Smart decisions start with our list of top bank accounts
Our Nerds analyzed high-yield savings account rates, monthly fees, and more to bring you the best banks, credit unions, and accounts of 2024. While some winners may be partners, this didn't influence our decisions.
Smart decisions start with our list of top bank accounts
Our Nerds analyzed high-yield savings account rates, monthly fees, and more to bring you the best banks, credit unions, and accounts of 2024. While some winners may be partners, this didn't influence our decisions.
SoFi Checking and Savings has no monthly fee, no minimum balance fee, no overdraft fees and a strong interest rate. Customers also have free access to the nationwide Allpoint ATM network.
Discover Bank offers an easy, user-friendly experience on its site, and its apps are well-rated. Information is straightforward, and requirements and policies for its highly rated, online checking and savings accounts are clearly stated.
Waived with direct deposit or $1,500 minimum balance
Bonus
$300
Requirements to qualify
Why our Nerds love it
Chase offers a strong bonus for opening a new Total Checking account and setting up direct deposit. Unlike other banks offering promotions, Chase doesn't have a minimum deposit requirement to earn the bonus.
SoFi Checking and Savings doesn’t charge overdraft fees, and customers can opt in to free overdraft protection transfers that pull from their savings balance. Customers can also qualify for overdraft coverage that allows them to overdraw up to $50 for free.
Ally Bank has it all with strong rates and no monthly fees across accounts: interest checking, high-yield savings and competitive CDs. The bank offers fee-free overdraft programs and automatic savings programs.
Ally has competitive rates and a variety of terms and types of certificates of deposit, including no-penalty and bump-up CDs. There are no minimum opening requirements.
NerdWallet's award winners are chosen through a rigorous evaluation process involving 39 writers and editors. 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, we evaluate loan average rates and fees, loan types and products, online rate information, ease of application and other factors. For more info, see our methodologies.
Our team of nerdy experts is composed of writers and editors — based all across the country — who have a combined 493 years of journalistic experience reviewing and writing about personal finance products for consumers.
Yes. 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.
Our Best-Of Awards are given annually to the top financial products on the market. Our other “best” articles may:
• be longer than our Best-Of Awards list
• offer additional consumer choices
• get updated as products change or are discontinued and as new products emerge
This year's Best-Of-Awards list winners were chosen in mid-October 2023, with the exception of Best Airline Rewards Program, which was chosen in early November 2023. Student loan winners were chosen in early April 2024.
Our 2023 Best-Of Award winners are still live. If you’d like to see who won last year, feel free to take a look and compare with this year’s winners.
