Which one's the best? Bank Account : Savings with Debit Card and Internet Banking

[sbhas2k]

Go for YesBank solely because they offer 7% interest saving account.

In this generation, Internet banking, Debit card etc etc are a norm. Almost every bank has facility and without it customer won't open an account.
Saying that, You won't go wrong opening an savings account with any bank.

All the best

 

[Rico]

I'm in experience ICICI and Citibank are top charts only with respect to saving account , internet banking and customer care.
No experience on Credit cards.

ICICI
Pros
-Stellar Internet banking most of the things can be done from online.
-Customer care is good.
-Good number of ATM's.
Con
-other bank Funds transfer has transaction fee.

Citibank
Pros
-Very good Internet banking.
-Customer care is top notch in my experience.
-ATM's are very less , but they do not charge anything for withdrawal of more than 5 or any number of transaction from other bank ATM's.
-Funds transfer do not have any transaction fee.
Con
-CITIBANK is not listed in many online shopping site and as bill payment option.
ex- dominos and some more (do not remember at time of writing).

Recently had very good experience in getting car Loan and opening Saving account in SBI.
SBI
Pros
-Internet banking is very good.
-Highest number of ATM's
-Goverment bank
-very good transparency
-Yet to experience Customer care part.
Con
- Myth - most of us think they follow age old banking practice and are slow in their process,
but the fact is they are not , they surprised me with very friendly ,straight forward and quick processing . very good transparency.

Axis
writing from my spouse experience
Pros
-Internet banking very good.
-ATM count has increased in recent times.
-Customer care is good.
-in case of check bounce or insufficient balance for loan amount. customer care will call you and ask you to have required money in your account within stipulated time may be next day or so.
Con
- not that I remember

Worst ---> ABN AMRO aka RBS
Pros- "what is that !! ??"
Cons
- Absolutely worst bank to have account or even worse credit card.
- everything is pathetic from them just stay away from this crap.

 

[NDragger]

Saraswat Bank Campus A/C

 

[mathrisk]

another happy ICICI user here - since last 6 years.
Well, make it 2 - my wife uses ICICI too. Hassle free banking.

 

[Phenomenal]

I'd suggest SBI or Axis (Suggested you the same on other forum too)

@krishnandu : yes dude.Thanks a lot

The level of services offered by banks is directly proportional to the amount of money you possess.

Try for student type account which may provide you an option to set limits on your cards/spending.

@gauravH : hmm...interesting.That's a feature I need.Don't know which bank provides it,that's why i asked people who know to share about it.

I am using sbi account, netbanking and mobile banking since 3 years +, a happy customer.

In manipal, all banks have zero balance offers.

But for r international shopping sbi cards don't work.

ICICI, HDFC, AXIS bank cards do.

@prateekS : Thanks for verifying SBI experience

 

[Phenomenal]

Make sure SBI DEBIT CARD will work on paypal . You might want to use paypal in future.

@mpaspc : Thanks.I will

SBI is Good For Students.

The transaction Speed is Quite Good and the only Negative point is their long queue lines at the banks.

Most of the Checks Get cleared in 1 Business Day.

No minimum Balance is Required.

There will be annual maintenance fees ( 200 or something)

SBI virtual card is only Valid for INR Transactions.

If your majority transactions are within India , SBI is Best!!

--------------------------------------------------------

Axis has an Minimum balance Requirement of 10k.

No issues while Depositing Money.

They do offer No frills account for students ( last time i checked) with zero balance.

Virtual card is possible via IB.

@swatkats : THANKS a lot for sharing,that was quite useful
Really good stuff.

SBI is good. their netbanking site also well designed.

if u forget ur net banking password u can get new password within 1 or 2 days.

if atm card lost, within a week it wil get delivered to ur place..

minimum bal - 1000

annual atm charges - 100

monthly sms alert and mobile banking charges - 15

forgot pin - 55

atm card replacement - 200

netbanking forgot pswd or usr name - 100

@senthil : Thanks for sharing bro.Good info.

I am using ICICI for more than 5 years now and am pretty happy with the service so far. Would have recommended it but dunno what went wrong in your case, maybe service quality differs from city to city.

@mohitgamer : yeah,it might be an issue with the branch but CC was pathetic.Had to HOLD 5 mins to talk to a CC person,explained the issue...DISCONNECT.

 

[Phenomenal]

I have been a Long time satisfied user of ICICI Internet Banking for the last 5-6 years since I started Shopping online.

..plus i get regular discount coupons for many Indian shopping sites

@Techie#1 :
hehe,good for you.
I don't need discount coupons as of now.Quality and hassle-free breaking kaafi hai

SBI is good for "anyone". Their minimal balance is probably waived to zero now, at least they advertised that. Their online is kick-a** secure, you need a second password for EFT/beneficiary addition, their distinct gateway is embedded on most Indian portals, and ATMs/branches are more common then paan-waala shops. Plus their pass-book functions as an address proof too.

@asingh : Thanks for sharing that.Cool

 

[Phenomenal]

I have never used any other bank except ICICI in last 8 years, but that is probably since ICICI has my salary account. I use its Credit Card, Savings account, Debit cum ATM card.

Personally never faced any problems with ICICI. No idea about minimum balance since mine is a 0 balance one due to it being salary account.

Although other banks might have these features but few things that i liked about ICICI (and hate too sometimes) is that most high value transfers require OTP even for registered payee (at least NEFT), logging from abroad requires OTP and they have local numbers of the country (the popular ones like US, Canada etc) for getting the OTP.

I have never used a ICIC Cheque so cannot comment on clearing of those.

I use ICICI Internet banking to pay my electricity and LIC bills.

another happy ICICI user here - since last 6 years.

Well, make it 2 - my wife uses ICICI too. Hassle free banking.

@raksrules @mathrisk: Thanks.i will consider ICICI if someone can share a good CC experience,especially from Mumbai.

Go for YesBank solely because they offer 7% interest saving account.

In this generation, Internet banking, Debit card etc etc are a norm. Almost every bank has facility and without it customer won't open an account.

Saying that, You won't go wrong opening an savings account with any bank.

All the best

@sbhas2k : Thanks.

I'm in experience ICICI and Citibank are top charts only with respect to saving account , internet banking and customer care.

No experience on Credit cards.

ICICI

Pros

-Stellar Internet banking most of the things can be done from online.

-Customer care is good.

-Good number of ATM's.

Con

-other bank Funds transfer has transaction fee.

Citibank

Pros

-Very good Internet banking.

-Customer care is top notch in my experience.

-ATM's are very less , but they do not charge anything for withdrawal of more than 5 or any number of transaction from other bank ATM's.

-Funds transfer do not have any transaction fee.

Con

-CITIBANK is not listed in many online shopping site and as bill payment option.

ex- dominos and some more (do not remember at time of writing).

Recently had very good experience in getting car Loan and opening Saving account in SBI.

SBI

Pros

-Internet banking is very good.

-Highest number of ATM's

-Goverment bank

-very good transparency

-Yet to experience Customer care part.

Con

- Myth - most of us think they follow age old banking practice and are slow in their process,

but the fact is they are not , they surprised me with very friendly ,straight forward and quick processing . very good transparency.

Axis

writing from my spouse experience

Pros

-Internet banking very good.

-ATM count has increased in recent times.

-Customer care is good.

-in case of check bounce or insufficient balance for loan amount. customer care will call you and ask you to have required money in your account within stipulated time may be next day or so.

Con

- not that I remember

Worst ---> ABN AMRO aka RBS

Pros- "what is that !! ??"

Cons

- Absolutely worst bank to have account or even worse credit card.

- everything is pathetic from them just stay away from this crap.

@Rico : Nice little helpful list dude.THANKS for that.

SO guys,thanks a lot for the responses.
I'll make a final call within the next few days,probably SBI to get started.
I'll also post my experience and tips for future reference.

 

[Being.smart]

I had used many banks , and had got contacts in almost all banks.

(i)From my past experience, the worst bank is SBI , not their bank is worst, the people working there are bunch of holy cow
Not once, but in three occasion they had created headache for me.
1) 4 yr ago when i went to ask for internet banking, from peon to the manager asked me why i need internet banking id-pass, when i can do anything-and-everything by visiting their branch, it had taken me 1 month to get it done
2) When my dad passed, my mom went to renew the FD which was in my dad name, they had taken 8 month to transfer it to my mom name, even though my mom and dad was having a joint saving+ their respective salary account their. The manager made me run to court, here. there, asked lots of proofs, called loads of people to get it done
3) This incident is recent, want to invest lump-sum money in shri-ram finance, the manager declined my check 3 times saying, signature wrong lolz, i asked to give me check to cross-verify signature, he refused to do so. Then he called my mom, and started brain-washing him, that Shreeram is a chor company, they will take money and run, invest in SBI MF, SBI FD blah blah, this headache went for one 1 week, then forcefully i had to go Dhamki way taking the name of regional head.

This all incident happened in one SBI branch, where my family had got 7 saving accounts and 3 salary account , i think i should open 5-6 more account to make them happy.

(ii)The next bank, Kotak Bank, Awesome service, little bit costly to maintain if balance less.
When i opened account there, the nearest branch was 45km from my house. Their executives used to come to my home in one single call, to take care of all my transactions. Never had any problem with them, untill they had lost my x.x lakh rupees in international transaction, which they were not able to trace due to enstage system failure.
Forcefully closed 3 accounts there

(iii) The next bank i used and using till date is HDFC

Best of the best bank, Got almost all facility only, you name it and they have it. The best internet banking facility bank. Awesome staff, always happy to help. Also they dont disturn you with fck*** investment executives. Got got 4 acct with them, and still running flawlessly :X:X

(iv)IDBI Bank

This bank is a all-rounder bank, and mostly works like a sarkari bank. No special service will be provide, but nice to use. Best in class current account
For business transaction its the best , got just one current account with them.

Coming to ICICI, Axis and Yes bank. Called them 2-3 times, but they never take care to come to my home to open an account with them, so still don't have any experience with them

 

[MAGNeT]

SBI from your option.It has everything riht upto making fixed deposits online.

Others have minimum balance of 10k limit in private.

 

[Criminal]

(i)From my past experience, the worst bank is SBI , not their bank is worst, the people working there are bunch of holy cow
Not once, but in three occasion they had created headache for me.

agree with your review of SBI... it is the worst bank to rely on in the time of need. It has failed me every single time when I wanted to carry out urgent transactions. Very recently, I noticed that their online transfer link was pointing to some news page... WTF? There's no one to complaint to. Their branches are full of nincompoops. Everytime I visit their branch, I see some babus harassing students.

@Phenomenal SBI comes to the top of the list for your requirements. But you should visit similar nationalized banks in your area and see if they have any better options for students. I have accounts in Bank Of Maharashtra (works like SBI) and Punjab National Bank just for the heck of it. These are not the best banks but right now they are working fine for me as they are currently catering to small areas.

I have accounts in 7 indian and 4 foreign banks and the only bank which has worked every single time for my needs is Citibank. I am using it for the last 13 years and I guess, I have almost all the banking facilities available to me in India. But that's because I am a privileged Citibank customer so, can't suggest it to OP.

 

[krishnandu]

agree with your review of SBI... it is the worst bank to rely on in the time of need. It has failed me every single time when I wanted to carry out urgent transactions. Very recently, I noticed that their online transfer link was pointing to some news page... WTF? There's no one to complaint to. Their branches are full of nincompoops. Everytime I visit their branch, I see some babus harassing students.

I'm using SBI for almost 7 Years now and have not noticed any such link at onlinesbi.com which redirects to news site.

Yes, regarding the branch thing, it's true, but as I have Online Banking, I never need to visit branch. Only once a month, I go to deposit my Salary Check. That's it.

Still, nowadays, old peoples are passing away and you can see the young peoples at almost every branch who does their job correctly and timely. Still needs much improvement.

 

[abracadabra]

SBI all the way! Yes their offices may be not so good enough. Please dont go under the pretext of your a student. You have a passport and an address proof and just tell them you Self Employed professional.
Make sure you register for both the SMS and Online banking service. Ask them for a Yuva Debit Card, cos mostly they have a habit of dispatching a Mastero card. Also put in a nominee and Witness just incase if they ask for it.
Under 2 weeks things should reach you and your set to bank.
Coming to the online part of banking,
Now onwards SBI will be charging 15/- rupee per quarter for its SMS facility for the OTP and other transactions that you receive an SMS for.
Another point is that you can enable/disable the OTP for transactions upto Rs.5000/- from the profiles tab. For transaction above 10k OTP is a must.
Oh then there is a limit of only one beneficiary addition in 24 hours, though it might take anywhere between 6-8 hours minimum for the beneficiary to be approved. Again approval can be done online or visiting the branch using the branch approval form.
Another thing for getting your mobile number updated for the OTP is a little cumbersome if you live abroad. Cos you have to input the country which you live in, put your number and then change it and a branch approval form gets generated after which you have to print it and fill in the details and submit it to the parent bank branch. This can take time depending upon which country your in. You can come around this problem too if you have someone living in India and who is trustworthy enough.
Oh Oh their android app is a little shitty!

 

[prateekS]

The sbi android app isn't Shitty at all, beneficiary activation is instant, and money transfer is fast. Can add more than one beneficiary per day....

 

[Criminal]

I'm using SBI for almost 7 Years now and have not noticed any such link at onlinesbi.com which redirects to news site.

For me, it's easier to make a donkey learn english alphabet than logging into onlinesbi.com. As of today, the inter-bank transfer link shows "#" for me. I've tried all the sane options to make this link active. But I didn't open this account for my personal use, so it doesn't bother me.

@abracadabra you need to visit SBI branch for so many things? I am not lying but I have never visited my Citibank branch. In fact, I don't even know where it's located. I've hardly seen 1 or 2 Citibank branches while traveling on road. So far, the only Citibank ATM I have used in my life is the one located in my office. There's none nearby my home. So, I always use some random bank's ATM all the time. (Citibank has very less branches and ATMs).

The point I am trying to make is that for everything related to my banking needs I've never been charged a single paisa as service fees. SBI charges for SMS as well? I get free drafts at home, no charges on money transfer to any account, no charges and withdrawing limits from other ATMs. Zero balance and over draft facility was always there but I've never used it. Endless facilities without any extra charge.

Rules for adding beneficiaries, OTPs, NEFT etc are same all the banks.

 

[mpaspc]

CITIBANK increased the minimum balance for non-salary account customers to 1,00,000 from 25,000 . Service is good no doubt , but AQB requirements are high .

 

[swatkats]

In my area they have stopped issuing students acc. When i tried to open one, i was told that its no longer available...

Not Sure. But they told me anyone below 25years could apply for that.

 

[ayanavish]

I'm in experience ICICI and Citibank are top charts only with respect to saving account , internet banking and customer care.
No experience on Credit cards.

ICICI
Pros
-Stellar Internet banking most of the things can be done from online.
-Customer care is good.
-Good number of ATM's.
Con
-other bank Funds transfer has transaction fee.

Citibank
Pros
-Very good Internet banking.
-Customer care is top notch in my experience.
-ATM's are very less , but they do not charge anything for withdrawal of more than 5 or any number of transaction from other bank ATM's.
-Funds transfer do not have any transaction fee.
Con
-CITIBANK is not listed in many online shopping site and as bill payment option.
ex- dominos and some more (do not remember at time of writing).

Recently had very good experience in getting car Loan and opening Saving account in SBI.
SBI
Pros
-Internet banking is very good.
-Highest number of ATM's
-Goverment bank
-very good transparency
-Yet to experience Customer care part.
Con
- Myth - most of us think they follow age old banking practice and are slow in their process,
but the fact is they are not , they surprised me with very friendly ,straight forward and quick processing . very good transparency.

Axis
writing from my spouse experience
Pros
-Internet banking very good.
-ATM count has increased in recent times.
-Customer care is good.
-in case of check bounce or insufficient balance for loan amount. customer care will call you and ask you to have required money in your account within stipulated time may be next day or so.
Con
- not that I remember

Worst ---> ABN AMRO aka RBS
Pros- "what is that !! ??"
Cons
- Absolutely worst bank to have account or even worse credit card.
- everything is pathetic from them just stay away from this crap.

+1 to this.

Citibank I think requires 25K as minimum balance to keep in the savings account. Their customer care and communication service are exemplary. And you can do a lot of value added things through their net banking system.

Edit: Citibank Suvidha a/c now requires Rs 1,00,000 as minimum account balance. And Minimum account opening cheque of Rs. 3 lakhs required (Minimum Relationship value of Rs. 3 lakhs).

Better go for SBI.

 

[abracadabra]

@gauravH, just for a clarification purpose, do you hold a Salary Acc with CITI?

 

[blkrb0t]

Heard from a friend that SBI customer service is handled by GE Money. Is that true?