Anonymous wrote:When I went to college, I opened up my own checking account. My mommy didn't have anything to do with it.

My kids were younger than 18 when we opened their accounts and we were required to be there as they were minors. Then we had to go have them switched form UGMA to student accounts. Our kids had debit cards starting at 14 which they manage themselves. But yes, sorry, we did have to be there when they opened the account.

Find a credit union and make sure they have set up alerts for their account reaching a certain point. But I have to agree they need to start managing their own accounts at this point unless you want to do it for life.

When I went to college, I opened up my own checking account. My mommy didn't have anything to do with it.

OP here, Thanks for all the replies!

All they need is a debit card and banks require a checking account for that. We do all our banking at NFCU here (and not convenient to DDs college town) so she opened a PNC account that's convenient to college and when she's home.

Who writes paper checks anymore? A checking account with a debit card.

Capital one has student accounts with no fee. That's what my DCs have. Mine have never written a check, it's all debit cards or cash. The catch with cap one is that you have to get a student account at a college branch. We went to AU.

We add money directly to their accounts when needed.

My 2 college kids have a student checking account (no fees) at Wells Fargo. They do not need checks at college and it is easy for us to add funds when needed. It didn't seem necessary to get them an account in their college town.

Checking account at a bank with branches (and ATMs) in the college town. If you order the checks now, you'll have them with real numbers printed before school starts.

My DD will be leaving for college in the fall, in-state but living in a dorm. The only account she has ever had is a savings account at our bank, Capital One.
Does anyone have experiences to share or recommendations? I'm thinking a checking account is the best way to go.
We are also eligible for accounts through USAA, but I wonder how difficult it would be for her to access funds on campus.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!