2020's Banking
Winners
Looking for more bank for your buck? This year's best banks and credit unions have you covered whether you want to earn more interest or ditch ATM fees. And while many of the winners are our partners, this did not influence our decisions or opinions.
Best-Of Awards > Banking
Best Checking Account for High Interest
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
1.25%
With $0 minimum balance
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
1.25%
With $0 minimum balance
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
1.25%
With $0 minimum balance
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
Axos offers an unusually high APY for a checking account (if certain reasonable criteria are met), and it charges no fees for online transactions.
Read our methodologyBest Savings Account
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
APY
0.40%
With $0 minimum balance
APY
0.40%
With $0 minimum balance
APY
0.40%
With $0 minimum balance
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
Discover’s online savings account has it all — a high interest rate, no fees and a nice sign-up bonus for new customers.
Read our methodologyBest Checking Account Overall
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
Discover checks all the boxes for a great checking account: no monthly fees, a large ATM network, cash back on purchases and no overdraft fees.
Read our methodologyBest Checking Account With No Monthly Fee
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
No fees and a strong checking product that includes cash-back rewards and a great overdraft policy make Discover a clear winner.
Read our methodologyBest Bank for Overdraft Fee Avoidance
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
at Discover Bank, Member FDIC
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Why this BANK made the list
Discover’s policy is stellar — it doesn’t charge a fee for overdrafts and provides free linking of a savings account to cover shortfalls and complete purchases.
Read our methodologyBest Money Market Account
at CIT Bank, Member FDIC
at CIT Bank, Member FDIC
APY
0.45%
With $100 minimum balance
APY
0.45%
With $100 minimum balance
APY
0.45%
With $100 minimum balance
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
CIT Bank tops the field of money market accounts with its high interest rate, no monthly fee and low minimum deposit requirement.
Read our methodologyBest Free Business Checking Account
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Why this ACCOUNT made the list
Axos is a great choice for business owners: This account features no monthly fee, no minimum balance, unlimited ATM reimbursements and up to 200 free transactions per month.
Read our methodologyBest 1-Year CD
APY
0.55%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.55%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.55%
Minimum Deposit
$0
Why this CD made the list
Ally is a big winner in the CD category, boasting a very competitive one-year APY, zero minimum opening deposit and an overall high-quality banking experience.
Read our methodologyBest 3-Year CD
APY
0.65%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.65%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.65%
Minimum Deposit
$0
Why this CD made the list
Ally comes close to matching the top three-year interest rates and beats the competition with its zero minimum opening deposit.
Read our methodologyBest 5-Year CD
APY
0.80%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.80%
Minimum Deposit
$0
APY
0.80%
Minimum Deposit
$0
Why this CD made the list
If long-range savings is your focus, Ally’s five-year APY is competitive with the best, and no minimum deposit makes it the winner.
Read our methodologyBest Bank for Branch Access
APY
0.01%
With $1 minimum balance
APY
0.01%
With $1 minimum balance
APY
0.01%
With $1 minimum balance
Why this BANK made the list
Wells Fargo boasts 5,400 bank-owned branches. That access can't be beat, if you can overlook the bank's past consumer scandals and regulatory penalties.
Read our methodologyBest Bank for ATM Access
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
0.03%
With $0 minimum balance
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
0.03%
With $0 minimum balance
Monthly Fee
$0
APY
0.03%
With $0 minimum balance
Why this BANK made the list
Schwab reimburses all ATM fees worldwide, making it a great option for both international travel and daily use. Plus, its checking account has no fees.
Read our methodologyWant a bank recommended just for you?
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Explore Awards winners
Frequently Asked Questions
NerdWallet's award winners are chosen through a rigorous evaluation process involving more than three dozen of our writers and editors. For each financial product, we assess the features that we believe are most important to consumers. NerdWallet's ratings formulas for credit cards, for example, consider the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features. For mortgages, our evaluation includes loan types, loan products, online capabilities, online rate information, customer service and complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For more info, see our methodologies.
Our team of Nerdy experts is composed of writers and editors – based all across the country – who have years of experience reviewing and writing about personal finance products for consumers.
Writers and editors use comprehensive scoring formulas that assess each financial product’s key features, weighting them according to their importance to consumers.
Nope. Editorial team members are solely responsible for creating all product reviews and ratings, and these assessments reflect their opinions alone. Only products that meet the editorial team’s standards appear in our Best-Of Awards lists, meaning no company can “buy” an award.
NerdWallet’s awards are given annually to the best of the best. Our other lists of top financial products throughout the year may be longer than the list of award winners, offer additional consumer choices and get updated as products change, products are discontinued and new products emerge. The dates that this year's winners were selected: Auto Insurance, Nov. 1, 2019; Banking, Oct. 1, 2019; Credit Cards, Oct. 1, 2019; Investing, Oct. 17, 2019; Mortgages, Oct. 18, 2019; Personal Loans, Oct. 1, 2019; Student Loans, Sept. 1, 2019; Travel Rewards, Sept. 1, 2019; Taxes, Jan. 9, 2020.
Our 2019 Best-Of Award winners are still live and we encourage companies to continue to celebrate their wins from this year and past years.
