My friend Kevin is looking for a new bank. His Finalists are Chase and Public Service Credit Union. I have accounts with both, and here’s my breakdown.
Branch/ATM convenience: Chase. PSCU has very few branches, and I wind up paying ATM fees everywhere if I don’t go out of my way.
Customer Service Responsiveness: Chase. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to use PSCU’s phone system, but the last time I called, they definitely were not a 24/7 operation. Chase has always been supremely helpful, and I’ve never had a bad experience with a telephone CSR. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about PSCU, despite their being so much smaller.
Mobile Tools: Chase. I can go to any retailer, buy something with my card, and before I’ve even exited the store the purchase shows up on my phone. The only time I need a receipt is when there’s something on it that I might need to return (which is extremely infrequently).
Online Experience: Chase. PSCU’s website is a hot mess, to put it lightly. The login procedure is so Byzantine (and inflexible – you can’t pick your username or security code, and the password field was too short for a good, secure, unique, memorable password.) that I lock myself out of the website EVERY time I try to log in. Then I have to phone them (which is not 24/7 access, remember?) to unlock my access, I log in successfully the one time, then forget some key piece of information for the next time. I think in the 5 years I’ve had an account with them, I’ve logged into the website less than a dozen times.
In short. PSCU blows every possible test for being recommended as a bank.