Best Bank Account at Chase: An Accessible Checking Account With a $300 Sign-Up Bonus
Written by
Daria Uhlig
Edited by
Lindsey Kloosterman
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The best bank accounts have low fees and make it easy to deposit and access your money. As America’s largest commercial bank, JPMorgan Chase has several high-quality accounts to choose from, but GOBankingRates has identified one in particular that checks all the right boxes, making it Chase’s best account to open right now.
Chase Total Checking Account Overview
It’s easy to see why Total Checking is Chase’s most popular account for everyday banking — and GOBankingRate’s pick for the best Chase Bank account.
Fees
Bank fees can whittle away your balance if you’re not careful. The Chase Total Checking account comes with a $12 monthly service fee beginning no sooner than the third statement period after you open the account. After that, you can avoid the fee with any one of the following account activities within the statement period:
- At least $500 worth of electronic deposits from a payroll or government benefit provider, by using (i) the ACH network, (ii) the Real Time Payment or FedNowSM network, (iii) third party services that facilitate payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network
- A daily opening balance of $1,500 or more.
- An average combined beginning daily balance of $5,000 or more across your Total Checking account and qualifying linked Chase checking, savings, and other balances.
The Chase Total Checking account has a few other fees you should be aware of:
- ATM: Chase charges $3 for inquiries, transfers and withdrawals from non-Chase ATMs within the U.S. territories, which include American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The fee is $5 per withdrawal and $3 per inquiry at ATMs outside of this area. Non-network ATM owners may charge their own fees.
- Overdrafts: Chase charges a $34 overdraft fee for each transaction that overdraws your account, beginning with the first transaction that overdraws it by more than $50 during Chase’s nightly processing. You can be charged for up to three overdrafts per business day, for a maximum fee of $102 per business day.
- Wire fees: Domestic and international incoming wires are $15 per transfer, but the fee is waived if the transfer is sent with the help of a Chase banker or via the Chase Mobile app or website. Outgoing wires are $35 with the assistance of a Chase banker or $25 from the Chase Mobile app or website.
- Stop payments: Stop payments are $30 per request when you contact Chase and a banker executes them on your behalf. It is $25 when you use the Chase Mobile app or website to make an automated stop payment request.
- Checks and money orders: Fees for personal check supplies vary according to the items ordered. For a sheet of three counter checks, a money order for up to $1,000 or a cashier’s check, you’ll pay $3, $5 or $10, respectively.
Account Perks
Account perks have a strong influence on your banking experience, and Chase offers them in spades.
Overdraft Services
The most valuable perk for many customers could be automatic enrollment in Chase Overdraft Assist*. This perk eliminates overdraft fees when you overdraw your account by $50 or less when the business day closes or you deposit enough to reduce the overdrawn amount to $50 or less by the next business day.
Standard overdraft protection is also available. Just link your Chase Total Checking account with a Chase savings account. If you overdraw your account, Chase will transfer enough money from your savings account to cover it.
Total Checking accounts come with standard overdraft practice, which allows Chase, at its discretion, to process debit card transactions that will overdraw your account. However, you’ll pay a $34 overdraft fee if the transaction overdraws your account by more than $50. The maximum fee is $102 per business day.
Thanks!
Bring your balance up enough to reduce the overdraft to $50 or less by the end of the next business day to have the overdraft fee waived. You can opt out of standard overdraft practices.
Additional Perks
Chase Total Checking customers receive these additional benefits with their account:
- Over 15,000 in-network ATMs
- Over 4,700 branches
- Chase mobile app with a full suite of account management tools
- Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized debit card transactions when you report them promptly
- Zelle peer-to-peer payments
- Online bill pay from the Chase Mobile app or website
- Optional account alerts via email or text whenever there’s a transaction on your account or your balance dips too low. In the case of a low balance, Instant Action Alerts allow you to reply to a text alert to automatically transfer money into your account.
Accessing Your Cash
A checking account doesn’t do you much good if your bank makes it difficult to access your cash. That’s not an issue with the Chase Total Checking account. You can use your debit card for free at any of 15,000 ATMs or head to a branch location to make a withdrawal in person.
What’s more, you won’t have to wait long for mobile check deposits to clear — funds are usually available by the next business day as long as you make the deposit before 11 p.m. ET.
Interest Rate
The Chase Total Checking account is not an interest-bearing account, so you won’t earn interest on your balance. While you might consider opening a Chase Premier Plus Checking account instead, that account earns just APR, and you’ll pay a $25 fee unless you maintain a $15,000 balance, link a mortgage loan or are a current or former member of the military. A better option is to open a separate savings account or CD.
Promotions and Bonus Offers
Account promotions and bonuses make good accounts even better, and they go a long way toward making up for a less-than-stellar APY. Chase typically has several bonuses and promotions running at any given time. Right now those offers include one for Chase Total Checking that you won’t have to jump through a lot of hoops to earn. Just open your account and make at least $500 worth of direct deposits to earn $300 cash.
You must be a new Chase checking customer to qualify. However, Chase considers you a new customer if you’ve not closed or had an account closed in the past 90 days or closed one with a negative balance in the past three years.
This offer does require a coupon, but it’s easy to get. Just select “Open an account” from the Chase Total Checking promotion page and Chase will apply a coupon code automatically. Alternatively, click “Email my coupon,” and once you receive it, take it to your local Chase branch and open an account in person.
The clock starts running on the 90 days Chase gives you to make your $500 in direct deposits as soon as you enroll with the coupon. Eligible direct deposits include electronic deposits of your paycheck, pension or government benefits, such as Social Security. You’ll receive your $300 bonus within 15 days after meeting the requirements.
Opening a Chase Total Checking Account
You can open a Chase Total Checking Account online, from the Chase Total Checking website, through the Chase Mobile app or in person at any of Chase’s 4,700+ branches. However, you’ll need a coupon code to get the bonus. For that, you’ll want to start on the website promotion page. Click “Open an Account” to open your account online, and a coupon code will automatically be entered for you. The other option is to click “Email my coupon” and bring the coupon into a branch to open your account.
No minimum deposit is needed to open this account. However, you’ll need to have your driver’s license or state ID and your Social Security number on hand when you apply.
FAQ
The Chase Total Checking account is GOBankingRate's No. 1 pick for the best Chase accounts to open right. Here's some more information to help you decide if it's the right account for you.- How much is needed to open a Chase bank account?
- Minimum opening deposits vary according to account type. The Chase Total Checking account has a $0 minimum.
- What do I need to bring to open a Chase bank account?
- You'll just just two items to open your account: a driver's license or state-issued ID and your Social Security number.
- Is Chase a good bank account?
- Yes. Chase is America's largest commercial bank, and all of its accounts are high-quality banking products.
More Bank Accounts
The information related to Chase Premier Plus Checking account and Chase Total Checking Account was collected by GOBankingRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer’s website for current information. GOBankingRates does not receive commission for this product.
Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Oct. 13, 2023.
To determine rankings, GOBankingRates looked at the following factors across all accounts (checking and savings) from each bank (excluding relationship accounts): (1) minimum deposit to open an account; (2) monthly checking fee ratio (percent of the minimum to avoid fee compared to the monthly fee itself); (3) minimum needed to earn interest; (4) APY on the account; (5) overdraft fee amount; and (6) any associated perks advertised with the account. All factors were scored and combined, with the lowest score being best. In final calculations, factor (1) was weighted 0.5x, factor (2) was weighted 2x, and factor (6) was weighted 1.5x, with any cash bonus offer counting as a double perk. Search volume for each account was also taken into consideration. Rates, terms and bonus offers can change from the date of publication.
*With Chase Overdraft AssistSM, Chase won’t charge an insufficient funds fee if you’re overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day, or if you’re overdrawn by more than $50 and you bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day (you have until 11 p.m. ET, or 8 p.m. PT, to make a deposit or transfer). Chase Overdraft Assist does not require enrollment and comes with eligible Chase checking accounts.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Chase. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase.
