My experience with Merrick has been very good, but from what I’ve read here, I think that there are two keys to having a mutually beneficial relationship with this bank.
1) Set up an autopay for the minimum amount. This ensures that you’ll avoid the myriad of sneaky fees that their system will otherwise impose AND keep your FICO score moving in the right direction. Merrick is very, very good about reporting current accounts to all three agencies, so your score will improve very quickly if you stay on their good side, which brings me to my second observation about this bank:
2) Know when it’s time to let go. If you play by the rules and stay current with Merrick, your FICO score will reward you. . . but Merrick simply will not. At that point, all you can do is go elsewhere. There’s no “Merrick Gold.” There’s no “Merrick Ultimate Rewards.” There’s no Merrick cash-back program, and the sky will rain blue ocelots before there’s a “Merrick Concierge”. That’s not their fault, and it shouldn’t be taken personally. That’s just not the market they’re set up for.