Nov. 15, 2022

2 min read

FNBO Direct Summary

FNBO Direct is the online-only division of First National Bank of Omaha, a veteran bank that’s received praise for customer satisfaction and strong products. FNBO Direct does a good job of living up to the standards of its parent company, with 24/7 live support and impressive checking and savings accounts. The app could use some work, and overdraft fees are high, but overall, it’s a solid offer.

Pros

High-interest savings and checking accounts
24/7 customer support
APY from 0.90%
No-fees on all accounts and cards

Cons

Mobile app needs improvement
Steep overdraft fees

FNBO Direct at a glance

0.0

Editorial score

FNBO Direct Visit FNBO Direct

Advantages Over Regular Bank

As an online bank, FNBO Direct has a number of advantages over a traditional brick-and-mortar institution. Here are a few of the ways FNBO Direct stands out:

High-interest savings account: FNBO Direct’s online savings account is a great option for anybody looking to watch their money grow. There are no monthly fees, and the interest rate is very advantageous. In fact, at 0.90% APY, it’s fifteen times higher than the national average. Plus, you start earning interest at $0.01.

No-fee checking account: Checking accounts that earn interest aren’t unheard of, but it’s hard to beat FNBO Direct’s 0.65% checking account APY. That’s as high as some online savings accounts. Add no-fee ATM withdrawals, a free Direct Visa Debit Card, and free money transfers with Poptransfer, and there’s a lot to like.

Cutting-Edge Banking Services

FNBO Direct has several innovative features that help it stand out.

The free bill payment feature, BillPay, lets you schedule payments up to 90 days in advance, check pending payments, view your payment history, set up recurring payments, and add, delete, or reference payees.

Account alerts help you stay on top of your finances and protect against fraud. You can decide which notifications you want to receive and how often, with payment reminders, and alerts for overdraft usage or when changes are made to your account and billing profile.

Finally, you can deposit checks virtually through the mobile app: just choose the account to deposit to, enter the amount, and snap a picture of the front and back.

Traditional Banking Services

On top of great high-interest savings and checking accounts, FNBO Direct also offers a NEST 529 College Savings Account, to help you plan for your childrens’ academic future, and the ExtraEarning Visa Credit Card. No surprise, the credit card is no-fees, and has a good points structure: earn 2 points per dollar for the first year, then 1 point per dollar after that. You can trade in 2,500 points at any time for $25, deposited directly into your FNBO Direct account.

FNBO also offers Student Loan refinancing. Simplify your loans into one monthly payment, which you can set up for automatic payment through your checking account. At the time of writing, a $200 bonus was also offered for new customers.

Interest Rates and Fees

As we’ve already mentioned, the Checkings, Savings and ExtraEarnings Visa card have no monthly fees and no transaction fees, which is a great perk. We do have to mention, however, that FNBO Direct’s overdraft fees are a little high, at $33 per transaction, up to 4 transactions per day. That can add up really quickly.

As with most online banks, the key to taking advantage of the great rates and avoiding the pitfalls is to keep your account in good standing. Make use of mobile banking and the custom alerts to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Account	Interest
Online Savings Account	0.90% APY (starting at $0.01)
Online Checking Account	0.65% APY (starting at $0.01)

Customer Service

FNBO Direct offers 24/7 customer support by phone, as well as a very comprehensive FAQ section.

Mobile Apps

While the online banking platform is intuitive and easy to use, the mobile apps could use some improvement.

Notably, only internal transfers are supported for the moment (no outgoing transfers), and technical issues with logging in and installation aren’t uncommon. That being said, the company has taken the time to respond to many reviews and is adamant that upgrades are forthcoming.

Security

Like all online banks, FNBO Direct has put a lot of thought into keeping customers’ information safe. Of course, the User ID and password help limit access to your accounts, but more importantly, FNBO has enabled encryption for all communication between your devices and their own systems, which are secured with firewalls, virus protection, and regular patching.

FNBO Direct Visit FNBO Direct

Conclusion

Overall, we were very pleased with FNBO Direct. The interest rates in particular are very advantageous, especially with 0.65% APY for the checking account, and the fact that all accounts and credit cards are zero-fee is a big plus.

Innovate features, like excellent bill management and virtual check deposits are nice touches, and help soften the blow of some missing mobile app features. Keep your account in good standing to avoid steep overdraft fees, and this is a great online banking choice.

Written by

Christian Rigg

Christian Rigg is a freelance writer who’s spilled ink on everything from finance and technology to data science. Born and raised in Canada, he currently lives in the south of France. He writes for BestMoney and enjoys helping readers make sense of the options on the market.‎

Trustpilot reviews

See what some costumers are saying about FNBO Direct

Average

•

Reviews 18

Excellent

22%

Average

Poor

Bad

66%

heath rieger

17 days ago

Highly unacceptable

My mother banks here & the experience I had today with them is highly unacceptable

alayaheart

a month ago

FNBO did not notice or do anything…

FNBO did not notice or do anything about fraudulent charges 480.00 on my debit card! The name used with the debit card was NOT mine. The bank gave them the funds. I didnt see it as I am extremely busy working and foolishly trusted FNBO to be professional and keep an eye out on all my accts.They DID NOT and will not refund the fraudulent charges back to my acct. BE WARNED ABOUT THIS BANK

2 months ago

I have the FNBO JAL card

I have the FNBO JAL card, which is a mileage card for Japan Airlines. I use it to travel to FE Asia and SE Asia. The card gets repeatedly turned off for "fraud" when I make air reservations while in ASIA. That's right, an Asian travel card that repeatedly gets turned off for making air ticket purchases in Asia. I've been around and around with their really poor customer support and they won't resolve the issue.. I have to repeatedly leave them messages to turn the card back on. THey say "oh... you need to answer your cell phone to use the card" I say ok are you going to simultaneously send out messages to my Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese phone numbers depending upon which country I'm in that day? Of course the answer is no. On top of all this the card has foreign transaction fees. Pure comedy. SO if you're looking for a far east Asian airline mileage accrual credit card that you can't reliably use while traveling in Asia ... AND has foreign transaction fees and rude customer service that asks that you bend to their will and not the other way around... by all means... this is the card for you.

txangel

3 months ago

This is the worst bank in HISTORY

This is the worst bank in HISTORY. The have allowed fraud of 35k on my saving account. When I put a hold on it. They allowed it again. They said a hold wont stop anything. They should have been monitoring my account for unusual act ivy. They said the just didn't. There is this big DUFUS who works here named after the giraffe at toys R us. He is a LIAR, refused to let me withdraw my money. Told me I had to wait 3 weeks because they didn't have it. NOW THEY REFUSE TO GIVE ME CASH AT ALL. they will let every TOM dick and Harry have my money. NOT ME!!!!!!!!! FRAUSTERS HER!!!!!! LIARS, CONS... STEALING MY MONE.

doulingo owl

4 months ago

Stay away

Stay away. Terrible customer service. Terrible online payment systems. They illegally withdrew money from my bank account that I had connected to my online payment account and have yet to give it back. A pretty decent amount of money I should add. It been almost 2 months. They act like it's no big deal.

gpa john

5 months ago

No problems!!!

For over 10 years my wife and I have had a personal and business checking, savings and credit card accounts with FNB of Omaha plus a lockbox and a couple of small short-term loans. NO PROBLEMS with them at all during this time. Since Covid we don't go into a branch very often but when we do, or when we call, they are always very professional, polite, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately I can't say that about some of the other banks we've used over the years.

charles benci

5 months ago

I have had Nothing but Great Service on…

I have had Nothing but Great Service on My Card. When I call they are super Nice. Been with them 10 years and NO Problems.

george griffith

6 months ago

FNBO bought my credit card from BofA

FNBO bought my credit card from BofA. I set up an automatic payment but they cancelled it and now are charging me hundreds of dollars in fees and interest. Never got a statement and never got a new card. BofA deleted the records so I don't even know what my correct balance is supposed to be. Terrible, terrible bank. Unethical and their actions should be illegal.

8 months ago

I like the cards and have multiple but their payment restrictions are questionable and perceived in a very negative manner

I like the cards and have multiple accounts with them. The only issue is they restrict the number of payments and frequency which you can make payments and I believe that policy is a mistake on their part. I really am not sure how they even get away with doing that since it causes the account to accrue more interest, and in my case, I manage a lot of credit between personal and business and when I go to pay and it won't allow it for some future date, I will probably miss it at some point and then they get additional fees and interest! We pay our accounts frequently, in as little as a few days between payments and this difficulty in making frequent payments will cause us to use other's cards and damage our perception and opinion of this creditor. I previously banked with TBOO and was recently considering opening a business and personal account. but this tainted my general trust and opinion, so we will likely not be doing that now.

tammy a.

8 months ago

Hands Down Favorite Bank

We moved here 7 years ago, and we have 6 bank accounts with them, and we have never had not even one issue with them. They provide extra services and always treat us with a smile

vanner99

9 months ago

Poor Interest Rates

The FNBO Direct web interface could be better. #1 they should display the current interest rate on the main page when accessing your account. The only way to see the rate is to download a PDF statement. FNBO Direct's interest rate is around 25% lower rate than competitors so not the best option out there.

rich m

a year ago

Best Checking & Savings Bank

I'm a checking account and savings account customer with First National Bank of Omaha. I went to this bank because the bank I had which was supposed to be free checking changed their policy and started scalping customers for monthly fees. Also the bank I had would hold several transactions and not deduct those but they would process them when they knew it would overdraft my account. First National Bank offered me a "True" Free checking account and even offers free checks. They have never charged fees and never played scamming games holding onto transactions and processing them when it would overdraft my account. I love First National Bank and I've been with them since 2008 never had any problems ever. I'm puzzled that the other reviews I have seen on here downgraded this bank. I don't have any credit cards at all so maybe First National Bank is bad when you have a credit card with them. I don't know about that but I know I have never had any problems ever with them for checking or savings accounts. For just checking or savings accounts I would highly recommend that First National Bank of Omaha has been the Perfect and Best Bank I've ever had.

catie mills

a year ago

These people are a SCAM and own a…

These people are a SCAM and own a fraudulent credit card where they "pre-approve" you, then take away your credit limit, then entirely shut your card down randomly and for no reason, despite making payments on time OVER THE LIMIT EVEN, while you're expected to make payments of hundreds of dollars a month and still pay late fees and high interest rates as if you still actually had the credit card!! I will be contacting attorneys for a class action lawsuit as I have since found out this is a regular practice of theirs. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS "BANK"!! They are a JOKE and a SCAM!!

paul s

a year ago

Applied for a secured CC

Applied for a secured CC. They took the funds, then the account was pending approval for days afterward. Then they said the card would arrive in 7-10 days. Two weeks later and no card. Called, Told I had to wait more. Asked to cancel and get refund. Told to wait another 7-10 days to get a CHECK mailed yet they took the funds via ACH. They refuse to refund via ACH. Avoid this bank.... POOR BUSINESS PRACTICES.

adalbertpicas

a year ago

FNBO needs help!!!

I was offered a credit card from FNBO a few months back and I accepted. I was given a credit limit of $11,300.00. I used the card a few times but it was not one of the cards I used the most. I keep a pretty high credit score, usually between 750 and 800 but it does dip two or three times per year when I have to travel out of the country. It dips because I load up a card and then it usually takes a couple to three months to pay the balance off and get my credit limit back to its usual range. I left the country for the entire month of August and returned in September. In October I get a letter from FNBO that they have lowered my credit limit to $1,000.00! That is $10,300.00 lower than my initial limit!!! WTH??? They advised they lowered it because my credit score had dropped below 700. Note that I have perfect credit with them and was never late on a payment so this effectively does not affect them. I called FNBO right away and explained the situation. I also explained that I have cards with $15,000.00 credit limits and they have never lowered my limit even if I had not used them in some time or any time my credit score dips. I was told to put down in writing my situation and fax it to the credit department. Who uses fax anymore?? Anyway, I faxed it and waited. I waited over a month and no contact. Today I called to find out about the status of my inquiry and was told they do not show that they received anything from me. Surprise! Not. I explained my situation again and stated that my credit score is back up to 755 and asked to have my initial credit limit restored. The representative was not impressed and told me it would take 6 months before I can get a limit increase. I asked to speak to someone in the credit department and was told that no one can help me except for her. I asked to speak to someone in their customer retention department and she said they don't have one. Well, I told her to close my account! $1,000.00 credit limit to me is a joke! Taking a $10,000.00 hit to my total available credit is not good. Had I not had this taken away I would be close to 800 credit score already. It is very clear that FNBO is not concerned with retaining customers as evidently they have too many to handle. Reading all of the poor reviews on here I would say they need to reconsider the way they do business. At the very least they need some serious training of their staff as I will not put up with bad customer service from anyone.

sky

2 years ago

I never heard of this bank until it…

I never heard of this bank until it showed up on my credit report for an account that I didn't recognize nor authorize. I filled out an actual police report and a fraud affidavit with the FTC and presented these documents to the bank.Through my discovery and complaint, I learned that the credit bureaus we're actually informing FNBO of the fraudulent account, too.. This bank did NOTHING! So, I'm spreading the word about this poor excuse for a bank. Judging by the one-star reviews by customers on hear, I think it makes FNBO look even worse when non-customers even have a poor experience due to fraud by the bank!!

2 years ago

SHAMEFUL PRACTICES!!!

Made the unfortunate choice of taking their credit card for a family vacation. During the course of the trip I made several attempts to use the card and all the transactions were declined. After calling the bank for assistance, I was told that my account had been closed due to inactivity. Fortunately I had other means to make payments during our vacation. SHAMEFUL PRACTICES!!!

andre thomas

2 years ago

lowered credit limit for NO reason!

Started with a $6k credit limit, paid my car off and bought 7k in furniture and my score dipped temporarily, and FNBO dropped my limit to 1,050.00, my balance was $1000.00 that made my utilization go up to 97% with that shady move, I paid the card off the next day, and tossed it in the drawer, probably going to close it when I pat the last $2.00 I owe, never late or went over my limit, I made a major purchase and paid off a car and I was penalized, customer service was clueless and couldn't help, if computers determine these issues without human observation, it's a problem!!! Not happy with this bank