Megabank and mortgage giant Wells Fargo offers a huge variety of financial products under one brand. Customers partake of relationship banking, where all financial needs — checking and savings accounts, investments, mortgages, credit cards, auto loans — are met by one provider. If you’re among the millions who have a Wells Fargo mortgage or other product, you’ll be entitled to certain upgrades on interest rates and fees.
Wells Fargo Bank may be right for you if:
- You like having your various financial accounts under one umbrella.
- You bank in person at least occasionally, and you live within its expansive branch network, which spans 39 states and the District of Columbia.
- You value 24/7 customer service by phone, chat, email and social media.
- Earning high interest is not a priority.
Others to consider:
Others to consider:
| Our Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Checking accounts | |
| Savings & money market accounts |  |
| Certificates of deposit (CDs) |  |
| Customer experience |  |
| Other fees | |
| Overall | |
Here’s a detailed look at Wells Fargo Bank’s checking and savings accounts, CDs, customer experience and fees.
Checking account
3.5 / 5.0
Wells Fargo’s basic checking account is similar to those of other megabanks in many respects: It carries fairly high monthly fees, with multiple ways to avoid them, and costly overdraft penalties. It also has first-rate online and mobile banking tools. Notably, despite Wells Fargo’s heft, its ATM network is not the largest — Citibank, for example, has more than twice as many.
| Pros | Cons |
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» MORE: NerdWallet’s best checking accounts
Wells Fargo mortgage customers qualify for a “preferred” interest checking account — usually $15 a month — for free. It pays a modest rate of 0.01% APY. You also get one fee waiver for using an out-of-network ATM each month.
Well-heeled customers with at least $25,000 in various Wells Fargo accounts qualify for free access to its “PMA Package” checking, normally $30 a month. Perks include two waivers of out-of-network ATM fees each month, discounts on Wells Fargo loans and mortgages, and higher interest rates on certain accounts.
Savings account
2.5 / 5.0
Here’s a look at Wells Fargo’s basic savings account, the Way2Save account.
| Pros | Cons |
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» MORE: NerdWallet’s best savings accounts
Certificates of deposit
2.0 / 5.0
CDs are safe and predictable, but the typical yields from big banks are nothing to write home about. Even Wells Fargo’s “bonus” APY of 0.55% for 58 months, the rate reserved for premium customers, is well below the national average for five years (0.79% according to the FDIC). Some online banks, like Ally Bank, offer a yield as much as three times higher.
| Pros | Cons |
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Customer experience
4.5 / 5.0
Wells Fargo’s well-designed website incorporates all accounts, from checking to mortgages to rewards. Branch coverage is exceptional. Going against the industry trend, Wells Fargo has actually been adding offices to its network. Its intuitive mobile banking apps offer mobile check deposit, person-to-person payments and bill payments, and are reasonably well-rated by app store users.
Customer service is available 24/7 by phone, with separate phone numbers for specific product areas, like mobile banking or credit cards. You can also use email and social media.
Other fees
2.5 / 5.0
Like many of its giant bank peers, Wells Fargo’s fee structure is not very forgiving of customer errors unless you have multiple accounts or high balances with the bank.
The overdraft fee is $35, with a maximum of four fees per day. The $12.50 overdraft protection transfer fee is waived for premium customers with a high balance or a home equity line of credit. For all customers, Wells Fargo grants a $5 buffer — if you’re overdrawn by less than that, you won’t be charged a fee.
» MORE: NerdWallet’s guide to what banks charge in fees
Wells Fargo’s broad product lines include some solid options for anyone looking for a traditional bank. However, optimizers seeking the very lowest account fees or highest yields might want to look through NerdWallet’s lists of best banks and credit unions to see how other institutions compare.
Jeanne Lee is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: jlee@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:@jlee_jeanne.
This article was updated June 14, 2016. It was originally published July 31, 2015.
Ratings methodology
For banks and credit unions, NerdWallet’s overall rating is a weighted average of each subcategory: checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, CDs, customer experience and other fees. Factors we consider, depending on the subcategory, include rates and fees, ATM and branch access, account features and limits, user-facing tech and customer service. Several Nerds contribute to each financial institution’s ratings to ensure consistency and accuracy.
What the ratings mean:
— Among the very best
— Very good; only minor caveats for most customers
— Good; issues that might make a difference to some customers
— Fair; make sure strengths and weaknesses are a good match for you
— Poor; proceed with great caution
(or below) — Best to avoid
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