Bank Recommendation - no fees/low min. balance

[Anonymous]

Our AP needs to open a checking account. Looking for bank recs without any monthly fees (based on low min. balances). In the past, I've done Capital One and just did an electronic transfer of salary every 2 weeks so she qualified for the direct deposit no monthly fee account. I did it from my gov't paycheck.

Any other recs to look at? We are in Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

Student account with PNC. Just did this one month ago.

[Anonymous]

Most banks have student accounts. AP is responsible for registering for school and then returning to the bank with proof of enrollment to get the fees waived. Sometimes they don't and just pay the $5/month.

[Anonymous]

We used Wells Fargo and as long as AP uses their bank card 10 times a month, there is no fee. I was afraid she wouldn't use it 10 times, but she hasn't had any issues.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for PNC bank. We are in NW DC and have had a nice experience with PNC bank for our au pair. They lump the APs in with students and give them the free student checking account.

The PNC on Wisconsin Ave near Tenleytown is the one we go to.

[Anonymous]

Bank of America, Student account is free. You only need to provide a name of the institution either here or abroad. If you say “I’m planning to take classes at X community college” it is good enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bank of America, Student account is free. You only need to provide a name of the institution either here or abroad. If you say “I’m planning to take classes at X community college” it is good enough.

Ours wouldn't take it and insisted on proof. I'm the PP that said it's then AP's responsibility to register and provide that registration to get the fees waived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most banks have student accounts. AP is responsible for registering for school and then returning to the bank with proof of enrollment to get the fees waived. Sometimes they don't and just pay the $5/month.

So you're inciting the AP to commit fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most banks have student accounts. AP is responsible for registering for school and then returning to the bank with proof of enrollment to get the fees waived. Sometimes they don't and just pay the $5/month.

So you're inciting the AP to commit fraud.

Not the PP but APs are required to take classes so they are indeed students. No fraud involved at all.

[Anonymous]

No fraud. Many businesses have options for “young adults with not much money” but they call that option “student”. I went to my gym. I told sales rep to add au pair, the sales rep knew about the program — I definitely was not first or last host mom there, and set up a student membership for the au pair (he even had to get manager’s sign off and put “au pair” in comments).

Obtaining a discount from a business when discount is not totally restricted is not fraud.

When we went to the bank we told them “this is au pair” and they said “here is a student account”

And my au pair actually later got student ID from her classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most banks have student accounts. AP is responsible for registering for school and then returning to the bank with proof of enrollment to get the fees waived. Sometimes they don't and just pay the $5/month.

So you're inciting the AP to commit fraud.

I don’t understand how you’ve reached that conclusion unless you’re the nanny troll. All APs have to take college accredited classes (although some agencies seem more lenient about which classes count than others). If AP registers for a class and shows the bank the paperwork, she indeed qualifies for a no cost student account. But whether AP chooses to do this and take it to the bank in month 2 vs month 7 is up to them. Meanwhile, the bank will charge them a small fee per month.