5 Features You'll Love About Free Checking Plus

At Rivermark, we aim to make your banking experience smoother, quicker, and more accessible. That’s why we created our Free Checking Plus account. This free account is easy to qualify for, and it provides the best support for your everyday banking needs. Here are five features you’ll love about our Free Checking Plus account.

1. Transfer Money Easily Online

We pride ourselves on being a financial institution that makes things easy for you. One of the ways we do that is by allowing you to transfer funds between accounts and between financial institutions without hassle. In our modern world, we understand that we may not be your only financial institution. You might have a car or a home loan through another institution—or we might hold the loan while your main banking takes place elsewhere. Either way, we’re here to make the transition between the two simpler than ever.

To set up online transfers, all you’ll need is access to online banking. Once that’s set up, you can schedule payments manually as needed, or you can set up automatic payments from one account to another or one bank to another. You can change it as you need to or “set and forget” and let it remain the same.

Another way to get the most out of your checking account is to set up a direct deposit. For instance, once you receive your paycheck, you can set it to automatically transfer into your main checking account, and then a set amount can be sent to another account—whether it’s a Rivermark account or loan payment or at another institution. This can give you peace of mind, knowing that you’re funding not just your everyday checking needs but also setting aside some for savings or covering your bills elsewhere.

2. Free Checking Plus Account Is Better for Your Wallet

We’ve designed our checking account the way we believe they should be—with the benefits going directly to you. Enjoy perks such as ATM fee refunds nationwide and no monthly fee or minimum balance requirement. There’s no monthly fee or minimum balance requirement for your checking account. We figure that’s one less thing for you to worry about in your daily activities.

If you need some cash and find yourself near an ATM that isn’t in the Rivermark system, you can receive up to $12 back per month in ATM fee refunds,* so don’t worry about using that machine, it’s on us. It’s a convenient way you can access your money from wherever you are.

Balances up to $15,000 can also earn up to 3.00%* Annual Percentage Yield (APY). APY is the real rate of return earned on a savings deposit in one year if the interest is compounded or reinvested back into the account. The more often interest is compounded, the better the return will be.

3. Receive a Visa Debit Card with Your Free Checking Plus Account

It may be more convenient for you to use a debit card instead of cash when you’re out in the world, so we offer a debit card that’s free and secure. It’s good to know that if your identity or your card is stolen, you won’t need to worry because your money is protected with Zero Liability Fraud Protection.

Zero Liability Fraud Protection is one of the state-of-the-art systems we have in place to protect your accounts and your money. Our Risk Management department is always vigilant. They may contact you via an automated call to verify unusual credit or debit card transactions. Once you receive that call, you may interact with the automated system or speak with a representative. From there you’ll be sent a new card in the mail, or you can come into a branch for an instant-issued card on the spot.

Remember to be vigilant yourself if you receive a suspicious call: Risk Management will never ask you for any of your online banking login information. If you receive a call and the representative asks you for your personal information, you may hang up and call us back to confirm that you’re speaking with a Rivermark representative.

4. Overdraft Protection for Your Accounts

Mistakes happen—we know! Sometimes funds can get tied up, for instance, if a check or deposit is still being processed or if your direct deposit isn’t yet available for withdrawal. Thankfully, if you have a Rivermark Free Checking Plus account, you’ll be able to set up overdraft protection so that you won’t have any embarrassing moments at the checkout counter.

Setting up this service is easy, and you’ll only need to do it once. We can link your debit card with your credit card so, in the event of a non-sufficient funds alert, you’ll have the funds to cover your purchases until the wrinkles can be ironed out. Learn more about overdraft protection here.

5. Few Monthly Qualifications

So what do you need to do in order to receive all of these benefits? The truth is, not much! The list is short.

1. Make 12 debit card transactions per month.
2. Sign up for e-Statements. This is a one-time item—you don’t need to do it every month. These e-Statements are handy anyway because you’ll be able to see the status of your accounts, and you’ll be less likely to overdraft your account.
3. Access online banking at least once per month. This is even easier if you download our mobile app.

If you don’t hit all three of these items, you won’t be penalized (though you won’t receive any ATM fee refunds for that month). No matter what, your Free Checking Plus account is still free. And next month, you’ll have a chance to qualify again.

Altogether, this checking account is easy to use, better for your wallet, and you have some great protection in case of identity theft or overdrafts. Switching over is quick and convenient and can easily be completed online. As always, contact us anytime. We’re here to answer any other questions you have.