Looking for a safe place to stash my money recently, I debated whether I should choose the one-year CD that currently yields 4.2%, or the free airline ticket for opening up a new bank account. Or should I open an account at the bank that will make a $100 donation to charity in my name, or the one that gives me $250 for referring friends who also open up accounts?

My choices are numerous these days, as banks battle it out to get my money. USA Today reports on the trend of banks offering airline tickets, charitable donations and even cash to drum up business as they search for low-cost funding.

Finally, one area where we can get more for our money. Now that more non-traditional lenders are turning into bank-holding companies (American Express being the latest), there's more competition for the deposits they need to stay funded, so plan on seeing more banks offering you more perks if you just hand your money over to them. It also means they'll bid up the rates offered on CDs, jumbo CDs and other deposits. I'm hoping they bid it up to a 5% yield; a federal credit union did just that recently for a nine-month CD. And if a positive return sounds better to you than an airplane ticket, check out Bankrate for the highest CD yields, updated daily.

Earlier this month I took a look at Bank of America's saving plan, called Keep the Change, which didn't live up to the hype, due mostly to the abysmally low interest rate that your saved change earned.

One of the commentators shared why they thought Bank of America's plan was worthwhile, including the fact that they thought the match made up for the low interest rate as well as the program being an easy way to save. This comment got me thinking that there had to be a middle ground that provided a good upfront match as well as the potential for growth over time that comes from a good APY.

While watching the news this morning I found out that Wachovia stepped up to the plate with Way2Save, its own automatic savings plan, which seems to meet my criteria for a good savings program.

My first indication of trouble was a flurry of overdraft fee notices from Chase. I knew the balance was low, but nowhere near zero, so I checked my recent transactions. I found that they had cashed a check that I had postdated three days early. To avoid any troubles, I send in my rent check early, but postdate the check with the date my rent is actually due.

I called them with a smug but calm demeanor of someone who knows they have proof of an injustice. But I was in for a shock. Postdating a check is meaningless, the Chase rep explained. Chase looks at it as an informal agreement between the person who writes the check and the person who cashes it. I've found similar stories online. More people are running into trouble because of Check 21, which clears checks much faster.