The Warne Account

Good on you for voting with your feet (walking away from ANZ). Far too many people just put up with "their" bank, perhaps because they think all banks and fiancial institutions are the same (they're not, once you step outside the realm of The Big Banks) or it's too much hassle to switch banks (it's not).

Many years ago I'd simply had enough of my two banks (NAB and Westpac), especially when they continued slugging me with charges yet giving me no incentive to stay, and when one of them closed what was then my local branch, I just up stumps and left 'em both. Moved all my banking to a credit union (Sydney Credit Union) and have been much happier ever since.

David

Seems like I'm taking the opposite side of the fence, and saying that I've never been happier with my bank.

After having been shafted by the Commonwealth on my accounts ($0.50 for a Netbank transaction, you've got to be kidding me), I moved to the ANZ around this time last year and I'm quite happy. My student card entitles me to a free Access Advantage account, and I pack an ANZ First Visa Card for the odd occasion that something requires a credit card. Pay it off at the end of each month, and there's none of that pesky interest to pay.

Speaking of interest – 5.45% on the ANZ Online Saver does wonders for my nest egg as well :) And I have to confess that it's refreshing to be able to pick up the phone and hear an Australian at the other end of it.

Nice work on moving though – I know of a number of people with Suncorp, and I'm yet to hear of any complaints.

I like Citibank Plus which offers 5.50% and unlimited transactions.

Regarding Suncorp Metway:
a) Citibank offers unlimited ATM withdrawals Australia-wide. In Queensland, you have to use Suncorp ATMs.
b) In Victoria, Suncorp has very limited branches as with Citibank. However, Citibank offers Giropost banking at Australia Post, which Suncorp does not.
c) Suncorp offers 5.55%, Citibank offers 5.5%
d) Citibank offers a fee exemption of the $5 fee if you hold $100,000 with them, Suncorp does not.
e) Citibank does not have a Visa Debit facility like Suncorp does (which you have to have your account for 6 months first). However, they have indicated that they will introduce a Visa Debit card in the future.

So yes, both Citi and Suncorp have their good and bad points – it's just working out the one that works for you best.

Personally, I use Citi because I can bank at the post office with them.

Regarding ANZ Everyday debit card:

Full-time students and ANZ staff only pay $3 instead of $6
It is offered in blue, black and pink. You can change the colour if you like.

BUT WHAT ANNOYS ME….
ANZ does not offer a cheque book facility on the Visa Everyday debit card.

That means if you want to have the Visa Everyday Debit Card and a cheque book facility you would have to still pay $5 for an Access Advantage and $6 for the Visa Everyday Debit card = total of $11!!!

Regarding ANZ Online Saver:
This is not advertised but you can request it at the call-centre.

Very interesting John. Thanks for the info.

One thing I'm not clear on with the ANZ Debit VISA… does it link to a separate bank account? Or does ANZ offer the Debit VISA as a directly accessible account?

I must check with ANZ to see whether as an ACP employee I can get it fee-free. They offer ACP employees one fee-free bank account at the moment which I use for a regular transaction account.. whatever they are… Access Advantage?

I would consider changing to Citibank rather than using Suncorp for the Giropost capability, but there are two problems:

- I really bear a grudge against Citibank because I took up a "Ready Credit" offer with them a while back which offered a credit card balance transfer with 4.9% interest rate for the life of the debt (e.g. until you paid it back). They made very sure when I signed up over the phone that I was clear about the terms and conditions: if I accrued any new debt, it would be at a high interest rate, and any money paid back to the card would be used to pay off the 4.9% debt, not the high-rate debt. "Sounds fine," I thought, "I'll just shred the card as soon as I get it and use it as a low rate personal loan." THEN, they introduced a $160 per year "facility fee". Shonky in my opinion. What really made me furious was they then sent me a brochure to "give to a friend" advertising the 4.9% deal… no mention of the annual "facility fee". My bet is that Citibank is like GE Capital Finance… one of these companies that "tailors credit packages" to individual customers.

- I don't need Giropost because Suncorp has cheque-deposit-by-mail. Very convenient. I don't mind an effective 50c fee (cost of a stamp) for the convenience — and I so rarely receive a cheque these days.

Hi Dan,

My employer pays us weekly in cash for years. People at our joint don't want direct transfers. Yes, we get super and tax deducted with payslips so it's all legit. It's just the employees all wanted cash. So I need to deposit the cash and as Suncorp does not have a close enough branch so I need the Giro Post facility.

I take on board your comments about the Citibank Ready Credit. In fact there is a major discussion on it at http://www.frequentflyer.com.au with some users sending their complaint to the ABIO.

However, Citibank can keep their credit card as far as I'm concerned. They asked me to fax them my pay slip (in India of course) and I did so 10 times. They claim they do not receive it and I have the fax transmision reports to prove that I've sent it. It is now over 4 weeks so I just told them to cancel the application.

BUT… I have since discovered that for a mere $39 you can have a "no-frills" credit card that offers $1 for 1 Qantas frequent flyer point. http://www.ezybanking.com.au – and it's a Mastercard which doesn't have the high annual fee like American Express (who recently increased it to $192 for the Rewards Maximiser from $144) and anyway not many people take AMEX or charge 3% – 5% surcharges.

Talking about surcharges: read http://www.frequentflyer.com.au as Qantas are now going to charge (instead of 1%) $4.40 for domestic bookings and $12 for international bookings, per person. What a joke!

Back to your question about ANZ Everyday Debit Card. No it's a separate account to the Access Advantage and you get a new BSB and Account number. Meaning that if you require a cheque book facility for cheque withdrawals (for those tradies or for the massage therapist) you still need the Access Advantage. So you have to pay twice $5 for the Access Advantage and another $6 a month for the Visa Everyday Debit = $11.
Why they can't combine it into one account – I do not know!

Anyway I'd be interested to know whether you are able to get this account for free. I know ANZ offer the ANZ@Work package http://www.anz.com/anzatwork so this is what you might get at ACP. There is no mention of the Visa Everyday Debit.

Sorry if all of this is a bit off-topic and not specifically related to ANZ Everyday Debit card but I wanted to share my thoughts.

Regards,
John.

John… VERY interesting, that whole discussion over at frequentflyer.com.au. For anyone interested, the direct link is: http://www.frequentflyer.com.a.....php?t=1434

I was so annoyed at Citibank for introducing that $160/yr fee. I thought about complaining to an authority of some sort but I assumed Citibank would have covered its bases legally. (Being a journalist who investigates consumer complaints against vendors on a continual basis, perhaps I shouldn't have been so quick to assume.)

As discussed in that FrequentFlyer.com.au thread, Citibank simultaneously introduced a targeted promotion for customers who hadn't been actively spending on their Ready Credit account – $20 cash back for every $500 spent. I got great joy reading the post from the guy who said he'd been rotating thousands of dollars of cash through the account every day just to get the cash back. That's karmic justice.

Can't believe Citibank didn't think of that when they were designing the promotion, because of course, you can withdraw money directly from a Ready Credit account without cash advance fees – it's a line of credit account rather than a credit card.

From the user's post: "I wrote cheques from my ready credit account and deposited them into my home loan (not with citibank) and then did redraws from my home loan directly to my ready credit account. "

Superb!

I bet some product manager at Citibank is getting a hard ass-kicking over this loophole. :-)

Dan,
See http://www.bfso.org.au if you wish to lodge a complaint about it.
John

Brad,

the CBA no longer charge Netbank 3rd party fees.
They are now scrapped.

John

Dan
FYI = Suncorp charge $1.50 for ATM BALANCE ENQUIRIES if you do not use a "Suncorp ATM". It is only "Withdrawals" that are free.

I need to clarify with Citibank whether Citibank Plus includes balance enquiries.

John

True, that's an odd exclusion isn't it. Must have something to do with the way the ATM fee interchange scheme is structured. However I very rarely check my balance at an ATM — I usually do that online before withdrawing cash, so it doesn't affect me.

Dan,
The saga continues. Westpac are now offering an interest rate of 5.8%
http://www.westpac.com.au/inte.....+in+detail
But they rip you off with $2 to use another bank's ATM and they don't offer a Visa Debit card or allow you to do your banking at the post office…
John

I'm still amazed that the average regular user sticks with the banks at all; I've been using credit unions ever since I left University (where I a) had no money and b) got a free account, same as everybody. I pay no monthly fee to use any ATM I like, with the only limitation being 18 ATM withdrawals per month. If you need cash money more than once every two days (or so), then I'd respectfully suggest that you're spending too much. Debit card too, which is entirely free of limitations, keeps me out of trouble.

Moreover, I get that whole "why, yes, you are actually a human being" kind of treatment out of my credit union (NSW Teacher's for those interested). Always strikes me as a contrast when I have to go in and deposit cheques — they have a depositing arrangement with NAB, but NAB staff seem to have the attitude that the customers are something that came indoors on the bottom of their shoes.

Hi everybody

Bottom line for all of this is that Banks once used to be so clever that when you gave them $1000 to look after for you for a month or more they were able to make say 6% on it, keep say 4% for themselves and give you the owner of the $1000 say 2% … but now they have lost all their banking skills and cant do this anymore. Now they simply mind your $1000, keep $6 of it for themselves and give you back $994 … no skills required. A number of other 'no skills' banking policies are cropping up aswell. Take for example the time when you had two accounts and one would pay any overdraw on the other …. not anymore ….. you simply get an overdrawn fee …as hefty as $40-50 …even if have $10K in the other account! Robbery doesnt describe it well … perhaps extortion is more fitting. One credit card is even charging you to pay them (75c) and had the audacity to tell me to anticipate the extra fee when I pay them to acheive a no outstanding balance! … I'm just waiting for the 'had to escalate your equiry the manager' fee or the 'had to ring the other department' fee…. theres an endless list of fess that could be invented. What percentage consumption in fees will you accept on your money … 5%, 10%, even 20% before you complain? I believe in the long standing 'time value' of money principle (the banks and corporates certainly adheres to this for themselves). On this basis banks should be paying me and they used to .. not the other way around.

In the meantime I am enjoying "The Matress Bank" ..it is a fairer deal … you stuff the $1000 in your matress … and guess what when you come back in a month to get it its all there ….. Ive asked banks their financial advice on this …. and they are having trouble arguing with it.

Of course they have got the system all tied up .. its hard to get your employer, broker, or others to deal with you without a bank anymore so its no wonder the banks let the people with skills go and are now just working on the premis of taking your money basically for no effort…. legislation (put in place by lobbying corporates) has simply allowed them to do this…

I say people need to fight back .. and suggest you lobby your local members, make formal request to your bank for reduced charges, change banks if you have to (to a credit unions perhaps) and protest generally as I do diligently but quietly every day.

hope you all live long and prosper

Mike

Dear Dan

http://www.citibank.com.au/plus now offers a Visa Debit card, unlimited use of all ATMS (including balance enquiries) and a linked 5.85% savings account. Furthermore the $5 fee is waived if you deposit your salary – minimum of $500.

Furthermore a fee-free for life Citibank Gold Visa card which offers frequent flyer points on a $1 spent = $1 point basis is available at this magic website: http://www.citibank.com.au/car.....ofee_A.htm

I would just never deal with Citibank again after I signed up for ReadyCredit because of the very low interest balance transfer (~4.99%) "for the life of the balance" (or similar wording) and then got hit with a newly introduced ~$150/p.a. "facility fee" a year later.

Being a one-time Telstra BigPond customer did teach me that if a company screws you with price changes, you should simply vote with your wallet, so I simply refinanced the amount with a more ethical credit provider. But it also guaranteed I'd never do business with them again and would be sure to tell everyone I know not to, either.

Ahhh… woops :-) Scrolling up the previous comments, I see we've already discussed Citibank's 'facility fee' a few months ago.

Citibank are not to be trusted. They will change the terms and conditions and find a way to charge you extra fees. I was caught out on their ReadyCredit account. They are the most dishonest bank I have ever dealt with.

Hi Ed,

In fact, the most dishonest bank is HSBC. They too have advertised a promotion, do not honour the terms of the promotion and lie.

citibank.com.auAnother vote for Citibank Plus

The best IMO. Fee free banking (you need to deposit more than $500 a month as a direct salary credit), visa debit card, the ability to use any atm for free, high interested linked accounts!! What more could one want. You can now deposit at the Post Office and any National Bank.

https://www.citibank.com.au/AUGCB/apfa/augcb/ocmff/LandingPage.do?sourceCode=LCG9Y7YU6AAYGAZD

Apparently Citibank have unilaterally decided to raise the bar to $3000.00 a month deposit to quality for the fee free option. Makes you wonder…

Seems to me that Citibank's M.O. is to suck people in with extremely cheap finance deals, then change the terms down the track. It's not unusual for banks to do this I suppose, but it's the frequency and scale of what Citibank does that's alarming.

they call it a debit card but its actually a CREDIT card