Best Checking Accounts of 2026

SoFi's Disclaimers:

1. Up to $300 Bonus Tiered Disclosure
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 Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 12/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.30% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.30% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% 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 12/23/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.

2. APY disclosures
Annual percentage yield (APY) is variable and subject to change at any time. Rates are current as of 12/23/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional rates and information can be found at https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.

3. Fee Policy
We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Bank Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.

4. Additional FDIC insurance
SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations. Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms. See list of participating banks at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks.

5. ATM Access
We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs in the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees may be incurred when using out-of-network ATMs. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.

6. Early Access to Direct Deposit Funds
Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.

7. Overdraft Coverage
Overdraft Coverage is a feature automatically offered to SoFi Checking and Savings account holders who receive at least $1,000 or more in Eligible Direct Deposits within a rolling 31 calendar day period on a recurring basis. Eligible Direct Deposit is defined in the SoFi Bank Rate Sheet, available at https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.

Members enrolled in Overdraft Coverage may be covered for up to $50 in negative balances on SoFi Bank debit card purchases only. Overdraft Coverage does not apply to P2P transfers, bill payments, checks, or other non-debit card transactions. Members with a prior history of unpaid negative balances are not eligible for Overdraft Coverage. Eligibility for Overdraft Coverage is determined by SoFi Bank in its sole discretion. Members can check their enrollment status, eligibility, and limits by logging into their account.

8. 0.70% Savings APY Boost
Earn up to 4.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on SoFi Savings with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to 3.30% APY as of 12/23/25) for up to 6 months. Open a new SoFi Checking and Savings account and pay the $0 SoFi Plus subscription every 30 days OR receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 3/30/2026. Rates variable, subject to change. Terms apply at sofi.com/banking. 2. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Truist Disclaimers:

1Terms and Conditions for Truist One Checking $400 Affiliate Offer Q4 2025 and Q1 2026: AFL400TR1Q425

Offer Information: Open a new Truist One Checking account online from 10/30/25 through 3/25/26, complete the following activities within 120 days of the account opening and earn $400. You must open the account online and enter the promo code to be eligible to participate in the promotion.

• Receive at least two qualifying direct deposits* totaling $2,000 or more AND

• Complete at least 20 qualifying debit card purchases** within 120 days of account opening. All debit purchases must be posted to your account to qualify.

Account must be opened online. Enrollment in the promotion is required at the time of account opening using promo code AFL400TR1Q425. Please refer to the Account Opening and Enrollment section below for full instructions.

*A qualifying direct deposit is an electronic credit (greater than $5.00) deposited into your new checking account via ACH. Person to person payments (such as Zelle®), Real Time Payments (RTP), pre-authorized transfers made from one account to another,  or deposits made via a branch, ATM, online transfer, mobile device, debit/prepaid card number or the mail are not eligible direct deposits.

**Qualifying debit card purchases include any purchase made with a Truist debit card and posted to the new checking account within 120 days of account opening. ATM withdrawals using your debit card are not qualifying transactions. Zelle® transactions are not qualifying transactions. Bank fees are not included.

Offer Eligibility:  Clients that are the primary account holder on an existing personal checking account with Truist or who have closed a personal checking account with Truist on or after 10/30/24 are not eligible to participate. Offer valid for Truist One Checking accounts only. Primary account holder must be 18 or older at the time of account opening. Truist employees, Directors, Officers, and Local Boards/Advisors are not eligible. Offer available only to US residents with a valid US taxpayer identification number. The qualifying checking account must be opened online and have a physical address in: AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV or DC.

Reward Processing: The reward will be deposited to the new checking account within 4 weeks after the qualification requirements have been met and verified. Promotion is only applicable once per checking account and per client. Truist may report the value of any offer reward received to the IRS as required by law. Any applicable taxes are the responsibility of the recipient.

Reward Forfeiture: Reward forfeiture will occur if: (1) the new checking account is changed to an account type not included in this client offer (2) the new checking account has a $0.00 or negative available balance or is restricted at the time Truist verifies the qualification requirements have been met or (3) the new checking account is closed at the time of payout. An account is considered restricted if it has a temporary or permanent block that prevents credits from posting to the account. Truist verification will occur one time after the qualification requirements are initially met. 

Other Terms: Minimum opening deposit is $50. The offer is non-transferable, may not be combined with any other checking offers, is subject to change, and may be discontinued at any time. Truist reserves the right, in its sole discretion: 1) to prohibit a reward payout for any offers claimed through third-party websites with no affiliation or prior authorization from Truist; and 2) to disqualify any account if Truist suspects accounts are being opened for the purpose of exploiting this promotional offer. All promotional payouts will be processed no later than 3/31/27 at which point this promotion (and any related disbursements) will be considered final, and no further disbursements will be made. All standard account terms and conditions apply.

Account Opening & Enrollment Instructions: To open and enroll your new account in the promotion, visit the offer website and click on “Open an account online.” Enter AFL400TR1Q425 into the promo code field provided, review the offer Terms and Conditions, and then select “Accept Offer”. Accounts opened without the promo code applied will not be eligible to participate in the offer. Once enrolled in the promotion, clients may receive promotional updates via the email address provided or by calling 800.709.8700.

Version 3 09162025 AFL400TR1Q425

2 The Balance Buffer is only available with Truist One Checking and allows clients to overdraw their account up to $100. There is no decision required as this feature is automatically available when a client qualifies.

To INITIALLY QUALIFY for the Balance Buffer, the requirements below must be met:

• Account must be opened for a minimum of 35 calendar days

• Account must be funded with a positive balance

• A single direct deposit of at least $100 made within the last 35 calendar days

To REMAIN QUALIFIED for the Balance Buffer, the requirement below must be met:

• A single direct deposit of at least $100 made within the last 35 calendar days. After qualifying, if 35 calendar days pass without a Direct Deposit of at least $100, you will no longer have access to the Balance Buffer.

For accounts that qualify for the Balance Buffer, once the account is overdrawn by $100, additional transactions will typically be declined or returned.

For accounts that qualify for the Balance Buffer and also have Overdraft Protection, Truist will use the Balance Buffer first. If the account has neither, transactions that exceed the account balance will typically be declined or returned.

Truist Bank, Member FDIC. © 2026 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, the Truist logo, Truist Purple, Truist One, Truist Marquee, LightStream, and the LightStream logo are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation.

CIT's Disclaimers:

¹The Annual Percentage Yields (APY) and interest rates are effective as of December 15, 2025. Fees may reduce earnings. Checking APYs and interest rates are variable and may change at any time without prior notice, including after account opening. The minimum opening deposit for eChecking is $100. See Fee Schedule and Agreement for Personal Accounts for details. To obtain the interest rate and APY disclosed, the minimum balance for the applicable balance tier must be maintained.

Must have a bank account in the U.S. to use Zelle. Transactions typically occur in minutes when the recipient’s email address or U.S. mobile number is already enrolled with Zelle. Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license. The Apple Pay logo and Apple are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. The Samsung Pay logo and Samsung are registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. For complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures.

Chime Disclaimers:

Chime® is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. 

^Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

*Terms apply. Limited time only, must open the new account and complete qualifying activities to earn 3 individual rewards, up to a max of $350.00, as described at https://www.chime.com/policies/newmemberofferv3.

~Out of network ATM withdrawal and over the counter advance fees may apply except at MoneyPass ATMs in a 7-Eleven, or any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM. 
¹SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no fee overdraft service attached to your Chime Checking Account. To qualify for the SpotMe on Debit service, you must receive $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account each month and have activated your physical Chime Visa Debit Card or secured Chime Visa Credit Card. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially but may later be eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. The SpotMe on Debit limit will be displayed within the Chime mobile app and is subject to change at any time, at Chime's sole discretion. Although Chime does not charge any overdraft fees for SpotMe on Debit, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions and fees associated with OTC cash withdrawals. SpotMe on Debit will not cover any non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. SpotMe on Debit Terms and Conditions.

Current Disclaimers:

¹Fees may apply, including out of network cash withdrawal fees, third-party fees, cash load fees, inactivity fees, account closure fees, international transaction fees, replacement card fees, express mail fees and escheatment fees.

²For eligible customers only. Your actual available Paycheck Advance amount will be displayed to you in the mobile app and may change from time to time. Conditions and eligibility may vary and are subject to change at any time, at the sole discretion of Finco Advance LLC, which offers this optional feature. Finco Advance LLC is a financial technology company, not a bank. For more information, please refer to Paycheck Advance Terms and Conditions.

E*trade Disclaimers:

1. To be eligible for this offer, you must apply promo code CHECKING25 at the time of account opening. This promo code is intended for single use only, is non-transferable, and
is only valid for a new individual or joint Checking or Max-Rate Checking account. Not valid if you’ve had either account in the past 12 months. U.S. residents only. Only one
account type eligible; if both are opened, Checking will be enrolled. Account must be funded within 30 days. To qualify, receive two Direct Deposits of $1,500+ each to your
enrolled account within 90 days of opening. Direct Deposits must be recurring income via ACH (e.g., payroll, government benefits). Wires, checks, P2P, Zelle®, transfers, etc.
are not eligible forms of direct deposit. Bonus paid ~120 days after account opening if requirements are met and account is in good standing. Offer cannot be combined, may
be removed at any time, and other restrictions may apply.

2. The $15 monthly account fee can be waived when you maintain an average monthly balance of at least $5,000 in the Max-Rate Checking account on or after the end of the
second calendar month from opening the account.

3. As of 01/07/2026, the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of the Max-Rate Checking Account is 2.00%. Your interest rate and APY may change at any time and fees may
reduce earnings. Please visit etrade.com/ratesheet for information regarding this account's current interest rate and corresponding APY.

4. Deposits held in checking accounts are FDIC insured to at least $250,000.