Okay, I've been seeing that a lot of people are recommending to go with USAA! So I'm able to open an account online? I'm new to "adulting" so this is a bit confusing for me.
Google “USAA and Military Academies”
That is a good place to start your research. Many military people use them for various financial services, as they are geared to military, AD, Guard, Reserve, veterans, military families. Started in 1922 by a group of Army officers as a mutual property insurance company. It’s grown a bit…
Their charter requires them to only offer membership to the uniformed services. Membership can be passed downward from the original uniformed member in the family.
The challenge comes when it’s time to verify your eligibility for membership, as they will verify your presence in the military identification system - which you will not have until you raise your right hand and you have a CAC card in your pocket. Sometimes you can get it done in advance through the website, but I’d recommend a phone call.
Every year, we see some who can make it through the wicket before they are actually in the military, some get stuck. Many just open an account with PenFed or similar and switch over once they are a cadet. Then it’s easy-peasy.
Full disclosure, I have been a USAA member since the 20th c., and I retired from them as my first post-military career. I have been 98% happy with the banking and property insurance services I use. The 2% is the occasional annoyance. They never batted an eye insurance-wise when my AD DH and I had residences in 2 different states when we weren’t co-located, rented out a home we owned in a third state, plus cars in two states. They also insured my stuff and car in foreign countries. And - their life insurance policies, similar to other reliable financial services companies who serve the military, include no combat exclusion clause policies. That generous insurance policy your grandparents funded for you when you were a kid? It probably has a clause in it that says you are not covered if you are a military pilot or are serving in a designated combat zone or you are special warfare or participating in certain types of duty or operations…I just heard a sharp intake of breath from non-military parents, and I apologize for the injection of reality.
The good news is there are many reliable companies which know how to serve the military 24/7. They optimize their apps and mobile platforms for easier usage in situations where bandwidth is limited. Their staff gets trained in all those acronyms and understand deployments, and know how to prepare a military member with setting up bill auto-pays, listing powers of attorney and organizing who has access to an account when someone is submerged in a sub for months at a time, etc.