When the frequency of posting increases, it means the writer gets more lonely. Which… may not be the worst thing ever.
comdirect – External Strength
So two weeks ago I finally successfully applied for a comdirect Tagesgeld account. Comdirect is a direct bank, which means it has only Internet as the solely branch and doesn’t have brick & mortar branches. And Tagesgeld is like the good old saving account, you use it for saving not buying stuff. And yet when you need, you can have the money back any day you like.
Tagesgeld is usually provided only by direct banks to increase its competence against normal banks with brick and mortar branches. A Tagesgeld account shines mainly thanks to its high interest rate, which is true for my comdirect: combined with a limited sales promotion I get 3.5% interest rate till 5000€ in my first six months. That can make quite some money for me 
. And no it doesn’t charge monthly fees, yearly fees or things like that for its accounts. “Without if and but, too”.
But since it belongs to a direct bank, you may say, well I really just can’t throw my hard earned money all into the cloud; it feels unsafe. What if one day it vanishes? And that is yet another reason why comdirect rocks. Comdirect belongs to the Commerzbank Konzern, which owns Commerzbank, the 2nd largest bank in Germany. So it’s quite safe to be on board.
What’s more, since they are together, if you also have a Girokonto from comdirect, you can use the bank card to withdraw money from all ATMs of the cash group, including Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Postbank and more. You can even withdraw or deposit money directly at the ATM and counters of Commerzbank branches. After merging with Dresdner Bank, Commerzbank now has the most branches in Germany of any banks, so it should be really convenient (I’m applying for a Girokonto soon!) and really safe to be with comdirect.
In addition to that, comdirect now offers 50€ bonus under some easy and fair conditions.
So attractive interest, good safety, great convenience and plus a bonus. It should remedy most if not all disadvantages of a direct bank.
Internal Beauty
But there is more, and that’s what I love the most about comdirect — its service. Simply put, you love it more as you use it more. I didn’t expect it, but it turns out to be better than Deutsche Bank. At least in my use period.
First it is efficient. A bank transfer from Deutsche Bank arrives at my comdirect account the next day. It usually takes 3 days to do that in Deutsche Bank. And a bank transfer from comdirect is instantly processed so on the second day it already shows in my Deutsche Bank account. It’s still slower than in China which you get the transfer immediately or after 10 minutes, but a nice step for Germany And it feels better.
Second, user friendliness. The website is thoughtfully organized (with the exception of Freistellungsauftrag – it is a column in the taxes page, my mental model expected it to be in its own page – but it is nonetheless logical, so I got used to it pretty fast). And there is this cute little “comfort transfer” function. Normally if you do a transfer, you fill out account number, bank number etc in different fields one by one. Comfort transfer allows you to just write all information together and computer will separate and put each into the correct field. It can be really convenient if you get the receipt from, say eBay or E-Mails and just have to copy and paste the whole. It’s not hard to implement either. So it’s really thoughtful and really comfort.
They even have a banking app for iOS devices like iPhones and iPads. The app is well written and a real app. I mean, it retrieves transactions, keeps them in an encrypted database and present them in well readable format. Unlike Deutsche Bank app, which is not much more than a customized web browser. And this app can organize information from other banks too, so you are able to have all your banks together to have a good overview of your finance status .
Third their customer service. It may be a disadvantage without branches and counters and people answering your questions face to face. But actually no. I saw they are the best direct bank in quality of service as of mid-2010, and it’s true. comdirect provides E-Mail and telephone support. In these two weeks I’ve already had 6 contacts with them via E-Mail (for my own questions, not due to their problems). And answer came to me either on the same day or the next day, all short, precise and very helpful. Plus, they have service 24/7. That means, even on Saturday and Sunday they will answer!
So structurally it belongs to a strong body, make your money worth more, and internally nice touches here and there, with great customer service. I really like comdirect and I can recommend it. I hope this will last, and as I experience more with comdirect, I will report them.
