Best brick-and-mortar checking accounts of March 2025

Editor's Note: APYs listed in this article are up-to-date as of the time of publication. They may fluctuate (up or down) as the Fed rate changes. CNBC Select will update as changes are made public.

Brick-and-mortar banks provide you with something that online banks cannot: in-person access and face-to-face customer service. Your first-ever bank account was most likely opened at a brick-and-mortar bank down the road, but even still today they remain a popular option for their familiarity and reliability.

To find the best brick-and-mortar checking accounts, we looked at what all the big-name banks offer on their checking accounts like options to waive monthly fees, minimum requirements, interest rates and ease of use. We also considered banks' physical branches and fee-free ATM networks. (See our methodology for more information on how we chose the best brick-and-mortar checking accounts.)

Note: Most brick-and-mortar banks require you to enter your zip code online for the correct account offerings, and in some cases, you might not be able to open an account because of your location.

Who's this for? Bank of America Advantage Plus Banking is a flexible checking account if you prefer Bank of America and want extra perks, like having your spare change automatically transferred to your savings and earning cash back when you shop.

Standout benefits: With Keep the Change^®, your debit card purchases are rounded to the nearest dollar and the difference gets transferred to your Bank of America savings. You can also earn cash back at select restaurants and stores through BankAmeriDeals^®. Other perks include overdraft protection via Balance Connect^®, $0 liability guarantee fraud protection and access to virtual financial assistant Erica^®.

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Who's this for? Chase Total Checking is a good everyday checking account if you're a Chase loyalist. The bank's website claims this is its most popular checking account. With over 4,700 physical branches, Chase stands out if you want the best chance of being near a local branch location.

Standout benefits: There's Chase Overdraft Assistâ„  if you spend more than what's available in your account. You'll also get zero liability protection for any unauthorized charges promptly reported and have Zelle access to send and receive money easily and quickly.

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Who's this for? Citi Access Checking is a good entryway account for checkless banking at Citibank. Citi is ideal for those in metropolitan areas, like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami, since that's where most branches are.

Standout benefits: You'll get $0 liability for unauthorized charges and there are no overdraft or returned item fees. Citi also offers Relationship Tier benefits if you reach a high minimum balance threshold, and you can combine balances with immediate family members to reach it. With Citi Entertainment^®, your Citi card can help you access presale tickets and exclusive experiences to music, sports, arts and cultural events.

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Who's this for? PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select stands out if you want to simplify your finances by bundling your checking and savings. The Virtual Wallet includes three accounts: Spend (a primary checking account), Reserve (a secondary checking account) and Growth (for long-term savings).

Standout benefits: You can earn up to a $400 bonus when you set up direct deposits of $5,000 or more into the Spend account and earn interest on your balance. PNC offers overdraft protection and doesn't charge for using an out-of-network ATM (and will even reimburse you for ATM fees other banks charge).

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Who's this for? The TD Complete Checking account is ideal if you live on the East Coast. With over 1,100 branches across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida, most of which have extended hours and are open on weekends, TD Bank touts itself as "America's most convenient bank."

Standout benefits: You'll get TD Overdraft Relief and have access to TD Early Pay where you can get your paycheck up to two business days early with eligible direct deposit. There are 24/7 fraud monitoring and text alerts, access to Zelle as well as a free linked savings account and rate discounts on a TD Bank home equity loan. Students and young adults (ages 17 through 23) get extra perks like non-TD ATM fees waived.

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Who's this for? If you live near a U.S. Bank location, we like the U.S. Bank Smartly Checking as an everyday account. The bank has more than 2,000 branches in 26 states, but most of them are in the Midwest and West.

Standout benefits: There is overdraft protection and an Overdraft Fee Forgiven program. You can also schedule account alerts and reminders, plus take advantage of the U.S. Bank Smart Assistant® to complete everyday banking tasks quickly. There's zero fraud liability and instant transfers with Zelle. You'll get complimentary access to Greenlight, a debit card for kids and teens, as well as enrollment in Smart Rewards^®, which offers exclusive benefits like cash back, fee discounts and rate bonuses. There's also interest offered.

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Who's this for? Consider the Wells Fargo Everyday Checking — its supposedly most popular checking account — if you want to bank with Wells Fargo. Since the bank offers easy access to your FICO^® Score, it's ideal for those who want to keep an eye on their credit.

Standout benefits: You can avoid overdrafts with Wells Fargo's Extra Day Grace Period. There's 24/7 fraud monitoring, zero liability protection and Zelle access. You can also receive direct deposits up to two days sooner with Early Pay Day, view your latest FICO Score and get help with Fargo^® virtual assistant.

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Bank of America has around 3,800 physical branches and roughly 15,000 ATMs. Beyond checking, Bank of America offers savings accounts and CDs, credit cards, home and auto loans, plus investing with Merrill.

Minimum deposit

$100

Monthly fee

$12, with options to waive

Interest offered

0% APY

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Chase boasts over 4,700 physical branches and over 15,000 ATMs. Its financial product offerings include banking, credit cards, home and auto loans, plus investing by J.P. Morgan.

Minimum deposit

$0

Monthly fee

$12, with options to waive

Interest offered

0% APY

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Citibank has nearly 1,000 physical branches and 65,000-plus ATMs. It offers customers banking, credit cards, all types of lending including personal loans, mortgages and small business loans. There are also investing and wealth management services.

Minimum deposit

$0

Monthly fee

$5, with options to waive

Interest offered

0% APY

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PNC Bank has more than 2,200 physical branches and approximately 60,000 ATMs. It caters to consumers and small businesses, offering banking (including for students and military members), credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, student loans, investing and wealth management.

Minimum deposit

$0

Monthly fee

$25, with options to waive

Interest offered

0.01% APY on Spend and Reserve accounts ($1 minimum for Reserve and $2,000 minimum for Spend); 0.04% to 0.05% APY on Growth account ($1 minimum)

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TD Bank has over 1,100 physical branches and 2,600 ATMs spread across the Eastern U.S. It stands out for offering long branch hours, as well as free access to TD Bank's ATMs in Canada. In addition to consumer banking, TD Bank has a suite of credit cards, home lending, personal loans, investing and wealth management, plus small business and commercial banking.

Minimum deposit

$0

Monthly fee

$15, with options to waive

Interest offered

0% APY

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U.S. Bank has more than 2,000 physical branches and over 4,000 ATMs. Its offerings include banking, credit cards, investing and retirement, personal, home and auto loans, investing and wealth management, plus small business products.

Minimum deposit

$25

Monthly fee

$6.95, with options to waive

Interest offered

0.001% to 0.005% APY

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Wells Fargo has 5,600-plus physical branches and 10,000-plus ATMs. The bank's financial products include personal banking, credit cards, home, personal and auto loans, investing and wealth management, small business, commercial banking as well as corporate and investment banking.

Minimum deposit

$25

Monthly fee

$10, with options to waive

Interest offered

0% APY

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When choosing a brick-and-mortar checking account, consider its monthly fee (and options to waive it), any minimum deposit and/or balance requirements, overdraft protection, interest offered, rewards, plus mobile app features like peer-to-peer payment services and mobile check deposit. You'll also want to make sure the bank is FDIC-insured, or NCUA-insured if a credit union, and ensure that it has a large, fee-free ATM network along with many physical branch locations to visit in person.

While there are several good no-fee checking accounts out there, most checking accounts come with standard fees. Here are some of the most common checking account fees you may come across:

• Monthly maintenance fee: The monthly service fee, often up to $15, that banks or credit unions charge just to maintain your account.
• Overdraft fee: If you spend more than the amount in your account, resulting in a negative balance, you may be hit with a steep overdraft fee up to $35.
• Non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee: If you write a check and it bounces because there isn't enough money in your bank account, you'll likely incur an NSF fee.
• ATM fee: When you use an ATM that isn't affiliated with your bank or credit union, you may be hit with two fees: one from your bank/credit union and another from the ATM operator.
• Paper statement fee: If you don't enroll in paperless statements, you could pay up to $5 per statement.
• Foreign transaction fee: If you use your debit card to make purchases or withdraw money from an ATM outside of the U.S., you'll often incur a fee that's typically 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of the transaction.
• Account closure fee: If you close your account within 90 to 180 days of opening it, you may incur an account closure fee of around $25.

While these fees can certainly add up, avoid them by responsibly managing your account and always maintaining a positive balance.

The main difference between brick-and-mortar and online banks is that brick-and-mortar banks have physical locations you can visit. They allow you to deposit and withdraw money by visiting a teller inside a branch or via a drive-up window or ATM. You'll also have the convenience of being able to speak to someone face-to-face and work out any account questions or requests — unlike online-only banks that require you to call (which can sometimes mean dealing with long wait times).

However, brick-and-mortar banks typically charge customers higher fees and offer lower interest rates on savings than online-only banks since they have to recoup overhead costs to keep physical branches up and running.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every checking account review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of banking products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best brick-and-mortar checking accounts.

To determine which brick-and-mortar checking accounts offer the most convenience, CNBC Select compared dozens of checking accounts offered by the largest national banks and credit unions. We narrowed down our rankings by only considering checking accounts that come from brick-and-mortar banks with broad availability, offering access to hundreds of physical branches and thousands of fee-free ATMs in the U.S.

We compared each checking account on a range of features, including:

• Fees
• Minimum deposit and/or minimum balance requirement
• Interest offered
• Number of states with branches
• Large ATM network
• Ease of use and account accessibility
• Customer reviews, when available

We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.

All of the accounts included on this list are FDIC- or NCUA-insured up to $250,000 per depositor. This insurance protects and reimburses you up to your balance and the legal limit in the event your bank or credit union fails.

The rates and fee structures for checking accounts are subject to change without notice and they often fluctuate per the prime rate. Your earnings depend on any associated fees and the balance you have in your checking account. To open an account, some banks and institutions may require a deposit of new money, meaning you can’t transfer money you already had in an account at that bank.

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