c/banking-and-payments-community

My bank's app showed a pending transaction that sat for 6 days and I almost overdrafted because of it

I called customer support and found out if you manually refresh the pending transactions list it clears them out faster, so now I always refresh right after I make a purchase to avoid that lag. Has anyone else noticed this glitch?

2 comments

emmap16•2d ago

That time my bank flagged my own business deposit as fraud

I was transferring $4,200 from my personal account to my business account at a Chase branch in Austin last Tuesday, and they froze both accounts for 5 days. Has anyone else had their bank treat routine transfers like criminal activity?

2 comments

gibson.seth•3d ago

Hot take: Cash is still king at my local diner in Phoenix

Went to Joe's Coffee Shop off the I-10 last Tuesday to grab breakfast and their card reader was down. Had to dig through my car for loose change while my eggs got cold. Now I keep a $50 bill in my wallet just for places like that. Anyone else have a go-to backup payment method for old school spots?

2 comments

violafox•3d ago

Opened a business account at a credit union last Thursday, what a difference

I went to a big national bank first because I thought it would be faster. Waited 45 minutes just to talk to someone about opening a simple business checking account. Then they hit me with a $50 monthly fee unless I kept a $5,000 minimum balance. I walked out and drove to a local credit union near my shop in Portland. Got the whole thing set up in 20 minutes with zero monthly fees and actual human help. The teller even remembered my name when I came back to deposit a check yesterday. Has anyone else ditched the big banks for a credit union with their small business?

2 comments

patricia42•4d ago

Took me 3 years to realize I was paying $15 a month for overdraft protection I never needed

I always thought overdraft protection was just a standard thing everyone had, so I never questioned the fee. Then I got a $35 charge for a $2 coffee that slipped through, and the bank told me that fee was on top of the monthly protection cost. I did the math and realized I had paid over $500 in fees and premiums over 3 years for basically nothing. Is it smarter to just link a savings account or keep a buffer instead of paying for this service?

2 comments

jakegarcia•5d ago

First time my bank app actually caught a false charge before I did

I got a notification from my bank's app about a $47 charge at a restaurant I never even heard of, 3 towns over from me. It popped up right as the transaction was pending, not days later like usual. I flagged it and had my money back within 2 hours, which never happened with my old bank. Did your bank's fraud alerts ever actually help you spot something early, or do they just text you after the fact?

2 comments

terry1•5d ago

Warning: That card skimmer at the gas pump got me for $280

I stopped at a Shell station on Route 9 in Albany last Thursday to fill up, and used my debit card at the pump like always. Three days later I saw two $140 charges from a pharmacy in Florida that I never visited. I called my bank right away and they reversed it, but now I only use cash or go inside to pay.

2 comments

gray_patel•6d ago

Had to pick between a credit union and a big bank back in 2019

I went with a local credit union in Portland after my old bank kept hitting me with random fees. The savings account is earning 3.2% APY which is way better than what Chase was offering. Only catch is their app is clunky and mobile deposits take 2 days to clear. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or stuck with it?

2 comments

diana314•6d ago

The whole 'use cash to budget' thing people keep pushing

I keep seeing financial influencers say use cash envelopes to stay on track, but they gloss over the fact that my credit union charges a $2 fee for every withdrawal over 4 a month. That adds up fast, especially if you're splitting funds into categories. I learned this the hard way last year when I got hit with $18 in fees just pulling cash for groceries and gas. Has anyone else run into this with their bank?

2 comments

ninah10•7d ago

Can we talk about that Chase branch in midtown that locked me out at 5:02pm?

I showed up at 5:01pm last Friday, still 4 minutes before the posted closing time, and the manager pointed at his watch through the glass. Now I drive 20 minutes out of my way to a credit union that actually lets you in the door before they shut the lights off. Has anyone else had a bank straight up lie about their hours like that?

2 comments

jason_kelly8•7d ago

Why does every bank app still make you type in your full password like it's 2005?

I get that security matters but some of my accounts force a full keyboard password login every time while others let me use Face ID - which side actually keeps your money safer or is it just lazy UX design? Anyone else tired of typing 12 characters on a phone screen just to check your balance?

2 comments

verac40•8d ago

Vent: Just learned my bank charges $35 for a single photo deposit failure

Tried depositing a check through my phone app last night and it kept erroring out. Looked it up and apparently Chase hits you with a $35 fee if the image rejects more than once. Has anyone else gotten hit with this nonsense?

2 comments

black.jordan•8d ago

That week in Chicago when my debit card got flagged 4 times

I was on a work trip in Chicago last month and my bank locked my card 4 separate times for 'suspicious activity' even though I set a travel notice beforehand. Each time I had to call the 800 number and wait 15 minutes just to buy lunch or pay for my hotel. Anyone else have their bank's fraud detection go way overboard and ruin a trip?

2 comments

jamie_clark•10d ago

Spent $50 on a budgeting app a year ago and it still hasn't saved me a dime

I thought the fancy charts would fix my spending habits but I'm actually worse off with overdrafts now, has anyone else found tracking every penny just made them ignore the big picture?

2 comments

lily_schmidt53•12d ago

Got locked out of my account for a weird purchase at a Shell station in Reno

I bought a $3.49 pack of gum and a $58 tank of gas on my debit card last Tuesday and the fraud alert froze everything for 8 hours, so now I always carry two cards from separate banks... any of you guys run into this kind of false flag thing?

2 comments

miawalker•14d ago

Mobile check deposit vs ATM deposit - huge difference in hold times

I compared my bank's mobile deposit to using the ATM for the same $500 check last month. The ATM gave me $200 available instantly, but mobile deposit held the whole amount for 3 business days. Has anyone else noticed this kind of difference with their bank?

2 comments

susan424•14d ago

Teller at my local branch talked me into a 'free' checking upgrade

She said it would save me $12 a month on fees, but then I got hit with a $35 overdraft penalty last Tuesday because the new account had a different cutoff time, has anyone else gotten burned by a switch like that?

2 comments

noah415•15d ago

That $35 annual fee on my old checking account finally bit me

I've had this checking account since college, like 12 years now, and never paid attention to the fees. Last month I got hit with a $35 annual maintenance charge out of nowhere. Turns out they changed the terms six months ago and I missed the email. I switched to a credit union down the street that has zero fees and actually pays 0.5% interest. Has anyone else had a bank sneak in a fee like that after years of being fee-free?

2 comments

lane.joel•15d ago

The 4 hour wire transfer that took 11 business days

I sent $3,200 to my landlord through my bank's online portal last month. Their system said it would arrive in 4 hours to a local credit union. It took 11 business days and I got hit with a late fee anyway. Nobody could tell me why it got stuck, just kept getting transferred between departments. Ended up having to file a CFPB complaint to get them to actually look at it. Has anyone else had domestic transfers take way longer than advertised for no clear reason?

2 comments

mila_reed•16d ago

Tried a small credit union for my savings account after 10 years with a big bank

I opened a savings account at a local credit union in Portland last month just to see if the rates were really better. Turns out they were offering 4.5% APY compared to the 0.01% I was getting at Chase. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long to switch for something so simple. Has anyone else had good luck moving their emergency fund to a smaller institution?

2 comments

wood.noah•18d ago

Had a banker tell me credit unions were better for small biz loans. 100% right.

Last year I needed a 15k loan for new equipment. My regular bank offered me 11% APR with a 3 year term. Then my buddy who runs a shop in Austin said try a credit union. I joined one local to me, applied, got 6.5% and the loan funded in 5 days. No joke. Has anyone else had a similar experience switching?

2 comments

robertb30•19d ago

Remember writing checks at the grocery store like it was 1999?

I used to stand there filling out the date, amount, and signature while the cashier stared daggers through me, now I just tap my phone and walk out in 10 seconds. Has anyone else forgotten how to write a check properly after going fully digital?

2 comments

nora_chen•22d ago

Stopped by a small credit union in Portland and noticed something cool

I went into a local credit union branch in Portland last week to deposit a check, and they had this little corner setup with a free coin counter for members. No fee, no wrapping required. It's not a big thing, but I saved like $12 in Coinstar fees over the last few months by just holding onto my change and hitting that machine. Has anyone else noticed credit unions doing small stuff like this that big banks just don't bother with?

2 comments

nina_butler•22d ago

Why do people keep thinking ACH and wire transfers are the same thing?

I swear, I had a client last month who called me up asking why their "wire" was taking 3 days to clear. Told them it was an ACH, not a wire. They argued with me for 10 minutes. It's not that hard people, wires are instant and cost money, ACH is slow and mostly free. How do you work in payments and not know this? Anyone else deal with this confusion all the time?

2 comments

oscarmurphy•22d ago

Just realized I wasted $60 on those instant payment transfer apps

I kept using those apps that promise instant transfers to my bank account for a small fee. Over the last 3 months I paid about $60 total in fees just to get money right away instead of waiting the normal 1-2 business days. It started with a $2 fee here and there, but it added up fast. I finally looked at my bank statement and saw how much I lost on something so silly. Now I just plan ahead a little and wait for the free transfers. Has anyone else noticed how those small fees creep up on you?

2 comments