My payroll department form is the same, they want a voided check stapled to it, but when I asked they said don't worry about it.

You could also order 3rd party checks from WalMart and just start around check 2000 or something as your starting number I assume instead of waiting if your payroll department isn't flexible.

My welcome letter said I had to wait 3 weeks though, did you get the other timeframe (30 days,etc.) from a CSR?

andyanddebbie said:andyanddebbie said:I got a letter from Presidential along with some brochures. The letter gives the routing and account numbers but my payroll lady won't start the direct deposit without a voided preprinted check. How long do those take to come?

Awnser to my own question. The account has to be opened 30 days before they order the 25 checks which are free with the account, then they can take another 2 weeks to come. It's going to be cutting it pretty close to the 2 months you have to open the account without getting service charged.

I don't recall it taking that long to get the checks, but either way, yes, it's cutting it close. This same thing happened with me. However, the truth is they don't actually ever check unless you call on the phone (it's not automated). So just don't say anything and it will be fine. And, even if you do run into trouble, chances are if you explain the situation they'll be understanding.

woops

Anybody knows if a Direct Deposit is requred to get their APY, no matter checking or saving?

Seems Presidential doesn't take ING as a direct deposit source.

FaceOff said:Anybody knows if a Direct Deposit is requred to get their APY, no matter checking or saving?

Seems Presidential doesn't take ING as a direct deposit source.

DD is not needed for the Premier Savings account (now paying 3.87% APY). It is needed for the Internet Checking Plus account (3.75% APY) but not for the plain Internet Checking account (which pays considerably less).

My DD is currently tied up elsewhere, so I opened the regular Internet Checking account in order to have easy access to my Premier Savings account in case of need. The CSR said that when my DD becomes available, I can easily upgrade to an Internet Checking Plus account. She said Presidential has no problem with people switching back & forth from "Plus" to regular, any number of times. So I'll continue to use it [edit: my DD] for the occasional bonuses elsewhere.

you do not need direct deposit for their regular checking account.

kesh said:clutz123 said:you do not need direct deposit for their regular checking account.

Right, but how would I fund that account, since there is no Presidential ATM/branch around where I live. The only way I can think of is to link that account with ING or Emigrant. So if I want to transfer money from my local checking to Presidential saving, I would have to go local checking->ING/Emigrant->Presidential checking->Presidential saving, which seems like a lot of hassle for me.

I told the CSR I wanted to fund mine (a "regular" Internet Checking account) from my Premier Savings account. She told me to just include that request (with the account number) in the "Comments" section of the application.


I do not understand why so many people in this forum seem so reluctant to call the CSRs with their questions. Sure, I've encountered a couple of lemons -- I just call back to get a different one. Almost all of the CSRs I've ever spoken with have been extremely helpful. If you have trouble understanding their accent, ask them courteously to repeat, and try to be grateful for the practice -- this is a skill we will all be needing more and more.

jpsmoney said:kesh said:clutz123 said:you do not need direct deposit for their regular checking account.

Right, but how would I fund that account, since there is no Presidential ATM/branch around where I live. The only way I can think of is to link that account with ING or Emigrant. So if I want to transfer money from my local checking to Presidential saving, I would have to go local checking->ING/Emigrant->Presidential checking->Presidential saving, which seems like a lot of hassle for me.

Well, Prez Checking->Prez Saving is instantaneous, so that's really not a big deal at all. Yes, you'd most likely have to use a Gateway account like ING to swap from your local checking. Unfortunately this account isn't meant to be like ING/Emigrant/Whatever Direct. I wish it was too, but thus is life. I think for most people it's not really worth it unless you plan on keeping at least $20k in there consistently.

Thanks for the info.

So is it true that everyone that got the Presidential checking/savings account to intend to use them as their primary banking accounts? I actually have no problem with that, but just don't like to have to pay $1.50 everytime I need to use the ATM (assuming Presidential don't charge additional fees).

I just called them, and the CSR said that the only way to transfer fund between them and your local checking electronically is via online billpay. Is that what most people here do, or using ING/Emigrant as a Gateway. I never transfered fund between two checking accounts using online billpay, how long do they usually take?

I'm looking into opening a checking account with Pres. In general, are those that have the Pres checking satisfied?


Rich

So is it true that everyone that got the Presidential checking/savings account to intend to use them as their primary banking accounts? I actually have no problem with that, but just don't like to have to pay $1.50 everytime I need to use the ATM (assuming Presidential don't charge additional fees).

I think the checking will be my primary account, but I still have some direct deposit going to a local bank. If I need cash I use the local bank ATM's to avoid getting fee'd.