Chase Bank is one of the biggest banks in the world and offers different account types at their branches. While some people are opening accounts online, others prefer to speak to someone in person when dealing with their finances.
But just how long does it take to open an account at Chase Bank, in person? Well, it depends on the account type. As a former Chase Bank banker, I know how quickly, or how slowly, some account processes can take.
Here’s a list of some popular account types and how long it may take to open them:
- Personal Checking Account: 40-60 Minutes
- Personal Savings Account: 20-30 Minutes
- Personal Checking and Savings Accounts: 50-70 Minutes
- Business Accounts: 60-90 Minutes
- Legal Accounts (Estate or Trust Accounts) 90-120 Minutes/Two Day Process
- Bonus: Personal Checking Through Chase.com
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How Long Does It Take to Open a Personal Checking Account at Chase Bank in Person?
Opening a personal checking account as Chase Bank in person is an easy and straightforward process that should take no more than an hour. There are seven easy steps you and your banker will do to open the account:
Check Forms of Identification
Opening a bank account is serious business. The government and banks alike want to make sure no wrongdoers or fraudsters are taking advantage of the system, so Chase Bank is strict on its ID policy.
To open an account with Chase, you’ll need two forms of ID: a primary, and a secondary form.
The most common primary forms are Driver’s Licenses, State Issued IDs, and Passports.
The most common secondary forms are credit cards or debit cards issued from other banks. All banks have strict regulation surrounding IDs, so Chase trusts another bank’s cards for secondary identification.
Create a Profile
Once the banker has collected your ID’s and verified that they’re valid, they’ll search for you in the system. Even if you’ve never had a bank account with Chase, you still might be in the system through an old credit card or auto-loan.
If you do have a previous history with Chase, you’ll be able to give your banker a head straight through some pre-filled information.
If not, no problem.
The banker will then ask you basic questions about your demographic information. They will be able to get more of it from your primary ID, things like your legal name, birthdate, and address. If the address you want to give Chase is different from the one on your ID, be sure to tell your banker.
Once your profile is created, you’ll be given a unique customer identification number that can be seen anywhere in Chase, linking checking accounts to investment accounts and more.
Looking for the Right Account
Once your basic information is entered into the system, it’s time to find the right account. When it comes to personal checking accounts, Chase has a variety tailored to different financial situations.
Your banker will ask you questions related to your finances in order to get a better understanding of which account they should offer.
They will ask you questions about your other accounts, if you have them. They may also ask about any potential investments or a retirement fund.
Your banker will look for an account that will best fit how much money you have, make, and are willing to bring to Chase.
Each account has great benefits, with greater benefits coming to greater balances. Even if you don’t have a small fortune to bring over, your banker will be able to find an account for you.
Select an Account
Once you’ve compared and contrasted each of the checking accounts, it’s time to choose.
Luckily, your choice isn’t permanent as you can always come back into the bank and upgrade or downgrade your account without changing your account number.
Choose Your Debit Card
If you’d like a debit card to use with your checking account, you’re in luck.
Chase Bank has always partnered with some of the most popular brands and companies out there to create some fun and unique debit card designs.
During my time at the bank, Chase has a couple of their own sleek designs coupled with their classic all-blue card. After about three years at Chase, Chase partnered with Disney to create all new Chase Bank Disney Debit Cards (a mouthful, right?).
The Disney cards had characters from Star Wars as well as some popular princesses. Darth Vader, BB-8, Yoda, the Disney Castle, and even Elsa and Anna from Frozen were options! I myself have a Darth Vader card, because it’s Darth Vader, obviously.
Once you choose the specific card you want to use, you’ll create your PIN.
As a banker, the most common PIN I saw was my customer’s birthday. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, you knew your customer’s debit card PINs?”
No, I didn’t. Chase Bank doesn’t allow you to use your birthday for a PIN for this very reason, so my customers would get declined when they’d try to create it and tell me what they tried.
You’re also not allowed to use any repeating numbers, no 1234 or 5678, nor can you use any of your social security number.
Click-to-Sign or Paper Documents
Now comes the fun part.
After your banker is done filling in your information, it’s your turn. You have two choices to sign for your bank account, stating it was you who came in and requested an account: click-to-sign or paper documents.
Chase has a platform called click-to-sign, giving their customers the ability to sign documents on the same computer the banker uses to open the accounts. The banker will turn the computer screen over to face you and give you your own mouse and keyboard.
The forms you’ll be signing are standard legal documents, 20 something pages of stuff you’d never want to read.
I remember when I was a banker, most of my customers were shocked by the sheer amount of pages they would have to go through.
After you’re done clicking through the documents, you’re just about finished.
If you choose paper documents over click-to-sign, your banker will print all of those pages and bring them to you in a giant folder, asking you to sign a couple of the last pages by hand. They’ll keep the few pages you sign and leave you with the rest.
Scan ID’s and Forms, Make the First Deposit
Your banker will then take both of the IDs used in the account opening and scan them into the system.
They will also take the opportunity and ask if you want to make your initial deposit. At Chase Bank, you have 30 days to make a deposit into your account before it’s closed automatically, so no rush.
If you do have a check or cash to deposit, you can hand it to your banker and they’ll head up to the teller line with your ID and make the deposit for you. They will then come back with a receipt showing your balance.
Lastly, before you go, the banker will ask if you want help creating an online login.
They may ask this earlier in the account opening process, but I did it at the end. While you can download the Chase Bank Mobile App and do the process on your own, doing it in the branch is usually much faster.
The banker will help you create a username and password — without ever asking for your password — and get you familiarized with Chase’s online platform.
They can even help you get set up in Zelle, if that’s something you’re interested in.
Depending on how many questions you have or if you already had an account with Chase, this process can take anywhere between 40-60 minutes. (My record is 25, but don’t tell my boss!)
How Long Does It Take to Open a Personal Savings Account at Chase Bank in Person?
Opening a personal savings account at Chase Bank is a much faster process than opening a checking account, mainly because savings accounts are much simpler in their purpose and have less capabilities than their checking counterparts.
The steps are the exact same as opening a personal checking account, only with much fewer documents to sign at the end and fewer questions related to your financial background.
There are also less savings accounts than checking accounts, making your decision much easier.
Chase doesn’t offer debit cards for savings accounts either, as they want you to save the funds in that account and not spend them.
They do offer an ATM card, if you want to pull cash from your savings account from an ATM.
Overall, the process to open just a personal savings account at Chase Bank should be a brisk 20-30 minutes.
How Long Does It Take to Open a Personal Checking and Savings Account at Chase Bank in Person, at the same time?
Intuitively, you may think, “Oh Branson, it must take the 40-60 minutes plus the 20-30, right?”
Nope!
Luckily, Chase makes it a very smooth process to open a personal checking and savings account with them at the same time.
When your banker is entering your information in, the system will ask them if they’ll be opening a checking or savings account for you. They can click “both” enabling them to open both accounts simultaneously. They won’t have to ask you the question twice or have you sign the same forms more than once.
Usually, opening both a savings and checking account takes just a little bit longer than just opening a checking account, clocking in around 50-70 minutes.
How Long Does it Take to Open a Business Account at Chase Bank in Person?
Now we’re getting into the more technical side of the bank.
I became a Small Business Specialist during my time at Chase and opened dozens of business accounts, each offering me a new experience during the account opening.
There are different types of businesses that can open accounts at Chase Bank, ranging from sole-proprietorships to C and S class corporations.
Each has their own unique set of requirements as to what information they need and who from the business needs to be present when the account is being opened.
The process is complicated and can sometimes be arduous, that’s why it takes at least an hour to an hour and a half to open business accounts at Chase Bank in person.
How Long Does it Take to Open a Legal (Estate or Trust) Account at Chase Bank in Person?
Legal accounts are the most complicated and hardest accounts to open at Chase Bank.
They require the most amount of paperwork both before the account is opened and during the account opening process. Even better, no banker is allowed to open the account on their own. Instead, they have to gather all the applicable information and paperwork, scan it, and send it to the back office.
This is where time can really be consumed.
The back office department that manages legal documents wasn’t very big during my time at Chase, and had every banker in the country sending them legal documents to comb through.
What I’m trying to say, is that they’re swamped and there’s not much they, or your banker, can do about it.
The banker sends the legal documents to the back office for verification and approval, and can’t do anything until that happens.
I always hated this; I’d be waiting for at least 30 minutes with my customer just killing time until the back office gave me the green light.
30 minutes is generous too. Sometimes, you could be waiting for a response for hours. Once in a blue moon, the back office may not give your banker a response until the next day, needing you to come back a second time!
If you ever want to open any type of legal account at Chase Bank, be sure to call the branch and ask a banker about anything you can do to make sure you’re prepared for your account opening.
Bonus: How Long Does it Take to Open Your Account With Chase Bank Online?
Like most banks and fintech companies of the last decade, Chase has invested heavily into its online presence and capabilities.
During my final year at the blue bank, they introduced the ability for customers to open their own accounts online, in a process much faster than anything we could have done in the branch.
Chase stripped the account opening process down to its barebones. They also limited the types of accounts customers could open online, only allowing the most basic of accounts to be opened.
They are also very strict about verification still, and only allow some clients to open accounts online. Chase won’t let you open a joint account either.
To open a regular personal checking account through Chase.com, expect to spend no more than 20 minutes on their website.
That’s right, you can open an account in about half the time, all from the comfort of your couch!
The key difference is, you won’t have a banker to help guide you.
If you choose this right, don’t be afraid to call the bank for advice or even the customer service line at 1-800-935-9935. They’ll help you choose the best account and make sure you get your debit card up and running!
Conclusion
Depending on the type of account you open, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two business days to open an account at Chase Bank in person.
To make the process go as smoothly as possible, make sure you’re prepared before you go.
Check to see you have the proper identification and any documents you may need to give your banker.
