Free Checking Accounts: March 2024
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Ad Disclosure: This article contains references to products from our partners. We may receive compensation if you apply or shop through links in our content. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site. You help support CreditDonkey by using our links.
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 UFB Direct. Find out more
UFB Freedom Checking & Savings - Unlock Up to 3.46% APY
Combine Freedom Checking with Portfolio Savings to boost your savings APY by up to 0.20%.* Fewer fees, faster transactions. Plus, earn 2.00% APY* on your checking account.
Chase High School Checking℠ - $125 Bonus
- Your teen gets $125 when you open a new Chase High School Checking℠ account together with qualifying activities within 60 days of coupon enrollment
- As a co-owner of the account, you must be present at account opening.
- $0 Monthly Service Fee
- Help your teen build good money habits with their own debit card. Plus, they can add their debit card to their digital wallet.
- With Zelle®, pay and get paid back from friends and family who have an eligible account at a participating U.S. bank. No fees and no waiting for days for money to hit their account.
- You and your teen can stay on top of their account activity by choosing which Account Alerts you both want to sign up for — such as low balance, posted payments, and more.
- Chase makes it easy for your teen to access their money from anywhere with the Chase Mobile® app, plus thousands of ATMs and branches.
- JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC
Key Smart Checking® - $300 Bonus
Earn $300 after qualified activities until 5.22.26 with the no-monthly-maintenance-fee Key Smart Checking®.
- Open a Key Smart Checking® account online by May 22, 2026.
- Make the minimum opening deposit of $10 and a total of $2,000 or more in eligible direct deposits within the first 90 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.
CreditDonkey's Choice
Popular
Free Checking Account for Small Business Owners
- Sign up in 3 minutes; no credit check
- No account fees - $0 monthly fee, overdraft fee, foreign transaction fee, or ATM fees at approximately 40,000 locations
- Automatic Savings
- Get paid up to 2 days early
- Savings with up to 4.00% APY
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 - Up to $500 Cash Offer
- The cash offer up to $500 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 05/31/2026.
- To qualify, open a new eligible Bank of America Advantage Banking account through the promotional page and set up and receive Qualifying Direct Deposits* into that new eligible account within 90 days of account opening. Your cash bonus amount will be based on the total amount of your Qualifying Direct Deposits received in the first 90 days.
Cash Bonus Total Qualifying Direct Deposits $100 $2,000 $300 $5,000 $500 $10,000+ - If all requirements are met 90 days after account opening, Bank of America will attempt to deposit your bonus into your new eligible account within 60 days.
- Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking® for Family Banking accounts are not eligible for this offer.
- 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.
HSBC Premier - Earn Up to $7,000
It's easy. The more you fund, the more you earn. Discover all that Premier can do for you
- Send and receive money with Zelle® right from our mobile app
- Manage your money safely, easily and fee-free around the world - from Global Money Transfers to multi-currency needs
- Enjoy peace of mind with unique travel benefits available through our credit cards
Here's how the offer works: Open a new HSBC Premier checking account by March 31, 2026. Add New Assets to your Premier checking account, Premier Savings account, Premier Relationship Savings account, Managed Portfolio Account and/or Spectrum account (Eligible Accounts) by March 31, 2026, and maintain the New Assets through June 30, 2026.
- Get a $1,500 Cash Bonus: Add and maintain New Assets of $150,000 to $249,999
- Get a $2,500 Cash Bonus: Add and maintain New Assets of $250,000 to $499,999
- Get a $3,500 Cash Bonus: Add and maintain New Assets of $500,000 to $999,999
- Get a $7,000 Cash Bonus: Add and maintain New Assets of $1,000,000+
If all offer requirements are met, the bonus will be paid by August 31, 2026.
- 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.
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking Account - $325 Bonus
- Get a $325 new checking customer bonus when you open an Everyday Checking account and receive $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits.
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Member FDIC
Chase Total Checking® - $400 Bonus
- New Chase checking customers can receive $400 when you open a Chase Total Checking® account and make direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more within 90 days of coupon enrollment.
- Unlock more offers with Chase. Get up to $500 per calendar year by referring friends and family. Plus, get cash back from top brands with Chase Offers when you use your debit card.
- Chase Total Checking® has a $15 monthly service fee, you can easily avoid the fee with direct deposits totaling $500 or more, or a minimum average daily balance each statement period.
- 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*
- Chase Mobile® app makes banking simple. Manage accounts, pay bills, send money to friends with Zelle® and deposit checks on the go with Chase Quick Deposit℠.
- Chase has the largest branch network in the U.S. with thousands of ATMs and branches. Use the Chase locator tool to find a branch or ATM near you.
- Chase helps keep your money protected with features like Zero Liability Protection, fraud monitoring and card lock.
- Chase Total Checking includes FDIC insurance up to the maximum amount allowed by law.
- Monthly Fee: $15 or $0 with one of the following, each monthly statement period: $500+ in qualifying electronic deposits OR $1,500+ balance at the beginning of each day OR $5,000+ average beginning day balance in this account, or in combination with any linked qualifying personal deposits or in investments OR Link this account to a qualifying checking account
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.
All the banks on our list are insured by the FDIC (or NCUA for credit unions). This means if the bank or credit union fails, the federal government protects your money up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category.
UFB Freedom Checking & Savings - Unlock Up to 3.46% APY
Combine Freedom Checking with Portfolio Savings to boost your savings APY by up to 0.20%.* Fewer fees, faster transactions. Plus, earn 2.00% APY* on your checking account.
- Monthly Fee: $0
UFB Freedom Checking - 2.00% APY
- Earn 2.00% APY* in your checking account, 25x the national average†
- Fewer account fees keep more of your money where it belongs – with you.
- Use your debit card at over 90,000 fee-free ATMs.
- Monthly Fee: No Monthly Maintenance Fee
Chase High School Checking℠ - $125 Bonus
- Your teen gets $125 when you open a new Chase High School Checking℠ account together with qualifying activities within 60 days of coupon enrollment
- As a co-owner of the account, you must be present at account opening.
- $0 Monthly Service Fee
- Help your teen build good money habits with their own debit card. Plus, they can add their debit card to their digital wallet.
- With Zelle®, pay and get paid back from friends and family who have an eligible account at a participating U.S. bank. No fees and no waiting for days for money to hit their account.
- You and your teen can stay on top of their account activity by choosing which Account Alerts you both want to sign up for — such as low balance, posted payments, and more.
- Chase makes it easy for your teen to access their money from anywhere with the Chase Mobile® app, plus thousands of ATMs and branches.
- JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC
- Minimum Deposit to Open: $0
- Monthly Fee: $0 Monthly Service Fee
- ATMs: 15,000+ Chase ATMs
Key Smart Checking® - $300 Bonus
Earn $300 after qualified activities until 5.22.26 with the no-monthly-maintenance-fee Key Smart Checking®.
- Open a Key Smart Checking® account online by May 22, 2026.
- Make the minimum opening deposit of $10 and a total of $2,000 or more in eligible direct deposits within the first 90 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
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.
CIT Bank Platinum Savings - 3.75% APY
- 3.75% 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
Disclosures
UFB Portfolio Savings - Earn up to 3.26% APY
- Earn up to 3.26% APY.*
- No monthly maintenance fees.
- No minimum deposit required to open an account.
- Access your funds 24/7 with easy-to-use digital banking tools.
- Enjoy peace of mind with FDIC insurance up to the maximum allowance limit – Certificate #35546.
High-Yield Savings Premier - 3.80% APY
- No account fees
- Option to open individual or joint account
- FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor
- Only $500 minimum opening deposit
Free Checking FAQs
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Can I open a free checking account online with no deposit?
Yes, a lot of online banks 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
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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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