Free Checking Accounts: December 2024
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Ditch the banking fees. Compare the leading free checking accounts - no large balances needed, no catches, no hassle.
PRO TIP: Right now, one of the best free checking accounts can be found with Discover Bank. Find out more
Online Checking Account - Earn Cash Back
- 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. See website for details
- No fees
- Early Pay - Get your paycheck up to two days early with no charge
- No credit impact - You can apply without affecting your credit score.
- Access to over 60,000 no-fee ATMs in the U.S.
First Tech Rewards Checking® - Up to $300 Bonus
- New Direct Deposit Offer
- New and existing account holders can set up qualifying direct deposits to earn a one-time bonus: $50 for $1,000–$5,000 per month or $300 for over $5,000 per month.
- Direct deposits must meet the required amount for the bonus tier and occur at least once a month for three months.
- Earn up to 3.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- No minimum balance requirements and no monthly account maintenance fees
- Surcharge-free access at nearly 30,000 CO-OP network ATMs nationwide
- NCUA Insured
Free Rewards Checking
- Earn up to 5.00% APY*
- Unlimited reimbursement for any and all ATM fees**
- Over 30,000 ATMs & over 5,000 shared branches
- No monthly maintenance fees
- No minimum balance
CreditDonkey's Choice
Online Checking Account - Earn Cash Back
- 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. See website for details
- No fees
- Early Pay - Get your paycheck up to two days early with no charge
- No credit impact - You can apply without affecting your credit score.
- Access to over 60,000 no-fee ATMs in the U.S.
Other Checking Offers You May Like
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Got a steady balance in your checking account? Consider these bonus offers. You can dodge the monthly fee by maintaining a certain balance or meeting other simple criteria.
Bank of America Advantage Banking - $300 Bonus Offer
- The $300 bonus offer is an online only offer and must be opened through the Bank of America promotional page.
- The offer is for new checking customers only.
- Offer expires 01/31/2025.
- To qualify, open a new eligible Bank of America Advantage Banking account through the promotional page and set up and receive Qualifying Direct Deposits* totaling $2,000 or more into that new eligible account within 90 days of account opening. Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking® for Family Banking accounts are not eligible for this offer.
- Once all requirements are met, Bank of America will attempt to pay bonus within 60 days.
- Additional terms and conditions apply. See offer page for more details.
- *A Qualifying Direct Deposit is a direct deposit of regular monthly income – such as your salary, pension or Social Security benefits, which are made by your employer or other payer – using account and routing numbers that you provide to them.
- Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC.
U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking - Up to $450 Bonus
Earn up to $450 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 deposits(s) totaling $2,000 to $4,999.99 to earn $250, $5,000 to $7,999.99 to earn $350 or $8,000 or more to earn $450.
Fund your new account within 30 days to start qualifying activities. Offer may not be available if you are an existing U.S. Bank customer or live outside of the U.S. Bank footprint.
- Monthly Fee: Waive the $6.95 Monthly Maintenance Fee with one of the following:
- Are 24 and under, 65 and over or a member of the military (must self-disclose), OR
- Have combined monthly direct deposits totaling $1,000+, OR
- Keep average account balance of $1,500+, OR
- Hold an eligible U.S. Bank credit card, OR
- Qualify for one of the four Smart Rewards™ tiers (Primary, Plus, Premium or Pinnacle)
HSBC Premier - Earn Up to $2,500
Start an HSBC Premier relationship today. You'll enjoy premium banking with both local and global benefits and access to wealth solutions offered through HSBC Securities, (USA), Inc*.
You could earn $1,500 or $2,500 if you open a new, eligible HSBC Premier checking account from July 1, 2024 through January 2, 2025, and complete qualifying activities.
- Get a $1,500 Cash Bonus: Add New Money of $100,000 to $249,999 in deposit and/or eligible investment accounts within 20 days of opening your new checking account and maintain the Qualifying Balance for 3 full consecutive months.
- Get a $2,500 Cash Bonus: Add New Money of $250,000+ in deposit and/or eligible investment accounts within 20 days of opening your new checking account and maintain the Qualifying Balance for 3 full consecutive months.
- Cash Bonus will be deposited into your new checking account within 8 weeks of meeting all the offer requirements.
- Monthly Fee: $50 monthly maintenance fee, unless eligibility criteria is met:
- Balances of $100,000 in combined U.S. consumer and qualifying commercial U.S. Dollar deposit and investment accounts; OR
- Monthly recurring direct deposits totaling at least $5,000 from a third party to an HSBC Premier checking account(s); OR
- Any HSBC U.S. residential mortgage loan serviced by HSBC. Home Equity products, loans that are in foreclosure or bankruptcy, and loans for which servicing rights have been transferred are not included.
- Consumers who maintain Private Bank status
Chase Total Checking® - $300 Bonus
- New Chase checking customers enjoy a $300 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account with qualifying activities
- With over 4,700 branches, Chase has the largest branch network in the U.S. plus access to more than 15,000 ATMs.
- Chase Mobile® app - Manage your accounts, deposit checks, transfer money and more -- all from your device.
- JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC
- Open your account online now
- Available online nationwide except in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. For branch locations, visit locator.chase.com.
- Chase Overdraft Assist℠ - no overdraft fees if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day or if you're overdrawn by more than $50 and bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day*
- Monthly Fee: $12 or $0 with one of the following, each monthly statement period:
- Electronic deposits made into this account totaling $500 or more, such as payments from payroll providers or government benefit providers, by using (i) the ACH network, (ii) the Real Time Payment or FedNow℠ network, (iii) third party services that facilitate payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network,
- OR a balance at the beginning of each day of $1,500 or more in this account,
- OR an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of this account and linked qualifying Chase checking, savings, and other balances.
First Tech Rewards Checking® - Up to $300 Bonus
- New Direct Deposit Offer
- New and existing account holders can set up qualifying direct deposits to earn a one-time bonus: $50 for $1,000–$5,000 per month or $300 for over $5,000 per month.
- Direct deposits must meet the required amount for the bonus tier and occur at least once a month for three months.
- Earn up to 3.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- No minimum balance requirements and no monthly account maintenance fees
- Surcharge-free access at nearly 30,000 CO-OP network ATMs nationwide
- NCUA Insured
- Monthly Fee: $0
Discover® Cashback Checking - Up to $30/Month Cashback
Earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month, for a total of up to $30 cashback per month. Discover Cashback Debit checking account has no minimum balance requirement, no fees, and free online bill pay. See website for details.
What is a Free Checking Account?
A free checking account typically means there are no monthly service fees or minimum balance required. You don't need to worry about fulfilling any criteria.
However, it doesn't mean there are no fees at all. Banks may still have other account fees for things like overdrafts, out-of-network ATMs, wire transfers, paper statements, etc.
A checking account can also be free if you can meet the requirements to waive the monthly fee. For example, Chase Total Checking charges no monthly fee if you just have qualifying direct deposits of at least $500 each month.
How to Choose a Checking Account
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Here are some things to look for when choosing a checking account:
- Opening deposit: Does the account have a required minimum deposit? There are lots of banks that let you open an account with $0 too.
- Monthly service fee: Some banks charge a monthly service fee unless you keep a certain balance in your checking account. This can become a hassle. Luckily, there are plenty of online banks that don't have monthly fees.
- Additional fees: Like mentioned above, there may be other account fees. Make sure you know what the bank charges so you can avoid them.
- Locations: Do you like to bank in-person? If so, look for a bank with physical branches. If you're ok with completely online banking, you'll have more options for free checking accounts.
- ATM access: Will it be easy to withdraw cash? Check if the bank offers free access to ATMs and if they're available near where you live and work.
- Rewards: Some free checking accounts from online banks even offer rewards, like APY or cashback. These perks make your money go further.
Online Checking Account - Earn Cash Back
- 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. See website for details
- No fees
- Early Pay - Get your paycheck up to two days early with no charge
- No credit impact - You can apply without affecting your credit score.
- Access to over 60,000 no-fee ATMs in the U.S.
- Minimum Deposit to Open: $0
- Monthly Fee: $0
- ATMs: 60,000+ Allpoint or MoneyPass ATMs
First Tech Rewards Checking® - Up to $300 Bonus
- New Direct Deposit Offer
- New and existing account holders can set up qualifying direct deposits to earn a one-time bonus: $50 for $1,000–$5,000 per month or $300 for over $5,000 per month.
- Direct deposits must meet the required amount for the bonus tier and occur at least once a month for three months.
- Earn up to 3.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- No minimum balance requirements and no monthly account maintenance fees
- Surcharge-free access at nearly 30,000 CO-OP network ATMs nationwide
- NCUA Insured
- Monthly Fee: $0
Free Rewards Checking
- Earn up to 5.00% APY*
- Unlimited reimbursement for any and all ATM fees**
- Over 30,000 ATMs & over 5,000 shared branches
- No monthly maintenance fees
- No minimum balance
- Minimum Deposit to Open: $5
- Monthly Fee: No monthly maintenance fees
Key Smart Checking® - $300 Bonus
- Open a Key Smart Checking® account online by May 16, 2025.
- Make the minimum opening deposit of $10, plus one single eligible direct deposit of at least $1,000 within the first 60 days of account opening.
- Your $300 cash bonus will be deposited into your account within 60 days of meeting requirements. Account must not be closed at the time of gift payment.
- Minimum Deposit to Open: $10
- Monthly Fee: $0
- ATMs: Visit them at any of their convenient branches and 40,000 KeyBank ATMs and Allpoint ATMs nationwide. $0 KeyBank and Allpoint® ATM access nationwide with your KeyBank Debit Mastercard®
Compare Savings Accounts Offers
For extra funds you're not using for day-to-day, put them to work in a savings account. Explore these high yield savings accounts to see how your money can do more.
High-Yield Savings Premier - 4.46% APY
- No account activity or maintenance fees
- $500 minimum opening deposit
- FDIC insured
Discover® Online Savings - $200 Cash Bonus
To qualify for Bonus: Apply for your first Discover Online Savings Account, enter Offer Code CY924 at application, deposit into your Account a total of at least $15,000 to earn a $150 Bonus or deposit a total of at least $25,000 to earn a $200 Bonus. Qualifying deposit(s) may consist of multiple deposits and must post to Account within 45 days of account open date. Maximum bonus eligibility is $200.
What to know: Offer not valid for existing or prior Discover savings customers, including co-branded, or affinity accounts. Eligibility is based on primary account owner. Account must be open when bonus is credited. Bonus will be credited to the account within 60 days of the account qualifying for the bonus. Bonus is subject to tax reporting. Offer ends 03/13/2025, 11:59 PM ET. Offer may be modified or withdrawn without notice. Due to new customer funding limits, you may wish to initiate fund transfers at your other institution. For information on funding your Account, see FAQs on Discover.com/Bank. See advertiser website for full details.
CIT Bank Platinum Savings - 4.35% APY
- 4.35% APY with a balance of $5,000 or more
- 0.25% APY with a balance of less than $5,000
- $100 minimum opening deposit
- No monthly maintenance fee
- Member FDIC
Free Checking FAQs
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Can I open a free checking account online with no deposit?
Yes, a lot of online banks, like Discover, have $0 deposit and let you open a checking account online in just a few minutes. You can open an account online with traditional banks too, but some may require a small opening deposit.
Can I open a debit card for free?
Absolutely. When you open a checking account with most banks and credit unions, they typically include a debit card at no extra charge.
What do I need to open a checking account?
You usually need to provide:
- Your name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Phone and email
- Government issued ID
- Social Security Number
- Proof of address, such as a utility bill
Online Checking Account - Earn Cash Back
- 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. See website for details
- No fees
- Early Pay - Get your paycheck up to two days early with no charge
- No credit impact - You can apply without affecting your credit score.
- Access to over 60,000 no-fee ATMs in the U.S.
First Tech Rewards Checking® - Up to $300 Bonus
- New Direct Deposit Offer
- New and existing account holders can set up qualifying direct deposits to earn a one-time bonus: $50 for $1,000–$5,000 per month or $300 for over $5,000 per month.
- Direct deposits must meet the required amount for the bonus tier and occur at least once a month for three months.
- Earn up to 3.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- No minimum balance requirements and no monthly account maintenance fees
- Surcharge-free access at nearly 30,000 CO-OP network ATMs nationwide
- NCUA Insured
Note: This website is made possible through financial relationships with some of the products and services mentioned on this site. We may receive compensation if you shop through links in our content. You do not have to use our links, but you help support CreditDonkey if you do.
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