A checking account is an essential financial tool for your finances. However, most financial institutions demand an opening deposit which makes it difficult for many people to own an account. In addition, some banks may require you to pay annual maintenance fees for the privilege of keeping your account open. Although such fees may not seem much, they do accumulate to huge amounts over time.
The good news is that these unnecessary fees are completely avoidable. What’s more, is that you do not have to deposit a minimum balance on opening a checking account. In this guide, we look at some of the best free checking account without opening deposit. If you are looking forward to owning a checking account, the follow along to discover the options you have from the leading financial institutions in the US. What enables most online banks to offer free checking account is their reduced overhead costs enabling you to enjoy unmatched convenience.
Before we look at the top free checking account providers, it is important that you understand what you need to take into account before picking a checking account.
What You Need to Know Before Picking A Checking Account
- FDIC Insured : Before choosing a bank, it is important to ensure that it is FDIC-insured. Why? This protects your funds if the bank goes under. You’ll still get your funds back.
- Avoid Huge Fees : Most credit unions and banks work with several fee traps such as minimum opening balance, ATM fees, monthly maintenance balance, overdraft protection fees, and more. Fortunately, some accounts don’t charge insane fees, so do your research well before committing yourself.
- Read the Fine Print : Before signing any document that pertains your money, make sure you understand the terns well. Try to establish how the banks charge you fees and see how you can minimize them.
- Beware of Alluring Deals : Most banks will offer you bonuses or attractive interest rate deals just to win you. Once you have opened an account with them, they’ll start charging you crazy fees. Try to find banks that offer free overdraft protection, give reimbursement on ATM fees and requires no minimum balance.
- Always Research : Regardless of the financial institution that you want to open an account with, don’t just jump. Do some research to find out more about them and their services. This could save you from losing a fortune.
Top 10 Best Bank For Free Checking Account Without Opening Deposit
1. Ally Bank Interest Checking
Ally Bank is a top financial institution that stands above the pack due to their no fee and easy to use free checking account without an opening deposit. This means that you can get started with them right away with no charges for regular checking account activity. The interest rate is also average, and you get Allpoint ATM with a monthly reimbursement of $10 for charges from the ATM of other banks. Through Zelle, Ally Bank provides you with fast online money transfers.
When using their services, you won’t be charged fees for incoming wires, fees for cashier’s checks, fees from ACH transfers with other banks, and no monthly fees. If you prefer the traditional payment system, then you can make use of the free checks, a suitable feature for landlords.
Similar to online accounts, it’s not possible to deposit cash into the account. Instead, you have the option of depositing a check by mail or through your phone, monitor your banking online using your phone or computer and withdraw cash from ATMs whenever you need. The customer service is also excellent. In case you have any issues just contact them and the response will be on its way immediately.
2. Capital One 360 Checking
If you are looking for a bank offering incredible and flexible overdrafts, then look no further than Capital One 360 checking. You don’t just get a free checking account without an opening deposit; the bank offers enhanced banking experience. The interest rates are also modes, and you get to enjoy the incredible online and mobile experience, thanks to their easy to use interface. It also has Allpoint ATM which enables you to withdraw money whenever you need.
While most banks including no fee, low fee banks will charge you for overdrafts, this bank takes a different approach. You get up to four overdraft options which leave you with plenty of alternatives, unlike other banks. When using Capital One 360 Checking, you can expect no fees for regular use, flexible overdraft options, and services from highly rated apps. This is why it is one of the best checking accounts to have if you desire a better user experience.
3. Bank5 Connect High-Interest Checking
When it comes to interest rates, Bank5 Connect is an incredible free checking account without opening deposit option. While this player is still new in the market, their services are amazing, and many users are satisfied. They offer you up to 0.76% APY interest with no requirements. While some banks offer you such interest, they require bill pay use, debit card use or direct deposit.
Besides, this bank doesn’t charge you any monthly fees and using it is free. You’ll need to pay only $1 per month for paper statements. You can also get up to $15 proceeds per month from ATM reimbursements.
Mobile and online banking are made easier with this online bank with lots of goodies to expect. UChoose Debit Rewards program is yet another exceptional feature of this account. It enables you to earn points any time you use your debit card. Once the point has accumulated, you can redeem for travel packages, electronics, and gift cards. Although high-end reward credit cards might offer better rewards, this reward program is among the best among debit cards available today.
4. Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking
Like most people, you might be thinking, but Charles Schwab is just an investment brokerage. Well, you are right. However, Schwab int just an investment account. The checking account requires you to own their Schwab brokerage account that is free and easy to use. It makes a great choice if you need a free checking account without an opening deposit.
Another incredible feature of Schwab checking account that makes it exceptional among other accounts is the unlimited ATM rebates across the world. This means that you can withdraw money from any ATM worldwide and Schwab will reimburse you each month. So, you get to enjoy free ATM transactions whether you are at a stadium, airport or any country.
The interest rates at Schwab investors are also much better than what you get from some banks. It offers you nearly everything that you need from an online bank including mobile banking, online banking, and mobile check deposits. It is also compatible with mobile payment wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
To deposit cash, you’ll need to visit a Schwab brokerage branch. You can also get in-person support from the branches whenever you visit them. However, online customer care is excellent, and you may never need to visit their branch for assistance.
5. Discover Cashback Checking
Discover Cashback Checking is the ideal choice for incredible debit card rewards. With 1% cash back for every debit card purchase you make; you can qualify for up to $30 per month for debit purchases above $3,000 per month. This makes it a suitable free checking account without opening deposit that enables you to get paid back in cash.
Discover Cashback Checking is owned by the provider of Discover credit cards and other financial products. One major drawback of this account is that its debit card is branded Discover. This means that it is not widely used like Mastercard or Visa-branded debit cards.
Other than that single drawback, the Discover is a great account. It enables you to enjoy free access to several ATMs with free debit card replacements and free checks. You also get to enjoy free money transfer to other banks in the US for free as well other online banking tools and online bill pay.
6. Simple
Simple is a great account for anyone with budgetary concerns. The company offers you a Simple checking account. You can interact with the account through a debit card or a mobile app.
Apart from mobile and online banking, this account is exclusively online-only bank. This feature enables you to saves and budget much easier. The Simple checking account is integrated with other tools from outside money management applications.
Unlike other accounts, you get to enjoy no fees for anything as you get to save more. This is why this checking account makes an incredible option.
7. USAA Classic Checking
Are you a military member looking for a free checking account without opening deposit? If yes then USSA Classic is the best bank for you. Besides, the account is not limited to military members alone; even their families can make use of these great banks.
The good thing is that you don’t need any fee balance to own this account. It offers several ATMs with up to $15 per month reimbursements for ATM charges from other banks. To avoid overdraft fees, you can make use of a credit card or a linked savings account.
As military personnel, you get to benefit from prefilled 1199A for your direct deposits and no opening deposits. So, you can expect fast pay from DFAS when the payday arrives with no hassle. Furthermore, you get online banking and mobile banking features just like what you get with most modern banks.
8. Aspiration Summit Account
Aspiration offers you a free Summit checking Account that requires zero deposit with no monthly charges or minimum balance. The account will reimburse you for all charges when you use the out-of-network ATMs. This means that you will get your money back even when you use the ATMs in other countries.
The account also offers an impressive 1.00% APY that is considerably higher than what you get from brick and mortar banks. Besides, all their deposits are insured, and you get to enjoy no overdraft fees.
However, the account is online based only. All the transactions and services are offered online with no in-person support to handle your banking needs.
9. Axos Bank Rewards Checking
Formerly Bank of Internet, Axos offers you outstanding rates on their rewards checking. Among the benefits of this free checking account without opening deposit is no minimum balance and no monthly fees requirement. The bank also offers you reimbursements for outside network charges on ATM.
To earn up to 1.25% Rewards Checking, you are required to receive more than $1,000 in direct deposits and make at least 15 debit card transactions over $3 each. However, you can qualify for a lower rate if you don’t fulfill these requirements.
10. Chime Free Mobile Banking
Chime is increasingly becoming a popular option in the Mobile Banking sector. This is major because many people are now comfortable with handling money using their smartphones. A Chime account features a checking account (spending account) and a savings account.
They don’t charge you any monthly fees and require no minimum balance fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no overdraft fees.
With this account, all your banking needs are taken care of just like when using a traditional bank only that the convenience you get here is exceptional. Using your ATM access, you get to enjoy more than 30,000 cash back locations and over MoneyPass locations.
Conclusion
Are you looking forward to opening a checking account? Or you a just need to put to an end the regular monthly maintenance charge? Regardless of your reason, a free checking account without opening balance is a great choice.
While the monthly fees you get charged for using your checking accounts in the traditional banks could be small, they can accumulate up to huge amounts in the long run. Besides, the more benefits you get from such accounts, the higher the monthly fees that you get charged.
With several alternatives in the market as offered by the above accounts, you don’t worry anymore. Besides, these are just some of the best since there are still plenty of options in the market. The good thing with some of the checking accounts is that they don’t just offer you no deposit no minimum balance account, they offer bonuses as well.
