Choosing the Right Interest-Bearing Chequeing Account
For years, consumers had to pay for the convenience of being
able to write cheques for the goods and services that they
purchased. As time has gone by, however, a number of banks have
not only gotten rid of some of the excess charges and fees
associated with chequeing accounts but have also begun creating
chequeing accounts that pay interest to the account holder.
These interest-bearing chequeing accounts are a great boon to
customers who maintain a healthy balance in their account, but
not all interest-bearing chequeing accounts are created equal.
The information below should help you to shop around and compare
the features and interest rates of different cheque accounts so
that you can find the best account for you and your financial
needs.
Make Sure the Account Pays Interest
Obviously, there is a major difference between an account that
pays interest and one that simply doesn't charge additional
fees. While looking for interest-bearing accounts, you'll likely
find many that are simply free chequeing... make sure that you
don't confuse these two aspects or else you might end up with an
account that doesn't have one of the main features that you're
looking for.
When inquiring about different cheque accounts, the
informational pamphlets that many banks offer should tell you
about any accounts that offer interest; the information is also
likely contained on the bank's website. Should you still have
questions, a teller or customer service representative should be
able to tell you what you want to know.
Shopping Around for Accounts Just because you've always done
business with a specific bank doesn't mean that you have to do
all of your banking business with them. Since the account that
you're looking for pays interest, you're going to want to find
the highest interest rate available... that means that you
should take the time to shop around and compare the rates that
are offered by a variety of different banks.
Ask for interest rate quotes, as well as a copy of the fee
schedule and any additional information that might be pertinent
to your decision. Take the time to find out whether cheques are
included with the account or if you have to purchase them
yourself, and make sure that overdraft and insufficient fund
fees aren't excessive.
Comparing to Find the Best Deal
Once you've received several different rate quotes and have all
of the related information for each of those accounts, it's time
to start comparing the different account options to each other
and determine which chequeing account offers you both the best
interest rate and the most reasonable terms and fees.
Sort your quotes by their respective interest rates, making note
of any accounts that seem to have a rate much higher or much
lower than the rest. You're looking for the highest rate, but
you want to make sure that you don't take a higher rate and get
stuck with inferior account terms. Begin looking at the various
fee schedules and other information for the highest interest
accounts, taking into consideration the cost of purchasing
cheques or other common expenses that might come with your
account.
After careful consideration, you should be able to determine
which account is the best one for you and your needs, and which
accounts should be left alone. All that's left from that point
is actually opening the account and beginning to draw interest
on your chequeing balance.
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