I can not recommend BankDirect to high-income customers because APY of its checking and money market accounts is lower than APY you can get in other online banks
I can not recommend BankDirect to low-income customers either because its "cheapest" Checking account requires $2,500 minimum average balance to avoid $15 monthly fee. BankDirect does offer free bill payment and 4 ATM rebates per month (up to $2.50 each). However, many online banks offer free bill pay and ATM rebates with no minimum balance requirement at all (State Farm Bank, Farm Bureau Bank, Charter One Bank, etc). BankDirect offers this account with no ACH transfers, email alerts, e-bills, or online check images. You can get much better terms elsewhere. For example, the interest checking account of First Internet Bank of Indiana with only $500 minimum balance requirement gives you free bill payment, ACH-in transfers, e-bills, email alerts, and ATM rebates.
Conclusion: there are online banks around that have much better checking products than checking accounts at BankDirect.
