Free Checking Accounts: August 2025
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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 UFB Direct. Find out more
UFB Freedom Checking & Savings - Unlock Up to 4.21% 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.
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
Key Smart Checking® - $300 Bonus
- Open a Key Smart Checking® account online by October 17, 2025.
- Make the minimum opening deposit of $10, plus a total of $1,000 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
Business Checking Account - $400 Bonus
- Open a new Truist Simple Business Checking or Dynamic Business Checking account online, via phone, or in a branch from 4/1/2025 through 9/30/2025 and earn $400 by making Qualifying Deposits* of $2,000 or more into your new account within 30 days of account opening. Must be a new Truist business checking client, Terms Apply.
- Enrollment in the promotion is required at the time of account opening using promo code SB25Q2BIZAFL to be eligible for a promotion reward. Refer to the Account Opening & Promotion Enrollment sections below for instructions.
- *Qualifying Deposits for new business checking accounts exclude debit card credit transactions and NSF fee refunds. Deposits can be made on a one-time basis or cumulatively over the 30 days.
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.
HSBC Premier - Earn Up to $3,000
Global shifts, local impacts. Stay on course with insights from our trusted partners in wealth.
Discover what an HSBC Premier relationship can offer you
- Easily open an account online, from the comfort of your home.
- Manage your international banking needs across different time zones, with 24/7 support.
- Unlock Premier in one country and you can live, work and travel with Premier status around the world with HSBC
- Manage your money safely and easily around the world - from Global Money Transfers to multi-currency needs.
- New to the U.S.? Build your U.S. credit history with one of our credit cards. Or, if you're buying a new home, you can use your international credit history to apply.
Here's how the offer works:
- Earn one or more cash bonuses1 when you open an HSBC Premier2 checking account by September 30, 2025, AND complete additional qualifying activities:
- $500 Direct Deposit Cash Bonus when you set up recurring monthly direct deposits of $10,000 or more for 3 consecutive months; and/or
- $1,000 New Money Cash Bonus when you deposit or invest3 $100,000 or more and maintain balances for 3 consecutive months; and/or
- $1,500 Mortgage and New Money Cash Bonus when you complete a new HSBC U.S. residential mortgage application by September 30, 2025, with mortgage funding by December 31, 2025, AND deposit or invest $200,000 or more and maintain balances for 3 consecutive months. Customers who qualify for the $1,500 cash bonus will automatically qualify for the $1,000 cash bonus.
- 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
- Chase Mobile® app - Manage accounts, pay bills, send money to friends with Zelle® and deposit checks from almost anywhere.
- 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*
- Help 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.
- With over 4,700 branches, Chase has the largest branch network in the U.S. plus access to more than 15,000 ATMs.
- Open your account online now
- Available online nationwide except in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. For branch locations, visit locator.chase.com.
- Monthly Fee: $12 ($15, effective August 24, 2025) 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.
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
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.
UFB Freedom Checking & Savings - Unlock Up to 4.21% 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
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 October 17, 2025.
- Make the minimum opening deposit of $10, plus a total of $1,000 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
- 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 Account - 4.31% APY
- $1 minimum deposit
- No fees
- 24/7 online access to funds
- FDIC insured
CIT Bank Platinum Savings - 4.00% APY
- 4.00% 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
Discover® Online Savings - $200 Cash Bonus
To qualify for Bonus: Apply for your first Discover Online Savings Account, enter Offer Code CY325 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. 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 qualifying for the bonus. Bonus is subject to tax reporting. Offer ends 09/11/2025, 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, see FAQs on Discover.com/Bank. See advertiser website for full details.
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
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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