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10 Best Rewards Checking Accounts of 2024

The best rewards checking accounts offer high interest rates or cash back on spending.

Oct 28, 2024
Chanelle Bessette
Written by 
Lead Writer
Chanelle Bessette
Written by 
Lead Writer

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Rewards usually are associated with credit cards, but some checking accounts have them, too. Perks include high interest rates and cash back.

» Want to explore one-time bonuses? Browse our monthly roundup of best bank account bonuses

Why trust NerdWallet: Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the financial accounts that work best for you. See our criteria for evaluating banks and credit unions.

Here’s a list of our favorite rewards checking accounts.

APYs shown are current as of October 28, 2024. All other information is current as of September 9, 2024.

Best Rewards Checking Accounts
Bank/institution
NerdWallet rating
APY
Bonus
Monthly fee
Overdraft star rating
Learn more
SoFi Checking and Savings

SoFi Checking and Savings

Learn more
at SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC
5.0/5
0.50%
With $0 min. balance for APY
$300
Earn up to $300 with direct deposit. Terms apply.
$0
4.8/5
Learn more
at SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC
Upgrade - Rewards Checking Plus

Upgrade - Rewards Checking Plus

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at Upgrade, Deposits are FDIC Insured
5.0/5
N/A
N/A
$0
3.8/5
Learn more
at Upgrade, Deposits are FDIC Insured
Discover® Cashback Debit

Discover® Cashback Debit

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at Discover® Bank, Member FDIC
5.0/5
N/A
$360
Up to $360 per year. See website for details.
$0
5.0/5
Learn more
at Discover® Bank, Member FDIC
ZYNLO Bank More Spending Account

ZYNLO Bank More Spending Account

Read review
5.0/5
2.00%
N/A
$0
3.8/5
Read review
nbkc bank Everything Account

nbkc bank Everything Account

Read review
5.0/5
1.75%
With $0 min. balance for APY
N/A
$0
4.8/5
Read review
Quontic High Interest Checking

Quontic High Interest Checking

Read review
4.9/5
1.10%
With $0.01 min. balance for APY
N/A
$0
3.8/5
Read review
Amalgamated Bank Give-Back Checking

Amalgamated Bank Give-Back Checking

Read review
4.8/5
0.65%
With $100 min. balance for APY
N/A
$0
3.2/5
Read review
Bank5 Connect High Interest Checking

Bank5 Connect High Interest Checking

Read review
4.5/5
2.70%
With $100 min. balance for APY
N/A
$0
4.8/5
Read review
American Express Rewards Checking

American Express Rewards Checking

Read review
5.0/5
1.00%
N/A
$0
3.8/5
Read review
Connexus Credit Union Xtraordinary Checking

Connexus Credit Union Xtraordinary Checking

Read review
5.0/5
1.75%
With $0 min. balance for APY
N/A
$0
4.2/5
Read review
SoFi Checking and Savings
SoFi Checking and Savings
Learn more
at SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Learn more
at SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC

APY

0.50%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Bonus

$300

Earn up to $300 with direct deposit. Terms apply.

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

4.8/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

SoFi Checking and Savings gives customers 0.50% APY (variable and subject to change) on balances in the checking portion of their account.

In addition, the savings portion earns 4.20% APY as long as customers set up direct deposit or deposit at least $5,000 every 30 days into their account. Without direct deposit, savings balances earn 1.20% APY.

The account doesn't have monthly or overdraft fees. Customers can also receive their paychecks up to two days early. New customers can earn a bonus of up to $300 depending on how much they direct deposit within 25 days of their first qualifying direct deposit.

Upgrade - Rewards Checking Plus
Upgrade - Rewards Checking Plus
Learn more
at Upgrade, Deposits are FDIC Insured
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Learn more
at Upgrade, Deposits are FDIC Insured

APY

N/A

Bonus

N/A

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

3.8/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

Upgrade offers its Rewards Checking customers 2% cash back on everyday debit purchases — such as those made at restaurants, bars, convenience stores, drugstores, gas stations, utility companies and streaming services — up to $500 in rewards per year, as long as they make $1,000 in direct deposits each month. For other debit card purchases, and for everyday purchases made after the $500 reward limit, customers can earn 1% cash back. Customers who don’t fulfill the direct deposit requirement earn 0.50% or 1% cash back depending on the purchase.

Upgrade charges no monthly fees or overdraft fees. Customers also have fee-free access to 55,000 AllPoint ATMs.

Discover® Cashback Debit
Discover® Cashback Debit
Learn more
at Discover® Bank, Member FDIC
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Learn more
at Discover® Bank, Member FDIC

APY

N/A

Bonus

$360

Up to $360 per year. See website for details.

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

5.0/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

Earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. Customers can also get their paychecks up to two days early when they set up direct deposit to their accounts. Discover® Bank has a nationwide network of over 60,000 fee-free ATMs, and customers can also opt in to fee-free overdraft protection.

ZYNLO Bank More Spending Account
ZYNLO Bank More Spending Account
Read review
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Read review

APY

2.00%

Bonus

N/A

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

3.8/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

Zynlo’s More Spending account gives customers a 2.00% APY with a $10 minimum deposit to open the account. Customers have access to more than 55,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs, and there’s no monthly fee on the account. Customers can also get paid up to two days early when they set up direct deposit with their employer.

nbkc bank Everything Account
nbkc bank Everything Account
Read review
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Read review

APY

1.75%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Bonus

N/A

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

4.8/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

NBKC’s Everything Account gives its customers 1.75% APY on all balances. There’s no monthly fee or minimum balance requirement, and customers have access to more than 37,000 fee-free ATMs. NBKC also offers up to $12 in monthly fee reimbursements for out-of-network ATMs.

American Express Rewards Checking
American Express Rewards Checking
Read review
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Read review

APY

1.00%

Bonus

N/A

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

3.8/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

Customers with an American Express Rewards Checking account earn 1.00% APY on all balances. They also have access to over 70,000 fee-free MoneyPass and Allpoint ATMs nationwide and 24/7 customer service. The account can only be opened by customers who have a U.S. basic American Express consumer credit card that has been open for at least 35 days.

Connexus Credit Union Xtraordinary Checking
Connexus Credit Union Xtraordinary Checking
Read review
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Read review

APY

1.75%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Bonus

N/A

Monthly fee

$0

Overdraft star rating

4.2/5

Our Take
Why We Like It

Connexus Xtraordinary Checking customers can earn 1.75% APY on balances of up to $25,000 as well as up to $25 per month in out-of-network ATM fees. To qualify for these benefits, customers have to opt into e-statements and make either $400 in debit card purchases or make 15 debit card transactions per month. Customers won’t earn interest or receive ATM fee reimbursement if they don’t meet these requirements. For customers who keep more than $25,000 in their Xtraordinary Checking account, they’ll earn 0.25% APY for any amount over the threshold.

Chasing the best rewards can’t make up for having a checking account that lacks features you need or that charges you high fees to access your money. But it’s worth looking for a financial institution that offers you a little extra incentive to bank with it.

Last updated on October 28, 2024

Methodology

We took a close look at over 90 financial institutions and financial service providers, including the largest U.S. banks based on assets, internet search traffic and other factors; the nation’s largest credit unions, based on assets and membership; and other notable and/or emerging players in the industry. We rated them on criteria including annual percentage yields, minimum balances, fees, digital experience and more.

Financial institutions and providers surveyed are: Affirm, All America Bank, Alliant Credit Union, Ally Bank, Amalgamated Bank, America First Credit Union, American Express National Bank, Andrews Federal Credit Union, Associated Bank, Axos Bank, Bank of America, Bank5 Connect, Barclays, Bask Bank, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, BMO, BMO Alto, Boeing Employees Credit Union, Bread Savings, BrioDirect, Capital One, Carver Federal Savings Bank, CFG Bank, Charles Schwab Bank, Chase, Chime, CIBC U.S., CIT Bank, Citibank, Citizens, Citizens Bank, City First Bank, Climate First Bank, Commerce Bank, Community First Credit Union of Florida, ConnectOne Bank, Connexus Credit Union, Consumers Credit Union, Current, Customers Bank, Delta Community Credit Union, Discover® Bank, E*TRADE, EverBank (formerly TIAA Bank), Fifth Third Bank, First Foundation, First Internet Bank, First National Bank, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Flagstar Bank, FNBO Direct, Flagstar Bank, Forbright BankGlobal Credit Union, GO2bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Greenwood, Hope Credit Union, Huntington Bank, Industrial Bank, Ivy Bank, Jenius Bank, KeyBank, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Laurel Road Bank, LendingClub Bank, Liberty Bank, Live Oak Bank, M&T Bank, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, My Banking Direct, NASA Federal Credit Union, Navy Federal Credit Union, NBKC, One, OneUnited Bank, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, PNC, Poppy Bank, Popular Direct, Quontic Bank, Regions Bank, Revolut, Salem Five Direct, Sallie Mae Bank, Santander Bank, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Securityplus Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Credit Union, Service Credit Union, SoFi, State Employees’ Credit Union of North Carolina, Suncoast Credit Union, Synchrony Bank, TAB Bank, TD Bank, Truist Bank, U.S. Bank, UFB Direct, Upgrade, USAA Bank, Varo, Vio Bank, Wells Fargo, Western Alliance Bank and Zynlo Bank.

To recap our selections...

NerdWallet's Best Rewards Checking Accounts of 2024