11 Best Checking Accounts of June 2026

In 2026, SoFi® Bank, N.A. won NerdWallet’s annual award for best overall bank; for all categories, it earns some of the highest scores among financial institutions we’ve rated.

SoFi’s Checking and Savings account earns a 0.50% APY (variable and subject to change) on the balance in its checking portion.

Customers who have direct deposit, or pay a $10 SoFi Plus subscription fee every 30 days, or deposit at least $5,000 every 31 days into their account, can also earn 3.10% APY on balances held in the savings portion of the account. If the qualifications are not met, savings would earn 1.00% APY.

SoFi Checking and Savings customers who join SoFi Plus can earn a bit of bonus interest as well. If you opt in to the SoFi Plus subscription you can earn an even higher savings rate: 4.50% APY on balances up to $20,000 and 3.10% APY on all other savings balances.

There’s no minimum direct deposit amount to earn interest or to get your paycheck up to two days early, but you’ll need a minimum monthly direct deposit of $1,000 to qualify for overdraft coverage and protection. SoFi’s overdraft program is particularly strong. Customers who meet the direct deposit requirements will be covered on up to $50 in overdrafts with no fees; the overdrafted amount will be “repaid” from your next deposit.

If you decide to go with SoFi, you’ll want to make sure to meet the direct deposit requirements to earn the maximum interest rate and get overdraft protection. A potential drawback to banking with SoFi is that if you want to make a cash deposit, you’ll have to go to a Green Dot retail location and pay a fee of up to $4.95 for each deposit. That might not be an issue if you don’t usually handle cash, but if you want to deposit cash regularly — like if you work a tip-based job, for example — those fees could add up quickly.

SoFi is part of the Allpoint network, so customers can access more than 55,000 ATMs for cash withdrawals. SoFi says: "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." "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 on 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, if eligible, at any time by logging into their account through the SoFi app or on the SoFi website."

The Capital One 360 Checking Account has no monthly fees, and customers can access more than 70,000 free nationwide ATMs. There’s also no minimum to open or minimum balance requirements, and the account offers 0.10% APY on all balance tiers with no requirements. Capital One offers a few overdraft coverage options, including free overdraft protection transfers and no-fee overdrafts on Capital One-approved transactions.

The bank nbkc has a free Everything Account that offers a 1.75% APY with no minimum opening deposit. Customers have free access to more than 90,000 global ATMs, and nbkc also offers up to $12 per month for reimbursement of out-of-network ATM fees. Since this is an online bank, most folks will need to be comfortable with remote customer service. There are a few branches in Kansas City.

American Express Rewards Checking is available to American Express customers who have had a consumer credit card, high-yield savings account or certificate of deposit for at least five days. The account has a 1.00% APY interest rate and no monthly fees or minimum deposit requirements. Notably, American Express doesn’t have any requirements for customers to earn interest, but the requirement that new banking customers be credit card customers is a rare prerequisite.

American Express has particularly strong customer service options, with 24/7 access to representatives via phone, a highly rated mobile app and chat support. Customers can also use more than 70,000 free MoneyPass and Allpoint ATMs.

Upgrade gives customers 2% cash back — up to a maximum of $500 per year — on qualified purchases as long as they make at least $1,000 in direct deposits per month. If they don’t meet the direct deposit requirement, customers will not earn any cash back. Qualified purchases include drug stores, restaurants, gas stations and other everyday places. Note that purchases made at grocery stores, online merchants and travel providers are not eligible for cash back, nor are payments made toward medical bills, insurance, rent, mortgages or other monthly bills or subscriptions. You’ll also have to do a lot of debit card spending ($25,000 in eligible category purchases) to optimize your rewards. You may want to analyze the kinds of rewards that you could earn with a credit card versus this debit card to ensure you’re earning the most cash back possible.

The account has no monthly fee, no overdraft fee and direct deposit up to two days early.

The Xtraordinary Checking account earns an APY as high as 4.50% for balances of up to $25,000. The credit union also gives up to $15 per month in rebates for out-of-network domestic ATM fees. In order to get these benefits, customers must meet certain criteria, including opting in for paperless statements and meeting some spending and deposit requirements. Customers need to either make 15 debit card transactions or spend at least $500, and they need to receive at least $500 a month in direct deposits. If the requirements aren’t met, you won’t earn interest or qualify for ATM fee rebates that month. If you can handle those extra requirements, you can earn a notably high interest rate.