JGetgood
Angleton, Texas
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Joined: 03/06/2007
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As I am soon to retire, we will be hitting the road in June for a few months, maybe years.
I have assumed that our regional bank accounts will be workable. We use ATM's for cash and credit cards for purchases and will be paying bills online.
Now all of a sudden I am second guessing this plan and wondering is an account with a national bank necessary? Any comments?
Jim
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realladyat57
Emery, SD
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Joined: 09/28/2004
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We use USAA--which doesn't have any "sticks & bricks" building, but does re-imburse us for ATM fees up to a fixed amount per month. We can also get cash when using the debit card, so not having access to "our" bank has never been a problem. The only issue (and it's minor) is that if someone gives us a check, we need to mail in the deposit, resulting in a small delay in accessing those funds. Since all of our regular income is direct deposited, the few checks we deposit don't create a problem.
Unless someone else has encountered an issue with this that I'm not aware of, I would think you would be okay. The worst case scenario that I can see is that you may have to pay an ATM fee.
MaryAnne
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parisroady
Livingston TX
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Joined: 07/20/2006
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Having a bank with branches in the states you are traveling to is convenient. Like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc
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Nascarcruzin
Home is where the RV is parked.
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Joined: 01/06/2005
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We use Wachovia, they were on every corner in our hometown. Yet, here in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, where we spend the winter, there is not ONE. It's not much of a problem. If we need cash, we generally get it when we shop at Wal-Mart. If we have a deposit, we mail it to them.
We thought of changing to BOA, but there is only one (out of the way) in our hometown and my son deposits money for us... so that would be a problem.
If only Wal-Mart had a bank. Ha Ha!
Good luck and hope to see you on the road.
Rebecca
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Joy
Henderson KY 42420
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All of our regular bills are automatically paid by Electronic Funds Transfer as are all of our regular deposits. We get cash either from ATMs (we do pay a fee but can get $500 each time so usually only do this once a month)or by adding an additional amount to credit card purchases. Although I had reservations about this in the beginning, we've done this for over 5 yrs now with no problems.I haven't seen any bank that has a physical branch in all areas.
See ya' down the road!
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keyhole51walleye
Wyoming
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Joined: 12/02/2006
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JGetgood wrote:As I am soon to retire, we will be hitting the road in June for a few months, maybe years.
I have assumed that our regional bank accounts will be workable. We use ATM's for cash and credit cards for purchases and will be paying bills online.
Now all of a sudden I am second guessing this plan and wondering is an account with a national bank necessary? Any comments?
Jim
We went to Wells Fargo cause we are mostly out West. Saying that we first went east to florida. No wells Fargo. It still worked out fine. It is amazing how many places take our debit card! Many also offer cash back so between WalMart and other stores you don't need much cash. Also, by using your debit card you can track your money. The online bill paying works fine.
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camping man
Central Fla.
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Joined: 09/01/2001
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I use Wachovia here in the east, I won't mess with a Mickey Mouse bank.
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Bruce3404
Eugene, OR
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Joined: 08/17/2003
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I have accounts at my local bank and pay bills online. My utility bills are either automatically deducted from my checking account or billed to a credit card (each utility has different rules). My Visa and Mastercard are automatically deducted in full from my checking account on the due dates (they send me emails indicating what I will owe and I can look at the statements online). I also have a checking account with Fidelity (Smart Cash) that allows for free ATM withdrawals worldwide and it also pays interest on my deposits. In addition, the Smart Cash account allows me to transfer funds in either direction from/to my local bank with just a few keystrokes. As long as I have a good internet connection, I can handle almost all of my finances whether at home or in rural India.
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DianneOK
Sioux Falls, SD
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Joined: 03/19/2004
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We have 2 credit unions, one of which is a member of the shared services network. We can deposit and withdraw, etc at any participating location. We also have a local bank in ID where we deposit pay checks when there.
All of our bills are paid online or by phone. Auto deposit and electronic bill pay is used. We buy CDs, etc at whichever institution offers the best rates.
We have never had a "national" bank. We have been banking like this for 9 years and no glitches.
Dianne
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Steveque
Central California
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Joined: 08/11/2004
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I am not a full-timer but will say that we have used a credit union in Oregon for over 25 years. We have never been to Oregon. My retirement check and IRS refunds are direct deposited. I use their Bill-payer system to pay most of our bills. I use the free Wi-Fi systems in campgrounds to transact business.
One thing they request is to let them know when I leave the state we live in (confusion mostly) so they are aware of out-of-state uses of their ATM card. I now do the same with our other three credit cards. Our Visa caught us 2200 miles from home one year when we tried to check into a motel. They were concerned someone had stole the card.
My brother has gone to Germany on vacation, used his various credit cards and never once was called about the overseas use. So each bank or credit union is different. Our credit union caught my sons ATM card being used in Canada for an $8.00 purchase and shut his account down immediately and called him to verify use or non-use. It was stole from Paypal.
Steve Quesenberry
Central California
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