Some people like to go to the bank, and others think it is an outdated chore reminiscent of the 1950’s. I can see both side of the coin. Going to the bank, even if it’s on the way can be a bit of a pain at times, but there are some advantages too.
Those who are generally younger I think fall into those who may not have been inside as bank in the last year. From their perspective, you can access all of your banking needs online.
- Check you balances
- Make deposits from your phone
- Transfer money all online
- Order personal checks
What happens if you need a loan, need a new credit card, or need help to solve some other type of problem? Email and chat support. OK then. Me, I like to go into the bank. Maybe I just have too much time on my hand (ha!) or maybe there are reasons to interact with real people from time to time?
If you go into the bank, you can chat with tellers, talk to the manager, the investment professional, and others.
When interacting with the tellers you can:
- Ask them to put old coins and bills aside for you
- Get specific denominations if you need them. You ever try to get a $100 out of an ATM?
- Help with transferring money or accounts
- Flirt with the cute ones
- Getting rid of Big Bank fees
- Getting fees waived for cashiers checks, etc.
You can also talk with the bank manager if you ever need :
- In case you need a loan
- Getting rid of Big Bank fees
- Free safety deposit boxes
- Specials on CDs and account join perks
- Free notary services
Personally, I see it as an investment of time in case I ever need help with anything. It’s like bank-provided insurance. Who knows if I’ll ever need help getting a fraud or stole identify matter fixed up. What happens if a direct despot goes missing? What if I just want to save a few bucks on bank services? All that can come from being a good, friendly personal customer.
Granted, I don’t do everything inside my bank. I make fair use of my online access to set up automatic transfers and review my spending a few times a week. But I go get cash and other bank services fairly often as well.
You what side do you fall on? Are you a man or women of the times who doesn’t have the time to go to the bank? Do you even know where your bank is located other than your computer screen?
Karl Nygard is the original founder of Cult of Money and created the website to share his ideas on investing, personal finance, and more.
I very rarely go inside my bank. I either check everything online or use the ATM. If I could get cash without going to an ATM, I would be thrilled.
I still go to the bank to deposit money. I just can’t seem to trust putting it into the ATM. But as far as resolving issues or looking at my accounts, I do that all online. If I could find a better way of depositing cash in my account I probably would. Theres just something about handing it to a human that feels safer.