THRiVE: A New No-Fee Chequing Account from ING Direct

It has been long speculated that ING Direct will introduce a no-fee chequing account to complement its existing high-interest savings accounts and Streetwise mutual funds. The announcement today that ING Direct is launching THRiVE, a new no-fee chequing account makes that speculation a reality. THRiVE, which ING Direct is hoping to have up and running in early 2011 has the following features:

1. No-Fee Daily Chequing: No monthly fees. No deposit, withdrawal or transfer fees. Unlimited bill payments and Interac transactions. First chequebook is free. Account will pay a modest 0.25% interest on balances of less than $50,000 (Hey, it’s at least better than the big fat zero that TD Canada Trust pays).
2. ABM Access through the Exchange Network.
3. Free e-mail Money Transfers.
4. Free Overdraft Protection up to $250. No fees or interest on overdrawn funds up to $250 provided it is paid back within 30 days. Accounts that remain overdrawn for more than 30 days attract a $2.50 fee for every 30 days the balance is negative. A NSF fee of $25 kicks in for overdrawn funds above $250.
5. Bank drafts can be ordered online and delivered to your home for a fee of $10.

While we have plenty of choice when it comes to high-interest savings accounts, President’s Choice Financial still remains the only major game in town when it comes to no-fee chequing accounts (Citizens Bank briefly offered a no-fee chequing account but shut it down in less than a year). Consumers who already have a PC Financial account will see very little reason to switch because though ING Direct’s fees are lower for some features, the savings may not be substantial. For instance, e-mail money transfers cost $1.50 at PC Financial. Quebec residents will be pleased to know that unlike PC Financial products, the ING Direct no-fee chequing account will be available to them. Current clients of ING Direct can register for a preview of THRiVE through their online account or register through your185.ca.

Update 1: Reader Michael pointed out that the Exchange ATM network is more extensive than CIBC’s (PC Financial clients have free access to the CIBC ATM network). A quick check revealed that while I can find just 5 CIBC ATM machines within a 5-km radius of where I live. Within the same range, I can find 42 Exchange ATM machines (compatible with ING)!!!!