Bank account

[AlreadyGone]

Just wondering how people that are on the road full time (no home base) deal with banking...? Right now, I am with a small bank in the east, yet will be headed west. What I'm talking about is debit card, atm, etc. Oftentimes, banks, credit cards, etc will get twitchy over "traveling" purchases, unless they are notified before about the travel. Plus I don't need my funds in a location 2K miles away from where I expect to be living.

So, do those of you that live a traveling, boondocking, no-home-base life just use a national bank like BOA, Citi, etc?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-choosing-a-bank-for-nationwide-travel

 

[DuneElliot]

I'm keeping my home town credit union and they know I will be traveling a lot. I can mail checks to them to get deposited.

I also have a shared (with my parents) Wells Fargo account that I can use for emergencies and that I will attach to my Paypal account, just like my CU account. That way I can transfer money easily and safely to a place I can get it without sacrificing the service I have with my local credit union.

 

[Weight]

I vote national brand for at least one account. I use BofA. I have a direct deposit that means no fees for my checking/Debit card. I like that I can deposit cash at a BoA ATM. Don't ask about my cash flow. I also have an Ally account. I like that because they refund ATM fees.

 

[AlreadyGone]

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-choosing-a-bank-for-nationwide-travel

Thank you! That thread is current and a wealth of info!

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'm also a member of a smaller East Coast bank, however I'd keep them even if going mobile. They have excellent customer service, refund all my ATM fees, and I can deposit checks with my phone, and anything else that needs to be done can be done online. Haven't been inside a physical branch in years. I do have investment accounts with Schwab so I suppose if I needed a branch on the road I could use one of those accounts. Just can't imagine what I'd need a physical location for that can't be done via internet, phone, or ATM

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Oftentimes, banks, credit cards, etc will get twitchy over "traveling" purchases, unless they are notified before about the travel.

I'm not traveling yet, but I have heard that often times they will attempt to reach you, via cell phone or text, to confirm it's really you making the purchase.  If that's the case, you want to be sure your cell phone is charged and on when making the purchase.

Perhaps some of the other people here can confirm (or refute) that from experience.

Of course the best thing to do is to talk to your bank and/or CC company and make sure they have your current cell number as their contact point.

 

[Steph]

If you are a vet, USAA

 

[MrNoodly]

If you're not going to have a home base, the chore number one is to get a suitable new address. Banks/credit unions won't open accounts without one.

Almost no one goes into a bank anymore to get/deposit money, pay credit cards, etc. They use ATMs or bank online. So what's the difference between not going into your bank in one part of the country and not not going into your bank while you're in another part of the country? Avoiding ATM fees? Not being able to use someone else's ATM for your deposits, transfers or account status? How big of a problem would that be for you?

All that said, I'm with Wells Fargo, even though I loathe them, because they're everywhere in the West. I used my mail forwarding address and also told them I would be constantly wandering, including to Mexico and Canada. I've never had any problems accessing my money.

 

[bonnieE350van]

what little money I get is automatic deposit to my longtime checking acct...when I need cash I usually  go to Wally-world, make a purchase,
small or large as needed then get cash back ( max is 100) if I need more than that I will divide up my purchases and get cashback again...I usually don't have more than two hundred on me at any given time...or if I am in a place that has a branch of my bank I just use the ATM
and get what I need there...NO ATM fees that way...
All other banking is done by mail or phone payments...I have basic banking needs...