I think you have mave solved the mystery here, everyone I see
referencing the free with direct deposit has a CA based BoA
account.... Interesting how they have different rules depending on
where ou live. I will have to give some thought to pretending to live
in CA though, thats a long way from MD :-)

Jason

On Aug 13, 5:32 pm, "Ben" <no_s...[at]junkmail.com> wrote:
- quote -

Interesting, neverr thought of opening an HELOC just to meet the
requirement to get teh Advantage account - makes sense :-) Thanks for
the tip.

On Aug 13, 5:12 pm, Warwick Webb
<WarwickW...[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
- quote -

I have a regular checking account in CA. I live in WA -- B of A offers no
direct-connect at all in WA which is why I opened my account in CA.
Possibly you live in a state where free direct-connect with direct-deposit
isn't offered? If so, you might want to do the same, open an account in Los
Angeles -- you can do it all online. To do so, you go to B of A.com, in the
locations drop-down on the left select CA, then click the
open-new-checking-account link. Works well, as you have access to all the B
of A cash machines, can make in-branch or cash machine deposits where you
live regardless of which state your account is based out of...

<jb1677[at]gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1187015105.643229.50970[at]o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
- quote -

I currently have the fee waived as an Advantage checking account holder. And
I was given Advantage status by taking out a home equity line of credit from
BOA, even though I've never used it. So the HELOC was worth it just to get
the free Direct Banking

"jb1677[at]gmail.com" wrote:

- quote -

On Aug 12, 5:34 pm, "Ben" <no_s...[at]junkmail.com> wrote:
- quote -

stated over and over that in the case of a checking account the fee
was only waived for the Advantage Checking customers. Can you confirm
that this is the level of account you have?

I was hoping to avoid the fee with a lower level account - I guess I
cant have it all!

Jason

- quote -

Wachovia isn't free, but comparatively reasonable, $5.95 for personal
accounts. Both B of A and Wachovia (and maybe others) offer the first 3
months free regardless of what your pricing is afterwards.

"Retired Coal Miner" <...[at]...> wrote in message
news:scOdnWom3KV3RCLbnZ2dnUVZ_jydnZ2d[at]comcast.com...
- quote -

jb1677[at]gmail.com wrote:
- quote -


Complete list is here: http://www.microsoft.com/money/bankonline.aspx

Wachovia, M&T and Citizens Bank (citizensbank.com) are three more that also
offer this at no charge, I believe.

They don't exactly promote the direct-deposit-makes-it-free aspect. It
doesn't appear online anywhere that I could find. When I first opened the
account I called to inquire about the cost for direct-connect; at the time I
didn't have direct-deposit and the customer service person told me about it.
It's a great service to have though -- MSN Money sync 'breaks' quite often,
very unreliable -- but even when it's not working the direct connect just
keeps going. Have been using it for about 6 months now, went down once and
when I called B of A customer service, they knew it was down and said it
would be up shortly (which it was).

<jb1677[at]gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1186950303.779177.39380[at]w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
- quote -

Interesting, I am not currety a BoA customer but when I inquired about
the service I was told for sure that there was a charge for the
service in all cases. Nice to know that something as easy as direct
deposit can get the fee waver..... I guess it may be time to think
about switching banks!

Jason

On Aug 12, 3:42 am, "ben" <no_s...[at]junkmail.com> wrote:
- quote -

B of A offers free Direct Connect (including integrated BillPay) a number of
ways:

--For accounts with direct deposit
--Money Manager Account
--Premier Banking
--Private Bank clients

You'll find the information more accurate when you contact customer service
for > online services< and not the general customer service number -- it's
not a 24 hour line like the general one. To find the number, log into your
account via the B of A web site, select the customer service tab, and click
'customer service phone numbers'.

USAA offers it free, without requirements. They don't have integrated
bill-pay though, just web-based bill-pay.

<jb1677[at]gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1186860054.981945.273220[at]g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
- quote -

In microsoft.public.money, jb1677[at]gmail.com wrote:

- quote -

I have seen posters speak well of https://www.53.com/ offering bill
pay via Money.

Howard posted Wachovia is free for customers with Crown Banking and
similar accounts.
http://wachovia.via.infonow.net/locator/jsp/index.jsp

I happened to note those posts, but that is not an inclusive list by
any means.

I see the term mid-Atlantic is about as literally accurate as
"midwest". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_States

Are there any national / large / mid atlantic based banks out there
that offer free Money direct connect access - even with a blanace or
other requirement?

I have read that BoA offers this - but when I call I am told that all
levels of accounts must pay for Direct Connect, same with Suntrust and
Chevy Chase (the 3 most prevelant banks in my area).

Problems since the server update have left me with a near useless
Money, direct connect will probably skirt many of the issues but I
would rather not pay for it (especially at 10$ or so a month)

Jason