Chris R.

I have a Citi credit card and I *had* a Citi bank account until this past week. I opened my account almost 10 years ago and enjoyed some good benefits (ThankYou points, which could be converted to cash for online bill pay, etc.). However, over the past year, Citibank has really declined and is now sticking it to customers. ThankYou points for banking are no longer available unless you have high balances in your account or have an upper tier (e.g., high balance or other requirements) account or if you in some other way give Citibank your money (give--as in NEVER get it back--through fees). Also, it is difficult to avoid montly fees for banking unless you meet the balance requirements or have direct deposit AND online bill pay activity each month. I say NO THANK YOU to Citibank. I closed my account.

I still have a Citi credit card. It's not that great, so I don't use it often. They DO now offer a new credit card that gives you 2% cash back (Double Cash card, I think is what it's called). That's a pretty good deal compared to other cards out there, but any time you open a new credit card, it hits your credit report/score negatively, so I tend to only open a card when the deal is spectacular (I'm still considering the Double Cash card, but it is not compelling enough for me to act yet).

Back to banking: I recommend looking into a local credit union if you want to be able to bank and not pay excessive fees. Most credit unions offer a MUCH better deal than the banks do now.

Inexpensive and easy. You can use this discount code to save a dollar or two off the enrollment fee: X5M-44A-26A

This online course works for all states and should be on your DMV list of approved choices. I have used this school, and so have a few friends of mine. If I ever need it again, I'll use this same course.

The price varies by state, but it is now only $11.50 (including e-certificate) for California residents (after using the discount code). That's what my friend just paid, so you should expect something similar (if you're in California) and other states should be inexpensive too.

Enrolling online is easy, and the course goes quickly, but be sure to allocate a few hours to complete it.

There are brief quizzes after each section, and then there's a final exam of 25 questions. It's not hard, but you do have to pay some attention to the course. Have fun!