collinong said:Do they automatically order paper checks for you? I don't use them so want to know so I can try to cancel that order if they do.

no, they don't

I was just curious...i notice they allow up to $25 in refunds for atm surcharges each month with this account (if you meet the requirements)...do they charge any fee on their end when you use non-west bank atms? I realize those would be refunded also..but would affect the total number of atm withdrawals you could do...

And if they charge a fee on their end...is it only for withdrawals or balance inquiries as well (at non-west bank atms).....

How is their Online Banking...is it in Real Time? and their Bill Pay and what service do they use for Bill Pay?

craig10x said:I was just curious...i notice they allow up to $25 in refunds for atm surcharges each month with this account (if you meet the requirements)...do they charge any fee on their end when you use non-west bank atms? I realize those would be refunded also..but would affect the total number of atm withdrawals you could do...

And if they charge a fee on their end...is it only for withdrawals or balance inquiries as well (at non-west bank atms).....

How is their Online Banking...is it in Real Time? and their Bill Pay and what service do they use for Bill Pay?
$1.50 fee for using non-WestBank ATMs
They may do (one or more) hard pulls and a chex system. (varies by individual)
You have to wait for mail and mail paperwork back to open the account.
You may need to document employment by mail or have your employer handle via phone. (this varies but has been reported)
They don't have an ACH system.
Money you deposit by check does NOT earn interest right away and is put on hold.

jennatx said:
You may need to document employment by mail or have your employer handle via phone. (this varies but has been reported)
They don't have an ACH system.
Money you deposit by check does NOT earn interest right away and is put on hold.

I signed up recently (waiting for the paperwork). I was expecting them to call to verify employment (since I'm self-emp) but they didn't and I just got an email the next day to say they were sending the paperwork.

As for the ACH system, can they receive money by ACH push from another bank? How about a ACH pull from another bank? If you need to get a big chunk of money back out, how would you do that?

How long do they usually take to process checks and how long is the hold?

collinong said:jennatx said:
You may need to document employment by mail or have your employer handle via phone. (this varies but has been reported)
They don't have an ACH system.
Money you deposit by check does NOT earn interest right away and is put on hold.

I signed up recently (waiting for the paperwork). I was expecting them to call to verify employment (since I'm self-emp) but they didn't and I just got an email the next day to say they were sending the paperwork.

As for the ACH system, can they receive money by ACH push from another bank? How about a ACH pull from another bank? If you need to get a big chunk of money back out, how would you do that?

How long do they usually take to process checks and how long is the hold?

External ACH is fine. I think the time until the check is earning interest varies... I've seen reports of 5 days, for me a little less, but the money is withdrawn from the other acct. first... this is unusual for most reward accts.

jennatx said:craig10x said:thanks jennatx...that was very helpful

by the way...do you know if the $1.50 non-west bank fee applies only when making withdrawals or even when you do a balance inquiry at an atm?

Their Fee Sheet implies any ATM transaction with a Reward Me Checking - whether withdrawal or inquiry will be $1.50 each.

This may be what was written. But when I made a balance inquiry at my local bank (National City bank) to activate my West Bank debit card, there was no fee at all.

jennatx said:craig10x said:I was just curious...i notice they allow up to $25 in refunds for atm surcharges each month with this account (if you meet the requirements)...do they charge any fee on their end when you use non-west bank atms?
$1.50 fee for using non-WestBank ATMs

I've done 5 ATM transactions at non WB ATMs and not been charged a fee on their end.

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I think that requiring that 12 or more Non-PIN debit card transactions must POST to your account on or before the fourth Tuesday of the month is almost designed for failure. That means the March cycle runs from 3/1-3/24. Since 3/1 was a Sunday, technically any purchase made starting on 2/28 would count too (probably 2/27 also). However, I think it is no accident that they picked Tuesday. I did a bunch of POS transactions last weekend, and about half of them posted on Wednesday! So basically, to absolutely ensure you got in your 12 transactions by 3/24, the last day you could do them is Friday 3/20. That is an absurdly short qualification period and highly likely to trip up a lot of people.

There is no rhyme or reason to when my transactions post -- some even post the same day I do them.

I'm still considering this account though...I think that I could handle keeping track of 3 reward checking accounts (which is why I'm interested in $50K cap accounts), and I'd just have to make sure I finish this one off the first week of every month. [I get the impression that glxpass is juggling dozens of reward checking accounts...I'm a total amateur here ]

ThursdaysChild said:Does the 12-debit cycle run from the 1st of the month or from the 4th Wednesday of month A to the 4th Tuesday of month B? I'm looking for an account where I can use my debit card the last week of the month without worrying when it will post.
I looked at their FAQ, and I can't tell. So my post above could be wrong in that transactions made after ~2/24 would count for the March cycle. Still, though, I think this is confusing.

The 12 transactions was certainly a concern for me as well, because I already have another rewards checking to keep track of. I like higher cap for this account, so I'm signing up and taking a test drive. I usually donate monthly so I'll use this card for that.