I’ve been on a quest for free cheques this week as my beautifully hand-engraved cheques illustrated in illuminated letters by sequestered monks in the Alps are about to run out. (I assume that’s why they cost so much.) So I opened an ING Direct THRIVE account paid my Bell bill with only 1 hassle, and ordered my 50 free cheques. The ABM card and PIN arrived within a week and I intend to test the card by making a deposit at my nearby credit union shortly. I would also like to open a PC Financial chequing account to compare and contrast, but they are tardy in replying to my email. I want to know if there’s some way I can get a bonus for opening an account. (If you want to open an ING account and get a bonus, feel free to use my link below: especially since I would get a bonus too!) So far PC Financial hasn’t replied. (I suspect the answer will be “No.”)
After writing my marvelous posts, I went for a ramble along the Lake Ontario water front, and discovered not one, not two, not three, but FOUR types of Grebes all sleeping and ignoring my attempts to immortalize them in jpegs to display on my blog Natural Crooks. I guess they get tired of the paparazzi.
When browsing around my favourite blogs, I found some other bank account related posts that you might enjoy.
Gail Vaz-Oxlade explains why you DON’T want a chequing account with overdraft protection. I’m so financially conservative it never occurred to me that there even was such a thing as overdraft protection! (Of course I’m old enough to remember a distant relative getting sent to the KP for writing cheques on an account with no money in it.)
Robb Engen (alias Echo) wrote an article for the Toronto Star on Bank Accounts for Seniors: A Look at Some Options. It explains why TD is standing whistling on a cold, lonely corner when it comes to making friends with senior bank customers.
Sara at Timeless Finance recently plotted her way to saving $150 per year by Minimizing Bank Fees.
Many moons ago, BigCajunMan wrote Dumber than Snake Mittens, which I had to include just because the post’s title is so catchy.
In the do-I-laugh-or-cry bank stories category, CBC News reports on a Saint John man who received a condolence letter from CIBC on his own death. His chequing account was the culprit, although judging by his interview, I wonder if a poltergeist works at his branch….
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I’m sure there are even more Chequing stories worth checking out. If you’ve found an interesting one, please share a link with us in a comment.
Good job saving money on your chequing. I’ve been very satisfied with THRiVE thus far.
And just wait till you have children in school with those endless requests for tiny amounts by cheque. You’ll really score big savings!