Advertising disclosure
x

Our goal is to share information and products that are truly helpful to renters.

If you click on a link or buy a product from one of the partners on our site, we get paid a little bit for making the introduction. This means we might feature certain partners sooner, more frequently, or more prominently in our articles, but we’ll always make sure you have a good set of options. This is how we are able to provide you with the content and features for free. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services — and our opinions and advice are our own based on research and input from renters like you. Here is a list of our partners.

Best free checking accounts for renters of 2024

Compare free checking accounts. You have many options as a renter to pick the best free checking account for you. Roost looks at no fees, high interest, app experience, and customer experience to recommend the best checking account for you. 

Monthly Fee
$0
Min Balance**
$0
APY
Up to 5% APY

Product details

  • All above plus
  • Unlimited reimbursements for any and all ATM fees
  • Earn 80X the National Average Rate on balances up to $10,000 
  • Remote check deposits from mobile app
  • Just $5 to open

Terms and conditions

**We offer over 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide and we refund fees charged by other bank ATMs when you meet your minimum Rewards Checking requirements.  The top rate of our Rewards Checking account is 80X the national average based on FDIC’s published National Rate for balances <$100,000 for savings accounts. Minimum $5.00 opening deposit required. Early Direct Deposit: Early fund access depends upon your employer sending us a notification of the paycheck ahead of the scheduled deposit date. For this reason we cannot guarantee early deposits in all cases. 

Apply now >

Monthly Fee
$0
Min Balance
$0
APY
Up to 3.30% APY*

Product details – Rewards Checking Account

  • All above plus
  • Build your own APY with up to 3.30% APY*
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • No overdraft or non-sufficient fund fees
  • Unlimited reimbursements from any domestic ATM
  • No initial deposit requirement

Terms and conditions

APY = Annual Percentage Yield effective as of 1/10/2023. The Rewards Checking Account allows you to control your interest rate reward based on the products/services used during the month. This is a tiered, interest-earning variable rate account. All daily collected balances up to and including $50,000 will earn interest based on the combined rate rewards. All daily collected balances greater than $50,000 will not earn interest. Your annual percentage yield can be as high as 3.30% based on the following combined rate rewards: direct deposits (not including intra-bank transfers from another account) totaling $1,500 or more each month will earn 0.40%. A qualifying direct deposit is required for the remaining interest rate qualifications to apply. Ten (10) point-of-sale transactions per month using your Rewards Checking Visa® Debit Card for normal everyday purchases with a minimum of $3 per transaction, or enrolling in Account Aggregation/Personal Finance Manager (PFM) will earn 0.30%; maintaining an average daily balance of at least $2,500 per month in an Axos Self Directed Trading Invest account will earn 0.20%; maintaining an average daily balance of at least $2,500 a month in an Axos Managed Portfolio Invest account will earn 0.20%; and making a monthly payment to an open Axos Bank consumer loan (commercial and business loans excluded) via transfer from your Rewards Checking account will earn a maximum of 0.15%. Limit of one Rewards Checking account allowed per customer. Qualifying transactions must post and clear the account during the monthly qualification cycle. Account transactions may take one or more business days from the transaction date to post to the account. At the time of your statement cycle date, we will determine the combined products and services used since the previous cycle date to determine the aggregate interest rate to apply to your current statement cycle. We will use the daily balance method to calculate the interest on your account. We may change the interest rate paid for products and services used and the annual percentage yield at the Bank’s discretion any time without notice. Fees may reduce earnings.

Apply now >

Monthly Fee
$0
Min Balance
$0
APY
0.50% APY

Product details

  • All above plus
  • No minimum deposit to open
  • Get paid 2 days early with direct deposit
  • Fee-free overdraft up to $200
  • Over 60,000 fee-free ATMs
  • No transfer fees
  • No foreign transaction fees

Terms and conditions

Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. The Chime Visa® Debit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. The Chime Visa® Credit Builder Card and the Chime Visa® Cash Rewards Card are issued by Stride Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see back of your Card for its issuing bank.

* SpotMe/Fee-Free Overdraft Chime SpotMe is an optional, no fee service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each month and Visa debit card activation. All qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your limit. Your limit may change at any time, at Chime’s discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe won’t cover non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. See terms and conditions.

^ Early Payday/Get Paid Up to Two Days Early Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

~ Fee-Free ATMs Get fee-free transactions at any MoneyPass ATM in a 7-Eleven location or at any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM. Otherwise, out-of-network ATM withdrawal fees may apply.

Apply now >

Monthly Fee
$0
Min Balance
$100
APY
0.10% APY

Product details

  • All above plus
  • Up to $30 ATM reimbursement per statement cycle  
  • $100 to open an account
  • Transfer, pay and purchase via Mobile Zelle, Billpay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay
  • Remote check deposits from mobile app
  • Easily set travel alerts or stop/restrict use on your debit card

Terms and conditions

The Annual Percentage Yields (APY) and interest rates are effective as of January 6, 2023. Fees may reduce earnings. Checking APYs and interest rates are variable and may change at any time without prior notice, including after account opening. The minimum opening deposit for eChecking is $100. See Fee Schedule and Agreement for Personal Accounts for details.

To obtain the interest rate and APY disclosed, the minimum balance for the applicable balance tier must be maintained.

Apply now >

Monthly Fee
$0
Min Balance
$0
APY
0.10% APY

Product details

  • All above plus
  • Early direct deposit 
  • No overdraft fees
  • No monthly account fees
  • Real-time app notifications available
  • Remote check deposits from mobile app
  • No fees at 55,000+ Allpoint® ATMs in places you already shop

Terms and conditions

Varo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. The Varo Bank Visa® Debit Card is issued by Varo Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. *Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the payer’s submission of deposits. We generally post such deposits on the day they are received which may be up to 2 days earlier than the payer’s scheduled payment date.

We will decline or return transactions when you do not have enough money in your account to cover the charge. However, you could still end up with a negative balance if, for example, a transaction is approved for one amount, but then the actual charge is more than what you have in your account (like when you add a tip at a restaurant after the transaction for the meal was already approved). This could also include preauthorized ACH transfers that are scheduled, recurring and/or pending but have not yet settled. If your account balance remains negative, activity will be evaluated and your account could be closed. Even if you have a negative balance, we will not charge you an overdraft fee.

There is no fee to withdraw money from any Allpoint® ATM. There is a $2.50 ATM cash withdrawal fee assessed by Varo Bank for all non-Allpoint® ATM transactions (out of network transactions). The ATM operator may charge an additional fee.

We give you access to your direct deposits from employer and government payers on the day we receive them, which is typically up to 2 days earlier than your scheduled pay date.

Message and data rates from your mobile service provider may apply.

You must notify Varo Bank immediately of any unauthorized use. See terms for specific restrictions, limitations and other details.

There is no fee assessed by Varo Bank for cash deposits. However, a retail service fee of up to $5.95 applies.

Apple Pay is a trademark of Apple Inc.

©2022 Google LLC All rights reserved. Google Pay is a trademark of Google LLC.

©2022 Green Dot Corporation. Green Dot is a registered trademark of Green Dot Corporation.

Zelle® and the Zelle® related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.

Apply now >

Roost strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. This checking account information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific product’s site.  When evaluating checking accounts offers, please review the financial institution’s Terms and Conditions.