Bank for full time van living

[GoingMobile]

I'll soon be traveling full time, or at least more of the time than I'll be at a fixed location. Between a number of states.  I am registering my vehicle in South Dakota and will get a drivers license and insurance there soon. States I will be in are California, New Mexico, and Mississippi where the university I work for is located. Between teaching remotely now, and taking a sabbatical next year, I won't need to be in Mississippi again until August of 2022. And I may only be there 4 months before I leave again.

I am looking for a bank that has national coverage that includes California, New Mexico, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Hopefully with minimal fees, a mobil phone/camera deposit app, plentiful branches and/or ATM network, and are competent and easy to deal with. Any suggestions?

 

[Sofisintown]

I'll soon be traveling full time...

I am looking for a bank that has national coverage that includes California, New Mexico, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Hopefully with minimal fees, a mobil phone/camera deposit app, plentiful branches and/or ATM network, and are competent and easy to deal with. Any suggestions?

Here is some help.
Pick what accommodates your needs. Then check them to see if they charge fees and for what.
https://www.bankbranchlocator.com/

 

[jacqueg]

Do you really need plentiful branches?

My credit union participates in a collaborative network. I can do any (rare) face-to-face transactions in any branch of any of the network members. I'd suggest looking for a credit union in South Dakota, and see what services they offer.

You might need to be a local person to join, but you're certainly not obligated to always stay there.

 

[user 423]

^
I've been using a credit union for many years and can do just about anything online. Even loan papers can be signed digitally. Visa payments and money transfers are a breeze. I still have a checking account but write very few checks.

Instead of using ATMs, I use the cashback service at Walmarts or grocery stores (up to $100). WM charges no fee and Kroger affiliate stores charge either low or no fees.

If I do need larger amounts of cash or other services, I seek out a CU that is on the same network.

In the past 3 years I've travelled thru 19 states and Canada and have never had a problem.

 

[Camper]

Credit unions

 

[Tony's Dream]

I have been a member of a credit union for over 35 years. I do 95% of my banking online. I can make deposits and pay most of my bills online as well.

 

[MrNoodly]

There are Wells Fargo branches all over the West. Probably the most plentiful.

 

[TooFarGone]

Another happy credit union member here. I belong to two, both of them are members of NCUA. That means they are federally insured; generally speaking it's like a bank being in FDIC. I wouldn't join a CU unless it's an NCUA member, but I think they mostly are. I closed my last account at a commercial bank 30 years ago and haven't had any reason to use a commercial bank for my personal finances since then. Actually that surprised me, but I've been very pleased with the services and costs of the credit unions I've joined. 

Besides the NCUA membership, I recommend that you look for a CU that's in the Co-op shared branch system. [Edited to add: more info at this link. They say there are more than 3500 credit unions in the coop with 30K ATMs and 5600 shared branches. That's big.] I think jaqueg mentioned it above. That little triangle "co op" emblem on the back of my CU debit card lets me use any ATM that displays that symbol, without paying a fee. (The ATMs in our local Costco warehouses, for instance.) I can also do transactions at coop member branch locations anywhere. 

Good luck with your travels!

 

[becida]

I am looking for a bank that has national coverage that includes California, New Mexico, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Hopefully with minimal fees, a mobil phone/camera deposit app, plentiful branches and/or ATM network, and are competent and easy to deal with. Any suggestions?

I'd look for a credit union that has the features you need like the mobile app & that plus it needs to belong to a Credit Union share branch/Coop group like this one  http://sharedbranching.org/ .

This has worked well for me in 95% of the places I've stayed.

 

[crofter]

The bank you choose should have all services easily accessable online. Having branches all over the place is good too.

I tried a local bank that had some services online and it never worked to really do all my banking online. I switched to a large bank with good online services as well as call centers, and a lot of branches. Much better. 

One thing I have noticed this year is that there seems to be a lot of scams marketed online. I have fallen into a few of these and my bank actually has a dispute button that is effective against scams. They are one of the best banks I have used, even though they refuse to give me a credit card.  -crofter

 

[GoingMobile]

Thanks for the suggestions. I had some situations recently where it seemed inconvenient for my branch to be so far away, but after considering that my existing credit union is probably networked with other credit unions, and looking into that, it seems that may very well serve my needs. I can find a local networked credit union wherever I am without too much trouble or travel. I'm going to research a little more this week, see what kind of services credit unions where I'm at now, not in the state my bank is in, to see if indeed that would satisfy my needs.

 

[DiANA R]

Hi GoingMobile, I am interested in your questions too. Banks are awful where I am and I have called some and they don't even answer me back. I would rather get into a CU myself. But the one bank I am most interested in, right now, is the bank inside Walmarts. They are affiliated with Green Dot Bank and they of course are in Walmart stores all over the country. Do your shopping and use a bank too. I will let you know how it goes. Please share your choices if and when you can. I thought you needed to be affiliated with a CU through a specific job (like teachers) or through a common membership ( like Cost Co)? Good luck and thanks for bringing up a very good subject. Diana R

 

[user 423]

I thought you needed to be affiliated with a CU through a specific job (like teachers) or through a common membership ( like Cost Co)?

That used to be the case but quite a while ago eligibility rules were loosened.

Where I'm at now in AZ anyone who lives in a 5 county area can join.

Like so many other things though, it can be different at CUs in other states.

 

[DiANA R]

Ok, good to know. I followed the link to the COOP information. thanks

 

[Firebuild]

Someone should start a Nomad Credit Union.

 

[DiANA R]

Someone should start a Nomad Credit Union.

Oooohhhh good idea Firebuild. How cool would that be and where would it be? I vote for totally online banking!

 

[Firebuild]

Oooohhhh good idea Firebuild. How cool would that be and where would it be? I vote for totally online banking!

Maybe it's a project for HOWA.

 

[Reducto]

The only real complication I've run into with the credit union network is it can sometimes be hard to find one that will take cash deposits. Sometimes the branch finder on the website would lead me to one saying it will, but then it doesn't and I have to drive even further. It's not a concern for most, but it is for me at times.

Often services like currency conversion and notaries are not available unless you're a local member.

Finding places to withdraw small or large amounts has generally not been a problem, though sometimes fees are applied.

Even living in one place for the last 2 years I still haven't opened a local checking account. The old CU gives me everything I need with no fees and they actually pay a little interest! Not having a local branch is rarely an issue.

 

[izifaddag]

I am looking for a bank that has national coverage that includes California, New Mexico, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Hopefully with minimal fees, a mobile phone/camera deposit app, plentiful branches and/or ATM network, and are competent and easy to deal with. Any suggestions?

I was a trucker for many years living a mobile lifestyle. It caused many problems with banks among other things. I ended up using Wells Fargo which has been fine for the most part. Then through a series of unforeseen events I ended up based out of Mississippi. 
There are NO Wells Fargo branches in the entire state of Mississippi. Zero. I would have to travel from Tupelo to Hamilton, Alabama to do little bits of bank business.
To counteract this I opened an account in Walmart. Turned out that was only good for the eastern side of the country and because I didn't use it for awhile, they just kept the $20 used to open it and shut the account down. They didn't try to contact me in any way. Just helped themselves.  
I was furious. Be careful how you go about this.

 

[eDJ_]

I belong to two Credit Unions in my town.  The first one I worked for the company it bears the name of.  The second I volunteered thru one of my Fraternal Lodges...at the VA Hospital.  It's a Federal Employees Credit Union.  But I still keep a commercial bank as some businesses in my area are still living in the past.   But I'm in Appalachia.

I was once traveling thru the Coal Field area and needed to cash a Travelers Check to buy some food.  The young lady at the grocery store asked me to wait a minute while she went into the back office.  Next thing I knew the LEO's were coming in the door and she was pointing at me saying, "That's him !".  She had called the Police telling them I was trying to pass counterfeit money.  Fortunately an old miner who was there knew what they were and he got it straightened out so I got my supplies and was on my way.  I was camping and fishing at a State Park there.