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Best Online Checking Accounts
By: Conor Keenan Last updated on December 1, 2023
Conor Keenan is compareaccounts.com's co-founder. His work in personal finance has been featured by MSN, CNN, AOL, Fox News, Yahoo News & many more.
Editorial Freedom: The opinions, reviews, or recommendations expressed in any article by our editorial team are not endorsed by any financial institution or partner. Our editorial team's content is not provided or commissioned by any financial institution or our partners herein.
- Checking Account
- No. Fees. Period.
- No Monthly Fee
- No Insufficient Funds Fee
- Fee-Free Overdraft Protection
- Set Up Direct Deposit & Access Funds up to 2 Days Sooner with Early Pay
- Access 60,000+ Fee-Free ATMs
- Send Money with Zelle®
- Debit Card Cashback – Earn 1% Cash Back on up to $3,000 in Debit Card Purchases Each Month
- See Site for Details
On Discover Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
- Checking Account
- U.S. Bank Visa® Debit Card
- Minimum Deposit: $25
- Mobile Check Deposit
- Send Money with Zelle®
- No ATM Fees at U.S. Bank ATMs
- Earn up to $800 when you open a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account & a Standard Savings account & complete qualifying activities.
- Subject to Certain Terms & Limitations
- Offer Valid Through December 29, 2023. Member FDIC.
- Offer may not be available if you live outside of the U.S. Bank footprint.
- See Site for Details
On U.S. Bank National Association's
Secure Site, Member FDIC
- Checking Account
- Out of Network ATM Fee: $2.50 in US
- Monthly Fee: $12 - Waived with Qualifying Activities
- Overdraft Fee: $10 per item
- International Transaction Fee: 3%
- Check Image Service Fee: $3 per Statement
- No ATM Fee Reimbursements
- Option to Pay for Paper Checks
- If You're Not Careful, This Checking Account's Fees Cost You More Than Its Worth
Not Recommended
Not Recommended. Shown For Comparison Purposes Only.
$200 Bonus
- Checking Account
- Chip Enabled Debit Card
- New Chase checking customers enjoy a $200 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account and make direct deposits totaling $500 or more within 90 days of coupon enrollment.
- Access to more than 15,000 Chase ATMs & more than 4,700 branches
- Deposit Checks via Mobile App
- Send Money with Zelle®
- Available online nationwide except in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
- Terms & Conditions Apply
- See Site for Details
On Chase Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
- Checking Account
- Chip Enabled Debit Card
- Minimum Deposit: $100
- No Monthly Fees
- Deposit Checks via Mobile App
- Earn up to 0.25% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) with $25,000 Minimum Balance
- Terms & Conditions Apply
- See Site for Details
On CIT Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
- Checking Account
- Min. Opening Deposit: $25
- Monthly Fee: $25 - Waived with Minimum Monthly Balance of $20,000
- Overdraft Fee: $35 per item, up to 3 Fees per Day
- International Transaction Fee: 3%
- 1 ATM Fee Reimbursements per period
- Discount on Safety Deposit Box Rental
- If You Want to Avoid Overdraft Fees, We Recommend a Different Checking Account
Not Recommended
Not Recommended. Shown For Comparison Purposes Only.
High Cash Back Rate
- Checking Account
- Earn up 2% Cash Back on Common Everyday Purchases
- 1% on All Other Purchases
- Earn These Rewarding Cash Back Rates with Recurring Direct Deposits of $1,000+ per Month
- No Monthly Fee
- No Overdraft Fees
- Get Reimbursed for ATM Fees
- Set Up a Recurring Direct Deposit & Get Paid Up to 2 Days Early
- U.S. Based Customer Service
- Terms & Conditions Apply
- See Site for Details
On Upgrade's Secure Site,
FDIC Insured
To recap our recommendations.
Best Checking Accounts According To CompareAccounts™
Discover® Bank Cashback Debit: Best for Online Banking Experience + Customer Service
U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking Account: Best For Branch Access + Bonus
Chase Total Checking® Account: Best For Easy $200 Bonus
CIT Bank® eChecking Account: Best For ATM Rebates
Upgrade Rewards Checking Plus Account: Best For Direct Deposit + Debit Card Cash Back Rates
On Discover Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
Best For: Online Banking Experience + Customer Service
Earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases monthly, all while protecting your money with comprehensive tools and features to prevent fraud, like the ability to freeze your debit card.
Discover Bank is one of the first online focused banks to offer no monthly fees and what they call "No. Fees. Period." That means you won’t pay a monthly fee, regardless of your monthly balance. You’ll enjoy fee-free overdraft protection, and you won’t pay a fee for insuffiecient funds.
Pair your free debit card with digital wallets like Apple Pay® to enjoy seemless transactions and gain access to over 60,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide.
Experience mobile-first banking with the Discover App, make quick transfers using Zelle®, find a nearby ATM, deposit checks and much more, all from your phone.
Best of all, your deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for peace of mind. And remember, Discover has US-based customer service available 24/7.
See Discover Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
On U.S. Bank National Association's
Secure Site, Member FDIC
Best For: Branch Access + Bonus
U.S. Bank has over 2,000 branch locations in more than half of United States.
Earn up to $800 when you open a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account and a Standard Savings account and complete qualifying activities. Subject to certain terms and limitations. Offer valid through December 29, 2023. Member FDIC.
Earn up to $500 with a new Bank Smartly Checking account.
Complete the following within 90 days of account opening:
- Enroll in online banking or the U.S. Bank Mobile App
- Make two or more direct deposit(s) totaling $5,000 to $9,999.99 to earn $300 or $10,000 or more to earn $500
Earn up to $200 with a new Standard Savings account.
- Make new money deposit(s) totaling $25,000 by January 31, 2024
- Maintain that balance until July 31, 2024
Earn an additional $100 by fulfilling both the Bank Smartly Checking and Standard Savings requirements!
Offer may not be available if you live outside of the U.S. Bank footprint.
In addition to the bonus, this account comes with a U.S. Bank Visa® Debit Card that has no ATM fees at U.S. Bank ATMs. It also offers overdraft protection with no fees for overages less than $50.
U.S. Bank provides "24-Hour Banking" meaning a customer service representative is available 24/7, FDIC insurance up to $250,000 per depositor and the ability to deposit checks and send money with Zelle® via a mobile app.
See U.S. Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
$200 Bonus
On Chase Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
Best For: Easy $200 Bonus
Chase Bank is the largest bank in America and has been helping Americans make the most of their money for 100+ years.
New Chase checking customers enjoy a $200 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account and make direct deposits totaling $500 or more within 90 days of coupon enrollment.
This account does come with a monthly service fee of $12. However, you can avoid this fee with qualifying activities such as electronic deposits made into this account totaling $500 or more.
Chase has one of the best mobile apps available to handle all of your online banking needs. You can make easy transfers using Zelle®, find a nearby ATM, deposit checks and more from your device.
Open your account today and set up direct deposit to earn this bonus as soon as possible.
See Chase Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
On CIT Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
Best For: ATM Rebates
CIT Bank has been helping customers for over 100 years. Founded in 1908, CIT Bank is now part of First Citizens BancShares, Inc.
CIT Bank's eChecking account offers 0.10% APY on balances under $25,000 and 0.25% APY for balances of $25,000+.
Minimum deposit required to open an account is $100. However, it does offer no monthly fees and no fees for online transfers.
CIT Bank does not have its own free ATM network. Because of this it offers up to $30 in other bank’s ATM fees reimbursed per month.
See CIT Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
High Cash Back Rates
On Upgrade's Secure Site,
FDIC Insured
Best For: Direct Deposit + Debit Card Cash Back Rates
Upgrade currently offers up to 2% Cash Back on their Upgrade VISA® Debit Card for common everyday purchases and 1% cash back on everything else, with a current maximum of $500 in rewards per calendar year. Gain access to these rewarding cash back rates with recurring monthly direct deposits of $1,000+.
They offer this incredible debit card & checking account with no monthly fees, no over draft fees, and ATM fee reimbursments.
You can even get paid up to 2 days early with a recurring direct deposit.
Upgrade is an incredible financial technology company, not a bank. Rewards checking plus accounts are provided by Cross River Bank, Member FDIC and serviced by Upgrade.
U.S. based customer service is available daily via phone or email. You can open a premier savings account with Upgrade in as little as 5 minutes to complete the sign-up process.
Deposits are insured through the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor and interest compounds daily.
Terms & conditions apply. See Upgrade's Secure Site For More Details.
Customers Also Viewed These High Yield Savings Accounts:
4.35% APY
On Discover Bank's Secure Site,
Member FDIC
Best For: Online Banking Experience + No Fees
Discover Bank offers 4.35% APY with no monthly fees and $0 initial deposit.
Discover Bank is one of the first online focused banks to offer no monthly fees and what they call "No. Fees. Period."
Whereas other banks may charge you a fee for certain services, Discover won't charge you a fee on any of the following items: monthly maintenance, official bank check, expedited delivery for official bank checks, deposited item returned, stop payment order, insufficient funds, or for closing your account.
If you're looking for a competitive APY with "No. Fees. Period." this account is for you.
See Discover Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
5.07% APY
On Upgrade's Secure Site,
FDIC Insured
Best For: Online Banking + High APY Interest Rates
Are you tired of a clunky digital banking experience?
Upgrade was built from the ground up to deliver an excellent digital customer experience, evident in their top rated mobile app.
Upgrade currently offers 5.07% APY (Annual Percentage Yield) on their high yield savings account with no monthly fees. Minimum Balance for this APY is $1,000.
Upgrade is an incredible financial technology company, not a bank. Premier Savings accounts are provided by Cross River Bank, Member FDIC and serviced by Upgrade.
U.S. based customer service is available daily via phone or email. You can open a premier savings account with Upgrade in as little as 5 minutes to complete the sign-up process.
Deposits are insured through the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor and interest compounds daily.
See Upgrade's Secure Site For More Details.
4.50% APY
On U.S. Bank National Association's
Secure Site, Member FDIC
Best For: Branch Access
U.S. Bank offers new Elite Money Market Account clients up to 4.50% APY with a $25,000 deposit.
A minimum $100 initial deposit is required to open the account.
U.S. Bank has over 2,000 branch locations in more than half of U.S. states.
Deposits are insured through the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor and if you have any questions U.S. Bank offers "24-Hour Banking" meaning a customer service representative is available 24/7.
In order to earn the 4.50% APY, you must have a balance of $25,000 or more. If you're planning on depositing less than $25,000, we recommend choosing a different account.
Avoid maintence fees with an average daily balance of $10,000 or more.
See U.S. Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
What to Look for in a Checking Account
It’s always wise to compare your options when opening a new checking account.
Here are the top features to look for and compare:
1. Ease of Setting Up
Your checking account should be where you setup your direct deposit and where you pay bills from. Because of this, it needs to be easy to open an account, set up your direct deposit, and set up payees to pay bills.
All of the checking accounts we recommend have these features.
2. Monthly Fees
Monthly fees can eat into your paycheck fast. You should avoid them as much as possible. That’s why we recommend you focus on no monthly fee checking accounts to keep as much as your pay check as possible.
3. Required Initial Deposit
Does the bank require a large initial deposit? Are you comfortable depositing that much right away? These days, most banks will allow you to open an account with as little as $1 or even $0 dollars.
Some banks may offer a higher yield with a higher initial deposit. You’ll just need to decide whether that higher initial deposit will be worth any increase in yield.
4. Minimum Balance Required
Minimum balance required to maintain your account is another feature to keep a close eye on.
Most of the banks we recommend do not have large minimum balance requirements, if any minimum balance requirement at all.
The accounts we do recommend that have a higher minimum required balance are usually CD accounts, which you don’t want to open unless you want to lock up your money for 6 months, 12 months or longer.
5. Accessing Your Money
Accessing your money is very important with any checking account.
Almost all of the checking accounts we recommend come with a mobile app that gives you 24/7 access to your accounts.
Additionally, banks will issue a debit card for your checking account, that you can use physically, virtually, or contactless payments through your wallet app.
6. Transferring Your Money
As important as it is to access your accounts, you’ll likely need to transfer money in and out of your checking account often.
That’s why its important to pay attention to features like transfer or peer to peer payments with Zelle®.
7. Mobile Check Deposit
If you can’t set up direct deposit, or if sometimes you get paper checks having mobile check deposit will allow you to deposit checks into your account from anywhere.
Most checking accounts we recommend comes with mobile check deposit.
8. Overdraft Fees
Things happen. Sometimes we pay a bill or make a purchase that is more than the money in our accounts. Normally, this would incur an overdraft fee, usually these fees range betwen $25 – $50.
Most of the checking accounts we recommend do not have overdraft fees, because the last thing you need when you don’t have enough money in your account is another fee to pay.
With the above in mind, now you’re more confident to choose the right checking account for you.