[Cecil Terwilliger]

I got an account with First Calgary when they had free banking. I'm now grandfathered as I believe they got rid of it when they completed their merger and changed banking software. On the plus side, they are now province wide since they merged w/ Chinook/Mountainview and then changed their name. That's a bonus. Still SOL if you need a debit card while visiting Toronto or something though. Reach of the big banks does have some benefits.

I think the drawbacks are definitely worth it, even if I had to pay. I hate the big banks with a passion. CUs are still crooks in a lot of ways but they're less scummy, nicer crooks than the big banks.

And unlike other free or discounted banking services, they at least have branches. Service fees tend to be lower too. Not just for accounts but for many other things.

They offer comparable services if you wanted more than a bank account but sometimes do it via partners since they don't own their own insurance, credit card, investment platform etc.

Overall though, I have zero issues. To be honest though, I'm a low maintenance customer. I find a lot of people are not though, so your milelage may vary depending on your expectations.