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Maximize your checking: Compare high-yield checking accounts, no-fee checking accounts and more.

Explore checking basics

A woman uses mobile banking while eating.
From no fees to online bill pay, here are the must-have checking account features.
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If you overdraw your account frequently, then overdraft protection could be a good way to avoid hefty overdraft fees.
close up of hands signing a check
Checks aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, but you may still have to write one.

Get started with a checking account

Checking

Types of checking accounts

Whether you’re making payments online, using a debit card, or writing a physical check, a checking account is a necessity for most people. Here are some of the most-widely available types of checking accounts offered at banks and credit unions.

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Checking

Available balance vs. current balance

Learn about the two separate balances you may see when looking at your bank account.

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Checking account fees

Learn about the different kinds of checking account fees and what you can do to avoid them.

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Checking

Bank account alerts to protect your money

Explore the types of bank account alerts you can set up to help you stay informed about your finances whenever and wherever you are.

 

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Experts in all things banking

Our expert reporters and editors bring the news and analysis you need—backed by data and firsthand experience.

About Bankrate
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Stephen Kates, CFP Arrow Right Icon

Bankrate Financial Analyst

Sarah Foster

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Principal U.S. Economy Reporter

Mark Hamrick

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Senior Economic Analyst

Latest articles

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Over time, ATM fees have climbed. Here’s what you need to know.
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Finding the account number on a check is easy — if you know where to look.
close up of hands signing a check
Checks aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, but you may still have to write one.
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A bank may deny you a checking account. Here is what you can do next.
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How Reg. D impacts your savings account and why it pays to check with your bank.
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Single people and young families tend to have significantly less saved.
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Experian’s new savings account has a yield based on membership tier and no minimum deposit.
Whimsical illustration of a hand putting a quarter into a miniature but realistic high end safe. As if it were a piggy bank
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Image by GettyImages, Illustrated by Bankrate
The APY percentage shows how much an account earns per year. Here’s what you need to know.
Person writing on a piece of paper
Here’s how to determine the amount to put in savings — and what to do with the rest.
The Fed will turn to new tactics that include capping yields and expanding its balance sheet.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
The financial and economic hardship is far from over.
Consumer grabbing water bottle with mask during coronavirus
Americans remain cautious about making in-person trips to businesses.
Customers walk past a Chase Bank branch.
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Half of those same households report having taken on more debt.
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Joblessness has surged to catastrophic levels not seen for nearly a century.
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One of the Fed’s greatest fears is a slow and grueling economic recovery.
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The coronavirus pandemic has brought the U.S. economy to its knees.
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