Reply #51: Same here. [View All]

[Xithras]

I quit BofA and switched to a local credit union about two years ago, but the ATM thing was a huge hassle. I recently opened a Citi account, and now do my primary checking through them. My money is still deposited into my CU, and I use it for everything from savings to loans, but my daily checking is through Citi...which has ATM's everywhere. Even better, I can open an app on my phone, click a button, and it will show me a map within seconds identifying every Citi ATM machine nearby my current location. It's great. It's also something that CU's need to look at if they want to retain customers.

Between consulting gigs, the distribution of my family, and day trips, I'm constantly running up and down the highways between Oregon, California, Arizona, and Nevada. When I was using the credit union only, there were months when I'd run up $20-25 in ATM fees...which is far more than I was paying BofA back when I had their account. Between the fees and the hassle, they simply weren't a viable option for my daily use.

On the other hand, my wife (who only occasionally travels with me) still uses our CU checking account for her daily purchases. She loves it, and since she rarely has to make withdrawals outside of our home area, the ATM thing isn't a problem for her.