7 best no-fee checking accounts of March 2025

Checking accounts are an everyday financial tool for many people, but maintaining one can be expensive. Major banks often charge account maintenance fees that can cost you up to $35 per month.

CNBC Select compared dozens of checking accounts from online and brick-and-mortar banks, as well as credit unions, to find the ones charging zero monthly maintenance fees. We favored those that also have low (or no) minimum balance and deposit requirements. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best no-fee checking accounts).

Who's this for? The Discover Cashback Debit Checking account is ideal if you want a no-fee debit card that earns rewards. This checking account provides 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. That's up to $30 cashback per month and up to $360 annually.

Standout benefits: It's uncommon for a debit card to offer a rewards program. Account holders can redeem cash back as a deposit into a Discover checking, savings or money market account or transfer it to their Discover credit card. There's no minimum deposit required to open this account, and overdraft protection is free (which is hard to find). Discover provides access to over 60,000 fee-free Allpoint and MoneyPass® ATMs, as well as 24/7 access to U.S.-based customer service representatives.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? If you prefer to bank in person, the Capital One 360 Checking account gives you access to hundreds of branch locations. Plus, there are Capital One Cafés where you can grab a cup of coffee and speak to a Capital One ambassador.

Standout benefits: Capital One 360 has no monthly fees, no minimums and no overdraft fees. There are also no foreign transaction fees, so you can use your debit card outside the U.S. without incurring extra costs.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? The Alliant High-Rate Checking Account is perfect if you want to bank with a credit union for the community feel — and it's easy to join Alliant Credit Union. You're eligible by just becoming an Alliant Credit Union Foundation digital inclusion advocate. Alliant will even make the one-time $5 contribution to the foundation on your behalf.

Standout benefits: Alliant's High-Rate Checking has no monthly service fees or minimum balance requirements, as well as no overdraft fees and zero non-sufficient funds fees. It also provides access to over 80,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide, and it offers up to $20 in ATM fee rebates per month if you use out-of-network ATMs — a savings of up to $240 in ATM fees per year.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? The online-only Ally Bank Spending Account offers higher interest than most big banks. You can score 0.10% APY on balances less than $15,000 and 0.25% APY on $15,000-plus balances.

Standout benefits: Ally Bank offers no monthly maintenance or overdraft fees. You can get your paycheck up to two days early when you set up direct deposit and Ally has spending buckets to help with budgeting. You'll also have access to over 43,000 no-fee Allpoint ATMs and Ally reimburses up to $10 per month for out-of-network ATM fees.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? The Chase College Checking provides zero monthly service fees for up to five years for college students ages 17 to 24 who are enrolled in college or a vocational, technical or trade school, up to the graduation date provided at account opening. After the five years, the monthly fee is $12, but you can get it waived by meeting certain requirements.

Standout benefits: There's no minimum deposit required to open a Chase College Checking account. As a new account holder, you can earn $100 after completing 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of coupon enrollment (offer ends 4/16/2025). You can also access your free credit score and work to build credit with a personalized plan through Chase Credit Journey^®, powered by Experian®, and free identity monitoring. Chase has more than 15,000 fee-free ATMs and 4,700 branches across the U.S.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? Axos Bank Rewards Checking is ideal if you find it difficult to stick to in-network ATMs and want to be reimbursed for out-of-network ATM fees you may incur. There are unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements with this bank account.

Standout benefits: The Rewards Checking also has no monthly maintenance fees, overdraft or non-sufficient funds fees, as well as zero minimum monthly balance requirements. You can also count on 24/7 access to Evo, the virtual assistant.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who's this for? SoFi Checking and Savings is ideal if you want to earn some extra cash through a welcome bonus. Currently, you can earn up to $300 by setting up direct deposit: A direct deposit of at least $1,000 during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period. Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit.*

Standout benefits: With SoFi's Checking and Savings, you'll pay no account fees, including zero overdraft or monthly fees, earn a high APY on your savings, plus access additional FDIC insurance up to $2 million.

[ Jump to more details ]

Discover is an online bank offering checking and savings accounts, rewards credit cards, personal loans and home equity loans. Checking customers have access to over 60,000 surcharge-free ATMs across the U.S. Plus, you can get paid up to two days early with direct deposit.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

60,000+ Allpoint and MoneyPass ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

None

[ Return to summary ]

Capital One is a large bank that offers everything from checking and savings accounts to credit cards, auto loans, as well as business and commercial banking. Although you can bank entirely online with the Capital One 360 Checking account, there are also hundreds of physical branches where you can get help in person.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

70,000+ Capital One, MoneyPass and Allpoint ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

None

[ Return to summary ]

Alliant Credit Union offers checking and savings, credit cards, CDs, custodial accounts, home loans, auto loans, personal loans, commercial real estate lending, investment accounts like IRAs and trust accounts, plus all types of insurance.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$25 minimum deposit when opening online or over phone

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

80,000+ ATMs nationwide

ATM fee reimbursement

Up to $20 per month

[ Return to summary ]

Ally Bank is online-only, offering checking and savings accounts like CDs and money market accounts, IRAs, credit cards, investment accounts, plus home and auto loans.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

43,000+ Allpoint ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

Up to $10 per month

[ Return to summary ]

Chase is a big-name bank with more than 4,700 branches, offering everything from checking and savings, CDs and credit cards, to home and auto loans, plus investing by J.P. Morgan.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0 while in school (5 years maximum); after, $12 per month, unless you have monthly direct deposits of at least $500 or maintain a daily minimum $1,500 balance

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0 while in school

Overdraft fee

$0 if you link to Chase Savingsâ„  account for Overdraft Protection

Free ATM network

15,000+ Chase ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

None

[ Return to summary ]

Axos Bank offers checking and savings, including money market accounts and CDs, mortgages, personal loans, auto loans, boat loans, plus IRAs and investment accounts. It also offers small business banking, commercial banking and commercial lending.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

60,000+ Allpoint and MoneyPass ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements

[ Return to summary ]

SoFi offers all sorts of consumer products, including student loans, student loan refinancing, personal loans, mortgage loans, investing, banking, credit cards and insurance.

Monthly maintenance fee

$0

Minimum deposit and/or balance

$0

Overdraft fee

$0

Free ATM network

55,000+ Allpoint ATMs

ATM fee reimbursement

None

[ Return to summary ]

A free checking account typically consists of zero monthly maintenance fees and zero minimum requirements, as well as debit card and fee-free ATM access. Some free checking accounts also offer interest, rewards like cash back, free checks, out-of-network ATM fee reimbursements or even a welcome bonus. Most allow mobile check deposit and have overdraft protection.

To open a checking account, visit your preferred bank or credit union in person or fill out an application online. The process can be as quick as five minutes, and you'll have to provide personal details like your name, address and Social Security number. You can add money to your account right away and later set up direct deposit with your routing and account number.

Before choosing a checking account, familiarize yourself with common checking account fees. Here are seven common fees you may incur:

• Monthly maintenance fee: The monthly service fee, often up to $15, that banks or credit unions charge 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 a NSF fee.
• ATM fee: When you use ATMs that aren'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, you may 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 likely incur a fee that's often 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.

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 no-fee checking accounts.

To determine which checking accounts provide the best place to deposit your money at no monthly cost, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of U.S. checking accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including major credit unions. We narrowed down our rankings by only considering checking accounts that charge no monthly maintenance fees (and no catches to benefit from zero monthly fees).

While the accounts we chose in this article consistently have no monthly maintenance fees, we also compared each checking account on a range of features, including:

• No minimum balance requirements
• Low initial deposit of $0 to $50
• Available nationwide
• Physical branch locations and/or online accessibility
• 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 the accounts included on this list are FDIC- or NCUA-insured up to $250,000. 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 in accordance with 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.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

Information about the Ally Bank Spending Account has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

Ally Bank is a Member FDIC.

*New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. SoFi members with Direct Deposit can earn 4.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 4.00% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Direct Deposit will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/3/2024. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.