Bank accounts

Call 1-800-531-8722 and ask for "New Member Solutions". After several weeks of getting the runaround, my DS was finally able to open an account.
 
There are a lot of financial institutions that serve the military well. My daughter banks at Schwab, because her parents bank at Schwab and it is easy for us to transfer funds to her account should that become necessary. Schwab charges no ATM fees ever. Schwab has no special programs for military that I am aware.

Many credit card companies will waive any initial fees for military members.

I get that a lot of USAA members think USAA is the best (I am a member and use them for selected products). However, the idea that their products like car and home insurance are always cheaper and their customer service exceeds their competition is not necessarily true. I shopped and found I was overpaying for both home and auto insurance and I switched to a well known company with exceptional customer service.

My impression that people that claim USAA is the best (and they are good no question) and the cheapest have never actually shopped around. I used to be one of them.
 
1842 said:
We are getting the run around by USAA as well for our DS. Our family is already USAA members and they refuse to accept his orders despite requesting them as proof of enrollment at the academy. Don't know what to do. We emailed them but they refuse to answer ANY QUESTIONS. I am severly disappointed with their customer service. We have been with them for many years.
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Rest assure, you are not alone on this one. Our DS has been trying to open a checking account with USAA since late March. Got nothing but run around ....
 
Thanks to those who have messaged me and to everyone for telling their stories on this issue. I have been able to escalate this internally within the bank to our service executives. They were very unhappy to hear what happened. First, thanks to those who have spoken out as this is clearly a significant issue and we are going to take internal actions to start remedying the issue. Second, for those who have had issues, I sincerely apologize for the problem and would like the opportunity to make it right.

If you were not able to obtain membership with your appointee letter and still want to open a USAA account before heading to Basic, I would ask you to send me your name and contact number in a PM so our executive team can directly contact you and sort things out. If you don't feel comfortable providing that information via a SAF PM, I am happy to provide you with my USAA contact information and you are welcome to send me your contact information to my USAA e-mail and I can escalate from there.

We recognize that we have not done right by our SA appointees and truly wish to earn your business and prove that we are here for you! Thank you!

I will reach out to those who have PMed me already as well, I appreciate all the feedback.
 
Same for my DS. Going on two weeks, 4 different phone calls and escalations. Always needing things emailed again or asking for new items. No one ever actually accomplishing anything despite multiple promises that this is the last thing he'd have to do. He is about to give up.
 
After numerous phone calls and endless runaround, my DS finally got his USAA checking account opened last week. He emailed the same verification documents (appointment letter, travel orders, and drivers license) at least three times, and finally he was told that he needed to send a copy of both the front and back of his license in order for it to be accepted, which he would have done the first time if he had been told. Dealing with USAA was like having a second job, and my DS and I were both ready to give up until we finally spoke to a representative who actually knew what she was doing and took the time to help us.
 
This is to HornetGuy. I'm a long-time lurker, but first-time poster . . . so I'm unable to PM you. However, we, too, are having difficulty opening a USAA account. I would like to send you our contact information directly.
 
Jobeck05 said:
Same for my DS. Going on two weeks, 4 different phone calls and escalations. Always needing things emailed again or asking for new items. No one ever actually accomplishing anything despite multiple promises that this is the last thing he'd have to do. He is about to give up.
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DS has the same experience as you described. He decided to shelf this for now until after finals. We could only laugh about this to keep our sanity. IT'S RIDICULOUS USAA. YOU CAN DO MUCH BETTER !
 
1meanteacher said:
After numerous phone calls and endless runaround, my DS finally got his USAA checking account opened last week. He emailed the same verification documents (appointment letter, travel orders, and drivers license) at least three times, and finally he was told that he needed to send a copy of both the front and back of his license in order for it to be accepted, which he would have done the first time if he had been told. Dealing with USAA was like having a second job, and my DS and I were both ready to give up until we finally spoke to a representative who actually knew what she was doing and took the time to help us.
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Yes, sending a picture of the front AND BACK of the driver's license is important! We lucked out with a customer service representative that stressed this to him. So glad your DS was finally able to open his USAA account.
 
All,

Again, I'd like to apologize for the issues you've had with USAA. It's just as disappointing to me as it is for you and I'm working internally to make this right.

I've managed to connect two SAF posters to our internal advocate team whose job is to determine the issues and get to a solution as quickly and painlessly as possible. As more people reach out to me, I will keep a stream open to the advocates to get you set up more quickly.

For those who might be afraid to start the process, take swatdude's advice, you will likely get what you need with the new member solutions team as long as you are connected directly to them. Make sure to try this first.

swatdude said:
Call 1-800-531-8722 and ask for "New Member Solutions"
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If that fails, reach out to me. Those who are able, please PM me directly and I will give you my USAA contact information to get the ball rolling. Those who are lurkers or don't have enough posts (such as karlabsl and Driver45acp), I'm going to set up a temporary inbox on maildrop to maintain privacy for myself. I will monitor it throughout the work day. If you send a message to the maildrop, include your e-mail and I will respond directly from my USAA e-mail. The mail drop is: hornetguyusaa (at) maildrop.cc

I promise we will try to do right be y'all. Each of you matters to us - we want to be here for you. That is our mission.
 
This is just a comment; mainly for those who haven't yet tried to open a USAA account.

I'm not going to address what SHOULD be the procedures, policies, etc. and what ACTUALLY happens. I'm simply going to suggest the EASIEST method.

1. Follow the recommended info in the appointee packet and open an account with armed forces bank. The procedure is ESTABLISHED and takes literally no time.
2. After BCT, and you're established in the school year, contact USAA and open an account. It is fast and painless. You're now considered active military, and there isn't an issue.
3. Go into MyPay and change your direct deposit for your military pay to start going to USAA.
4. Live off of whatever money is in armed forces bank, until it's gone, and close the account.

Too many people get impatient and want everything to work perfectly now. WHY??? It's not important. You're not at the academy yet. You're not getting paid yet. There's no reason to make this complicated. Armed Forces bank is set up as part of the incoming process. They already have all the procedures in place to open an account for APPOINTEES who aren't there yet. The academy had to set something up in place for all the new appointees like you. SO JUST DO IT!!! It doesn't take any time. Then, once you're settled in, open the USAA account. Or DON'T open the account with USAA. It's not a big deal. "Until your senior year C1C, if you decide to take the $35,000 no/low interest loan. That is offered by USAA, NOT the Air Force. In order to get the loan, you'll have to have an account with USAA. But until 3 years from now, it's not an issue. So don't make this difficult.
 
Make it real easy - find a bank that will open an account with no hassle.

All DFAS needs is a legitimate routing number and bank account number.

USAA isn't special enough to spend your time trying to resolve issues. Most people think getting paid is important and have access to those funds is equally important.
 
hornetguy said:
All,

Again, I'd like to apologize for the issues you've had with USAA. It's just as disappointing to me as it is for you and I'm working internally to make this right.

I've managed to connect two SAF posters to our internal advocate team whose job is to determine the issues and get to a solution as quickly and painlessly as possible. As more people reach out to me, I will keep a stream open to the advocates to get you set up more quickly.

For those who might be afraid to start the process, take swatdude's advice, you will likely get what you need with the new member solutions team as long as you are connected directly to them. Make sure to try this first.



If that fails, reach out to me. Those who are able, please PM me directly and I will give you my USAA contact information to get the ball rolling. Those who are lurkers or don't have enough posts (such as karlabsl and Driver45acp), I'm going to set up a temporary inbox on maildrop to maintain privacy for myself. I will monitor it throughout the work day. If you send a message to the maildrop, include your e-mail and I will respond directly from my USAA e-mail. The mail drop is: hornetguyusaa (at) maildrop.cc

I promise we will try to do right be y'all. Each of you matters to us - we want to be here for you. That is our mission.
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PM'd you back.
 
I'll actually disagree on USAA not being special. While many of the features of USAA banking aren't purely unique to USAA, the combination of all the features make life easier as a USAA member. While I obviously have skin in the game as an employee, I did learn some lessons the hard way thought the world of online banking is a tad different now than when I was a cadet back in 2006-2010.

Here's some highlights that are important:

Classic AND Cashback Rewards Checking Account:
  • For appointees, no minimum set up balance
  • No monthly fee ever regardless of direct deposit or balances
  • ATM: Both account types allows for unlimited use at USAA, USAA branded, or USAA affliliate (Moneypass and Cirrus) with no fee. (AFB is only moneypass)
  • ATM: Classic allows for up to a $15 rebate per month at surcharged ATMs (any) for the first $15 or 10 withdrawals. The Cashback forgoes this benefit in order to offer:
  • Cashback: Cashback rewards returns $0.10 per debit card transaction over $1. If you do not want or need a credit card, this is a pretty nice benefit that you won't find at most any bank so long as you are fine with foregoing the $15/month ATM rebate
  • The USAA send money feature is really nice. While Venmo is great, the USAA tool is easier to use and funds are instantly available if you are receiving from another USAA member
  • While we have overdraft protection, if you even did have a NSF (not sufficient funds) or overdraft (OD) fee, you can pretty much get it waived by calling (most banks won't do that, at least not after the first one)
Another one that is pretty much limited to us and maybe a couple military banks like NFCU, we always guarantee military pay on DFAS such that if there ever were a government shut down that delayed or halted direct deposit from DFAS for any period of time, we will still provide funds in the account as a 0% 'loan' until DFAS resumes pay.
  • I'll plug that our other products (credit cards, renters insurance, car insurance, etc) are nice and are discounted with bundling. While you won't need car insurance the first couple years, rental insurance for your belongings is cheap and easier to manage with USAA. (I've had a renters claim before and it was super easy and USAA fought for me and even got my deductible back).
  • If you need to deposit cash, I guess there's the AFB branch at Sijan that is convenient but the USAA ATMs outside Southgate will take cash deposits.

I'll respectfully disagree with CC on Armed Forces Bank. They aren't super easy to close an account with and if you ever don't have your direct deposit with them and still have the account open, they charge $10/mo servicing fee. If I was a cadet again and knew what I know now, I would have opened a USAA account and not AFB. I did not like banking with AFB at all.
 
Hornet. Not saying AFB is a great choice. But they're there. And, as a cadet, they'll have 3 years to close the account. It's not a problem to close a bank account when you can walk into the bank and do it in person. And like I said, they'll have 3 years to do it.

So I still recommend; do the AFB paperwork in the appointee package; get things started and stable; any time in the next couple years go ahead and start the USAA account; then close the bank account and then change your direct deposit. And if you time it right; e.g. change your direct deposit the same day the deposit goes into the AFB account; (The 1st of the month or whatever), the change will be in place for the next paycheck.

This is simple. I've known a lot of cadet's who have done it this way. Most changed in their C2C year when they were thinking of getting the loan. But all of them basically did it this way and none of them had problems closing the AFB account.
 
I am not prior military and have had no previous exposure to any of the banks listed but given:
  1. the general concensus was that USAA was the best long-term banking choice for my DS,
  2. my DS probably really will not want to deal with a banking change as a C3C/C2C, and
  3. my personal dislike of "rework"...
I opted to establish a USAA account for my DS to minimize any down-stream effort. Given that we are still under the same roof, I was able to take on some of the initial administrative burden as I still have access to all of the required documentation (that may not be the same case down the road). Was I happy with with the initial process (or lack thereof)? No, but once my DS's eligibility was established, it has been a smooth process and eliminates the need to make a change in the next couple of years.

Full disclosure - my sister works for USAA (insurance), so I may have felt a bit of extra pressure to work through the initial issues.
 
I have to chime in and say I think it's worth it to go ahead and establish an account with USAA. There is a some time to deal with a bit of hassle now and just get it finished. Why kick it down the road? In my opinion it's really the best choice and the overall reputation of this company is simply unmatched for military members. My experience is that they will figure this out and improve their product. Hopefully soon!
BTW ... No connection to USAA, just long time customers.
 
I only have a basic account with USAA and I am not using their products. I am so sorry to see so many long time posters with good intentions trying to suggest opening an account for the right reasons, only to see the runaround and frustration many had to endure.

I love what USAA does for our men and women in uniform and their families. Someone need to share this thread with the VP for membership or even the president/CEO. Is it a management issue or a training issue? It's ridiculous to grow membership when you have to cross your fingers to get someone on the phone to know exactly what need to be done to become a member. I am sure eventually this will become a nonissue but, geez, 118 posts of "how to open an account"? Seriously? Hire someone competent or risk losing your business.

I appreciate ChristCorp trying to steer the appointees away for now till after BCT. It saves your headache, frustration and probably gives you back a couple years of your life!

By comparison, NFCU is now the biggest credit union and they are opening more and more branches all over the country. They are not exactly the same charter as USAA, but the ability to walk into a branch somewhere close by and talk to a real person to get real help, in addition to doing business online, is what earned my business.

I am sure I am not their only fan.

https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/nfcu.55826/#post-555842

Edit: added the map for CS.

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I love what USAA does for our men and women in uniform and their families. Someone need to share this thread with the VP for membership or even the president/CEO. Is it a management issue or a training issue? It's ridiculous to grow membership when you have to cross your fingers to get someone on the phone to know exactly what need to be done to become a member. I am sure eventually this will become a nonissue but, geez, 118 posts of "how to open an account"? Seriously? Hire someone competent or risk losing your business.
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I can say that a process gap has been identified and leadership is now working on a solution to fill the gap and prevent these issues in the future. It will probably be a multi-pronged approach with training, online-dedicated channels for SA appointees, and better internal documentation. This issue has touched a lot of enterprise leadership and is quickly rising as a priority.
 
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