006 01:38 PM

6.: Asking you bank to let you off the hook is a good start, but the real answer is joining a credit union. Most don't charge fees for foreign ATM use, and the network of credit union ATMs means you are rarely far from a completely free transaction. Not to mention the joy of banking somewhere where the business model is designed to serve you, instead of to make money off of you.

Posted by Doug at June 22, 2006 01:55 PM

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