credit cards

Chime has a few features that can help you manage cash flow. First, if you sign up for direct deposit you can receive your paycheck up to two days earlier than you might with a conventional bank.

Second, Chime’s SpotMe program covers overdrafts up to $200 (depending on your qualifications). To take advantage, you must have a monthly direct deposit of at least $200. If your debit card purchase exceeds your overdraft limit, it will be declined, so you won’t ever pay overdraft fees.

Your Chime debit card is linked to a nationwide network of 60,000+ fee-free ATMs. The only fee you might pay is if you withdraw money from an out-of-network ATM or use your debit card to withdraw funds from your account during an over-the-counter debit card purchase.

Chime is an online financial services company, not a bank. It provides $250,000 worth of FDIC insurance per account holder, per account, through Stride Bank and The Bancorp Bank, both members FDIC.

Unlike some neobanks, Chime offers multiple means to reach their customer service representatives. You can reach out on live chat through the app or website 24/7/365.

Best for: Free Overdraft Coverage

Minimum Deposit: None

Monthly Fee: None

All three allow you to waive the monthly maintenance fee in a few different ways. Preferred Rewards members, who hold at least $20,000 in a Bank of America account or Merrill investment account enjoy free checking from Bank of America.

Otherwise, to waive the fee for your Advantage Plus checking account, you’ll need a qualifying direct deposit of $250 or more per month, or maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance.

If you don’t qualify to have fees waived, your Bank of America Advantage Plus account will cost a reasonable $12 per month.

As the “middle-of-the-road” account which would fit the needs of the average customer, we chose Advantage Plus as the best free checking account from the big bank. It is also the most popular of the three.

You’ll want to be aware that your BOA account may have additional fees, including an overdraft fee of $10 for each item paid. You can avoid this fee by linking another eligible Bank of America account to your Advantage Plus checking account to cover overdraft transactions with no transfer fees.

Other Bank of America fees include a $15 replacement fee for a lost debit card, an international transaction fee equal to 3% of the transaction in U.S. dollars, and ATM fees of $2.50 for using an out-of-network ATM. With roughly 16,000 ATMs, nationwide, however, it should be easy to avoid out-of-network ATM fees.

Bank of America offers some features you won’t find at other banks. For instance, you’ll gain access to “Erica,” Bank of America’s virtual financial assistant to easily manage your accounts.

You can also enroll in Bank of America’s Keep The Change program, which allows you to round up debit card purchases and have the extra money deposited into your BOA savings account or your child’s linked BOA account.

Keep the Change is an easy way to sneak some extra savings into your budget. Preferred Rewards members can earn more than 5% interest on money in their linked Bank of American Advantage Savings account.

Best for: Preferred Rewards members

Minimum Deposit to Open: $100

Monthly Fee: $0 or $12

Be aware that to earn that rate, you’ll need to make at least 10 qualifying debit card purchases of $10 or more in each statement cycle. Otherwise, your money will earn just 0.01% APY.

Quontic’s free checking account with no monthly maintenance fees, no overdraft fees, and no minimum account balance is straightforward, FDIC insured, and socially responsible. The online bank is one of fewer than 3% of all banks designated as a Community Development Financial Institution.

That means Quontic uses your money with fiscal responsibility for social good, depositing it into accounts to help serve lower income families, under-served demographics and small business owners obtain affordable mortgages.

But opening an account with Quontic doesn’t just help others. Account holders enjoy a host of benefits. You’ll gain access to online bill pay and a “roundup program” to shuffle extra “change” from your debit card purchases into your linked high yield Quontic savings account with a 4.25% APY.

You’ll also get a Quontic Pay Ring, a wearable that replaces your debit card for point-of-sale purchases.

Enjoy access to 90,000+ fee free ATMs through the AllPoint, MoneyPass, or SUM program ATMs, as well as Citibank ATMs nationwide. You’ll find these ATMs at popular stores like Target, Speedway, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Winn Dixie, and Circle K.

In addition to its High Interest Checking Account, Quontic offers a Bitcoin Rewards checking, which rewards you in cryptocurrency for debit card purchases, and a Cash Rewards checking account, which pays 1% cash back on all eligible debit card purchases.

Both accounts offer the same features as the High Interest checking account, except you’ll receive rewards instead of interest on your checking balance.

For a higher APY, you can open a Quontic Savings account with no monthly service fee and a high 4.25% APY.

Best for: Socially conscious banking

Minimum Balance to Open: $100

Monthly Fee: None

Your Wealthfront Cash Account offers many of the same features as a traditional or an online bank. You’ll receive a free debit card and can withdraw cash with no ATM fees at a network of 19,000 ATMs nationwide.

Most consumers will choose the Individual Cash Account, with features such as early direct deposit, online bill pay, mobile check deposit through the app, and fraud protection. Wealthfront also offers a joint account, with up to $10 million FDIC insurance, and a Trust Cash account.

Best of all, Wealthfront charges no overdraft fees, no transfer fees from external accounts, and no fees if your account dips below a minimum balance. It requires just $1 to open an account.

If you are interested in retail investing, Wealthfront makes it easy with virtually instant transfers between your Wealthfront Cash Account and linked Wealthfront Investment accounts.

As you build your portfolio, you can take advantage of Wealthfront’s vast array of financial services, including automated investing, stock investments with zero commissions, and tax loss harvesting services.   

As your Wealthfront investment portfolio grows, you can borrow up to 30% of your portfolio’s value at an interest rate as low as 7.40% APR.

For consumers looking for a one-stop shop for investments, fee-free checking, and savings with a high annual percentage yield, Wealthfront represents a solid choice in online financial service companies or neobanks.

Best for: High Annual Percentage Yield APY

Minimum Deposit to Open: $1

Monthly Fee: None

Account holders also earn 0.10% APY on all checking account balances in their Capital One 360 account.

You can open your account online or in a branch. If you want in-person assistance, you can visit a Capital One branch or Capital One Café for help.

Capital One 360 gives you access to your money through more than 70,000 fee free ATMs in the Allpoint, MoneyPass or Capital One networks.  

Capital One 360 has no overdraft fees, but you can decide how you want the bank to handle transactions that exceed your account balance.

You can set it up so that a transaction that would cause an overdraft is declined. Or you can transfer funds from a linked savings or money market account to cover an overdraft.

Alternatively, Capital One may accept certain transactions that put your account into overdraft. You’ll need to deposit money to cover the overdraft or additional transactions will be declined.

Capital One offers direct deposit up to two days sooner than many banks.

Capital One’s robust mobile app allows for bill payments online, mobile check deposits, and Zelle person-to-person transfers. If you want to add cash to your account, you can do it in person at a CVS store. If you have other Capital One accounts or credit cards, you can manage them all through one login.

Your Capital One 360 account has no foreign transaction fees, but keep in mind there may be fees for using out-of-network ATMs, cashier’s checks, outgoing wire transfers, or paper checkbooks.

Best for: Capital One Credit Card customers

Minimum Balance to Open: None

Monthly Fee: None

You’ll just need to pay a one-time, $5 membership fee to the Consumers Cooperative Association. Consumers Credit Union even reimburses this fee after you open your free checking account. Children as young as age 12 can join as the second member on a joint account.

Your Consumers Credit Union Rewards checking account offers many of the same benefits as top rated online banks with no monthly fees and no fees of any kind.

You will even be reimbursed for fees incurred while using out-of-network ATMs. CCU has a network of 30,000+ ATMs nationwide.

Enjoy early direct deposit, mobile banking, and even the ability to write unlimited checks with no fees. Plus, you’ll earn up to 5% APY on your balance, depending on certain actions you take. Here’s how the tiered checking account interest works for balances up to $10,000:

• Earn 3% APY if you make at least 12 debit card purchases a month and have direct deposits, mobile check deposits, or ACH credits of at least $500 each month
• Earn 4% APY if you meet the above requirements plus spend $500 or more on your CCU Visa credit card each month
• Earn 5% APY if you meet the requirements to earn 3% plus make $1,000 or more in purchases on your CCU Visa card monthly

Balances of $10,000.01 to $25,000 earn 0.20% APY and balances over $25,000 earn 0.10% APY.

If you don’t meet the requirements in a given month, you will still have free checking and free online bill payments and you will receive a 0.01% APY on all checking account balances. You also won’t qualify for ATM fee reimbursement.

You can reach Consumers Credit Union customer service online, by phone, or at CCU branches across Illinois. You can also bank at shared branches across the U.S. that are part of the CU Service Center Network, a co-op of credit unions.  

Best for: Those who prefer to bank at a credit union

Minimum Balance to Open: $5

Monthly Fees: None

The Ally Bank free checking account lets you earn interest of 0.25% annual percentage yield APY on all balances.

You’ll pay no monthly service fees, no overdraft fees, and no ATM fees at more than 43,000 Allpoint ATMs nationwide. Ally also reimburses you up to $10 on out-of-network fees charged at other ATMs.

Your Ally checking account makes money management easy. You can put money in specific “spending” buckets allocated for different purchases. This can help you track your spending and stick to your budget. You can also get paid up to two days early with direct deposit.

Many of the best free checking accounts offer overdraft protection. Ally offers two choices to help you avoid overdraft fees. With the Overdraft Transfer Service, you can link your Ally Bank online savings or money market account to your Interest Checking account.

Ally will automatically transfer funds to your checking account to cover your purchase. If you make more than six withdrawals in a statement period, you may be charged “excessive transaction fees,” but Ally Bank reimburses those fees.

The CoverDraft service will cover purchases up to $100 as long as you have deposited at least $100 into your Interest checking account in the past 30 days. You can extend that coverage up to $250 if you receive a qualifying direct deposit of at least $250 for two months in a row.

You’ll need a direct deposit every 45 days to maintain your expanded coverage. You will have 14 days to bring your balance out of the negative.

Best for: Online only banking

Minimum Balance to Open: None

Monthly Fee: None

The Essential Checking online account has no overdraft fees, no monthly account fees, and unlimited reimbursement for out-of-network ATM use within the U.S.

The Rewards Checking has all the benefits of the Essential checking account and adds up to 3.30% APY in interest on qualifying balances.

Now until June 30, 2023, you can earn a sign-up bonus of $100 when you open an Axos Bank Rewards checking account and receive direct deposits totaling $1,500 or more each month for the first three months your account is open.

The Axos Bank Rewards checking account has complicated requirements to qualify for the highest annual percentage yield. Here’s how it works:

Direct deposits of $1,500 per month or more earn 0.40% APY

Once you fulfill that requirement, you’ll need 10 point-of-sale signature transactions with your debit card (minimum $3 purchase) or enrollment in account aggregation/personal finance manager account to earn an additional 0.30% APY.

• Maintain an average daily balance of $2,500 in an Axos self-directed trading invest account to earn 1%
• Maintain an average daily balance of $2500 in an Axos Managed Portfolio Invest account to earn another 1%
• Make a monthly payment to an open Axos Bank consumer loan from your Rewards checking account to earn up to 0.60%

Together, this results in a 3.30% APY.

 A Cashback Checking account offers the same benefits as the other checking accounts, except instead of earning interest you will receive 1% cash back on eligible debit card purchases.

Keep in mind that to earn the full 1% cash back, you’ll need to maintain an average daily balance of $1,500 in your checking account. If the balance falls below $1,500, you’ll earn .50% for that month.

Best for: Sign-up bonus

Minimum opening balance: $50

Monthly fee: None

You will need to set up direct deposit to qualify for the high interest rates and other benefits, such as 2-Day Early Paycheck and no-fee overdraft coverage. But there is no minimum balance required.

Right now, the bank is offering new customers who open a free account up to $250 in cash. To receive your bonus, simply open your account and set up direct deposit. Deposits of $1,000 to $4,999.99 qualify for $50 cash back, while a deposit greater than $5,000 will net you $250.  

There are no account fees when you bank with SoFi. Account holders with qualifying direct deposits receive fee-free overdraft protection for up to $50 per purchase.

You can even keep the money in your SoFi online savings to collect the high annual percentage yield APY of 4.20% and the bank will automatically transfer funds to checking to cover certain purchases. It will not, however, transfer money from Vaults, which are designed to help you reach specific savings goals.

Your SoFi debit card gives you access to your money for free at more than 55,000 ATMs in the AllPoint network. Plus, when you use your debit card for point-of-sale transactions at many local businesses, you can earn 15% cash back.

SoFi is a nationally chartered back with FDIC coverage. Thanks to a partnership with other banks, SoFi’s FDIC insurance exceeds the $250,000 maximum.

Your deposits are insured up to $2 million per account holder, per account, with SoFi. That makes SoFi an excellent choice in online banking for those with high savings, money market, or CD balances.

Best for: Money management and saving

Minimum Opening Balance: None

Monthly Service Fees: None

First, your Varo debit card offers up to 6% cash back at select online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. Each time your cashback balance reaches $5, you’ll see the funds deposited directly into your Varo bank account.

When you open a Varo checking account, it pays to open Varo savings at the same time. You’ll gain access to features like “Save Your Change,” which allows you to round up debit card purchases and put the difference in savings.

You can also use Save Your Pay, which deposits a portion of every paycheck you receive via ACH transfer directly into savings. You can set up these features in the mobile app.

Varo also offers a cash advance feature called “Varo Advance,” which allows you to borrow up to $250 and pay it back within 30 days.

You’ll pay nothing for advances less than $20, but there are fees up to $15 associated with borrowing larger amounts. As with many other banks, Varo also lets you get paid via direct deposit up to two days early.

Varo makes it easy to deposit cash into your account by purchasing a Green Dot MoneyPak at stores like Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, 7-11, Dollar General, and others. You can also deposit cash at the register in any of these stores. You might pay a fee of up to $4.95 for this service.

Varo has no minimum balance requirements, no overdraft fee, no monthly fee, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free access to 55,000+ ATMs in the Allpoint network.

If you use an out-of-network ATM, you will be charged a $3 fee by Varo, plus any charges incurred from the other bank. If you withdraw money using your Varo debit card at the point-of-sale in a store, you’ll pay $2.50 for the convenience.

You can reach Varo customer support via chat on the app every day from 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Mountain Time, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Varo phone support is also available Monday through Friday during the same hours for help logging into your account, filing a dispute if you suspect fraudulent charges, or to receive help adding your Varo card to a digital wallet.

 Best for: Cashback debit

Minimum Opening Balance: None

Monthly Fee: None

That could equal up to $30 in free money every month. You can even choose to have that Cashback Bonus deposited directly into your Discover Online savings account, where it can earn up to 3.90% APY.

Discover has no fees for anything. This includes overdraft protection through your linked Discover savings, no insufficient funds fee, no fee for official bank checks, no fee to receive expedited delivery of a new debit card, and no fees for paper checks. The only service that incurs a fee is an outgoing wire transfer. That will cost $30.

You can use your Discover debit with no fees at any of 60,000+ ATMs nationwide. Like many other financial institutions on this list, Discover allows you to receive ACH deposits from your employer up to two days early through the Discover “Early Pay” program.

Unlike many other online only banks, Discover offers 24/7 U.S.-based customer service by phone at 800-347-7000. If you prefer the convenience and cost savings of an online only bank account but want access to 24/7 phone service, Discover Bank could be the best choice for you.

 Best for: 24/7 customer service by phone

Minimum Opening Balance: None

Monthly Fee: None

Chase Total Checking is the bank’s most popular checking account, requiring no minimum opening deposit, and a low monthly fee of $12 that’s fairly easy to waive. To waive the fee, you’ll need to do one of the following each month:

• Have at least $500 in direct deposits
• Maintain a beginning daily balance of $1,500 or more
• Maintain an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of your Chase checking account plus other qualifying accounts  

Chase offers overdraft protection in the form of its Overdraft Assist program. You won’t pay an overdraft fee if you’re overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day.

If you are overdrawn by more than $50 but bring the account current or bring your overdraft to $50 or less by the next business day, you also won’t pay any fees.

Chase offers access to Zelle for person-to-person payments and has an intuitive and user-friendly app for online and mobile banking.

You can also take advantage of Chase Autosave features to automatically have a portion of deposits transferred into your Chase savings account, or set up automatic transfers on a schedule, such as weekly or monthly.

Set savings goals and have money deposited into specific buckets or transfer funds into your general savings account to build your emergency savings. You can even pause automatic savings if your checking account drops below an amount you set.

Chase Premier Plus Checking offers even more benefits, including free money orders and cashier’s checks, ATM fee reimbursement for out-of-network ATMs four times per statement cycle, and free checks.

Your Chase Premier Plus Checking account earns a 0.01% APY on all account balances, which is the same as a Chase Savings account.

You can avoid the fees on your Chase Premier Plus Checking account if you have an average beginning day balance of $15,000 in any combination of Chase checking, savings, and other deposit accounts.

Another option is if you have a linked qualifying Chase mortgage enrolled in automatic payments, or if you are a member of the U.S. military or a veteran.

When you are a Chase checking customer, you can refer friends to open a Chase account and receive a $50 bonus, up to $500 per year. Like most financial institutions on this list, Chase has a robust and easy to use mobile app.

Best for: 4,700 branches nationwide

Minimum Opening Balance: None

Monthly Fee: $12.95 (for Chase Total Checking) or free if you meet requirements