Citizens Bank Review

Pros Explained

• Large regional bank that offers an array of products: Citizens Bank is the 13th largest bank in the U.S. with more than $224 billion in assets. It serves 11 states across the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. The bank offers a wide array of products for consumers and businesses.
• Online-only accounts with no monthly fees: The bank also offers online-only savings accounts and CDs with attractive interest rates. Online accounts don't charge any monthly fees.
• Liquid CD provides guaranteed rates with no penalty for early withdrawals: Traditional CDs charge a penalty if you need to access your money before the CD matures. The Citizens Access Liquid CD allows customers to withdraw the entire balance without a penalty.

Cons Explained

• Checking accounts have monthly fees unless you meet requirements: To waive the monthly service charge on a checking account, you must meet certain requirements. Some accounts have modest requirements, while others require combined balances of $25,000 or more.
• Branches only available in 14 states and D.C.: Although Citizens Bank has branches across the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions, customers outside these areas have limited access to its products and services. If you are traveling outside its footprint, you may have to use another bank's ATM. The 14 states which Citizens Bank has branches in are Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and Vermont.
• Limited fee refund for using another bank's ATM: When using another bank's ATM, Citizens Bank charges customers $3 per transaction. If you have a premium checking account, the bank will refund other bank ATM fees up to $8 per statement period.

Who Is Citizens Bank Best For?

Citizens Bank is best for customers that live in one of the 14 states where it has branches and ATMs. It is best suited for someone who:

• Lives in the New England, Mid-Atlantic or Midwest region
• Is able to perform required activities to waive checking fees
• Wants preferred interest rates based on banking relationship
• Wants to open a savings account with no minimum balance requirement

Its online bank, Citizens Access, is a good option for anyone in the U.S. Its savings accounts have no monthly service charges but require a $5,000 minimum opening deposit. Citizens Access is worth considering for those who:

• Want competitive interest rates on savings account and CDs
• Have at least $5,000 to open an account
• Do not want to pay monthly service charges

What Does Citizens Bank Offer?

As a large regional bank, Citizens Bank offers an extensive array of deposit accounts and related services. It serves customers with approximately 1,000 branches and 3,000 ATMs across the regions in which it operates. Additionally, it offers an online savings account through its subsidiary, Citizens Access. It provides:

• Checking accounts
• Savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• CDs
• Credit cards

Checking Accounts

Citizens Bank offers four checking accounts, as well as one dedicated to students:

• One Deposit Checking from Citizens Bank
• Citizens Bank Quest Checking
• Citizens Bank Wealth Checking
• Student Checking
• Citizens Bank Evervalue Checking

Each has a monthly service charge that can be waived by meeting certain requirements. Making one deposit a month will have the fees waived on the One Deposit Checking account. The Platinum and Platinum Plus checking accounts earn interest on checking balances and waive many types of bank service fees. Students under the age of 25 automatically have their monthly service charges waived.

Savings Accounts

Customers have three savings account options with Citizens Bank. None require a minimum opening balance. Each savings account is designed to pair with its corresponding checking accounts:

• One Deposit Savings from Citizens Bank
• Citizens Bank Platinum Savings
• Citizens Bank Platinum Plus Savings

Monthly service charges for One Deposit Savings accounts are waived with at least one deposit each month. The Quest Savings and Wealth Savings do not have a monthly service charge.

Citizens Access also offers an online savings account. It offers competitive interest rates with no monthly fees.

Money Market Accounts

Citizens Bank offers three money market accounts. All three accounts have no minimum deposit requirements. The three money market options offered are:

• Personal Money Market
• Quest Money Market
• Wealth Money Market

The Personal Money Market is available to all customers. However, the Quest Money Market and Wealth Money Market are only available to customers with the corresponding checking accounts.

The Personal Money Market requires a minimum daily balance of $2,500 to avoid a $10 monthly service charge. There are no monthly service charges for the Quest or Wealth Money Market accounts.

CDs

CDs require a minimum balance of $1,000. Terms available is 14 months. Some of its CDs offer higher interest rates if you also have a premium checking account.

There is a flat fee of $50 plus waived interest for early withdrawals. CDs of less than one year forfeit the greater of 90 days of interest or half of the interest that would have been earned through the remainder of the term. CDs with a term greater than one year forfeit the greater of 180 days of interest or half of the interest to be earned over the remaining term.

Additional CD options are available from Citizens Access. These CDs require a minimum opening deposit of $5,000 each. Terms range from one to five years.

Credit Cards

The bank offers two simple credit cards. One is a cash back credit card and the other is a balance transfer credit card:

• Cash Back Plus World Mastercard
• Clear Value Mastercard
• Citizens Wealth Cash Back Plus World Mastercard
  

The Cash Back Plus World Mastercard offers unlimited 1.8% cash back on every purchase that you make. There are no rotating categories to remember and you do not have to activate the offer. It has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no penalty annual percentage rate (APR) for late payments. There's also a 15 billing cycle introductory APR for eligible balance transfers.

Those looking for extra time to pay off their balance transfer should consider the Clear Value Mastercard. It offers a longer introductory period for balance transfers and also has no annual fee.

Other Financial Products Offered by Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank also offers a wide range of banking and investment services for its customers including:

• Purchase mortgages
• Refinance mortgages
• Home equity loans
• Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs)
• Student loans
• Student loan refinancing
• Personal loans
• IRAs
• Managed investment portfolios
• Robo-advisor
• Private banking
• Financial advisors
• Business loans

Citizens Bank Customer Service

Customer service is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST). Live agents are also available Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST) at 1-800-922-9999. You can also send a secure message through online banking to receive a response during regular business hours. In addition, you can access accounts online or through the bank's mobile app.

Online accounts at Citizens Access have a separate phone number for customer service and the hours are different. Live customer service is available Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST), Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (EST), and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST).

How to Bank With Citizens Bank

To open an account with Citizens Bank, you can apply online, over the phone, or by visiting a branch. Citizens Access online-only savings accounts and CDs are available on its website.

Methodology

Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of banks. We collected over 20 data points across more than 80 banks including products available, interest rates, fees, and accessibility to ensure that our content helps users make the right decision for their savings and banking needs.

Open Account