Best Checking Accounts of 2026
There are plenty of options available when you are searching to open a bank account. We compare the best bank accounts available today to help you choose the best for your needs.
TOP CHECKING ACCOUNTS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO
Earn up to 3.30% APY¹ & up to $400 Cash Bonus with Direct Deposit² (see website for details)
- Earn 9x the National Average Rate³
- $0 Monthly Fees⁴ & Free Overdraft Coverage⁵
- 2-day-Early-Paycheck⁶
- FDIC Insured up to $250k plus up to $3M in supplemental insurance⁷
- +0.70% Boost on Savings APY to up to 4.00% for up to 6 months
on new accounts with eligible Direct Deposit. Terms apply.8
*Rate as of 12/23/2025
* Interest rates are subject to change at any time. Terms and conditions may apply.
- Get Paid Up To 2 Days Early with Direct Deposit Set Up
- No Monthly Fees & No Min. Balance Required
- 50k+ Fee-free ATMs³ at Walgreens®, 7-Eleven®, CVS® & more
- No Fees for Foreign Transactions & Transfers
Multi-featured payment account and debit card
- Get paid up to two days faster
- 40,000 fee-free ATMs
- $0 minimum balance
- Easy-to-use app
- New Current Build secured credit card
- Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC.
- Network of over 80,000 ATMs
- Free debit card with digital wallet compatibility
- No minimum balance required
- ATM reimbursements up to $20/month (for out-of-network)
- No monthly service fee
- Overdraft protection
- No monthly or maintenance fees
- Early access to paycheck funds with direct deposit*
- No minimum balance
- Varo contactless VISA® Debit Card
- FDIC insured through Varo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC
- No fees at Allpoint® ATMs
- No monthly maintenance fee with qualifying activities.
- Access to over 1,000 branches and 40,000 ATMs nationwide.
- Earn interest on your checking account balance.
- Free online and mobile banking for convenient management.
- Overdraft protection and financial tools to help manage funds.
- No monthly service fees
- ATM fee reimbursements
- Free identity theft resolution services
- Travel discounts
- Free online transfers
- No monthly balance requirement
Earn up to 3.30% APY¹ & up to $400 Cash Bonus with Direct Deposit² (see website for details)
- Earn 9x the National Average Rate³
- $0 Monthly Fees⁴ & Free Overdraft Coverage⁵
- 2-day-Early-Paycheck⁶
- FDIC Insured up to $250k plus up to $3M in supplemental insurance⁷
- +0.70% Boost on Savings APY to up to 4.00% for up to 6 months
on new accounts with eligible Direct Deposit. Terms apply.8
*Rate as of 12/23/2025
* Interest rates are subject to change at any time. Terms and conditions may apply.
SoFi's Disclaimers:
1. Up to $400 Bonus Tiered DisclosureNew 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 within 25 calendar days of your first Eligible Direct Deposit of $1 or more) OR $400 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received in 25 calendar days of your first Eligible Direct Deposit of $1 or more). Cash bonus amount will be based on the 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 one SoFi Savings account with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.30% APY as of 3/31/26) for up to 6 months. Open your first SoFi Checking and Savings account and receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 12/31/26. Rates are 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 Affiliate $400 Online Offer Q2 2026: AFL400TR1Q226
Offer Information: Open a new Truist One Checking account online from 3/26/26 through 7/9/26, 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.
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Receive at least two qualifying direct deposits* totaling $2,000 or more AND
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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 AFL400TR1Q226. 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 3/26/25 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 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 AFL400TR1Q226 into the promo code field provided, review the offer Terms and Conditions, and then select “Accept this 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 02182026 AFL400TR1Q226
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:
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Account must be opened for a minimum of 35 calendar days
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Account must be funded with a positive balance
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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:
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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.
©2026 Truist Financial Corporation. TRUIST, the Truist logo and Truist Purple are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. All rights reserved. Truist Bank, 214 N Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202.
Varo Disclaimers:
1. Fees apply to loans and out of network withdrawals & cash deposits.
2. We give access to direct deposits from employer & government payers on the day we receive them, typically up to 2 days earlier than your scheduled pay date.
3. Varo Advance (VA) is a small dollar line of credit. Initial limits range from $20-$250, work your way up to $500 over time. Fees range from $1.60 - $40 based on loan amount. Quals
Apply.
Current Disclaimers:
Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies versus deposits made electronically. Delays by the employer, payer, or their banks may result in delayed access to funds beyond our control.
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.
2Up to $200 overdraft amount only available for a limited time to new users who sign up for a Current account through the applicable landing page and/or with the applicable code, as determined by Current in its sole discretion. Actual overdraft amount may vary and is subject to change at any time, at Current’s sole discretion. In order to qualify and enroll in the Fee-Free Overdraft feature, you must receive a minimum of $200 or more in Eligible Direct Deposits into your Current Account over the preceding 35-day period and fulfill other requirements subject to Current’s discretion. Negative balances must be repaid within 60 days of the first Eligible Transaction that caused the negative balance. For more information, please refer to Fee-free Overdraft Terms and Conditions.
*Paycheck Advance is offered by Finco Advance LLC, a financial technology company, not a bank and is for 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. For more information, please refer to Paycheck Advance Terms and Conditions.






