4.1/5 · Good
Chase Total Checking
- Best for: People who want a branch wherever they live or travel in the lower 48 states
- What Sets It Apart: The largest U.S. branch network by Chase’s count, the only one in all lower 48 states
- Welcome Offer: $400 for new Chase checking customers with $1,000 in direct deposits within 90 days of enrolling in the offer
- Features: More than 5,000 branches and 14,000 Chase ATMs; no overdraft fee if you’re $50 or less overdrawn at day’s end, or get there by 11 p.m. ET the next business day; Zelle, paper checks, and wires; FDIC insured
- Monthly Fee: $15, or $0 with $500 in electronic deposits, a $1,500 balance at the start of each day, a $5,000 average across Chase accounts and investments, or a linked higher-tier checking account
- Cost: $34 per overdraft item, up to three a day; $3 at other banks’ ATMs in the U.S. and $5 abroad, plus the owner’s fee; 3% foreign exchange fee
- Pros: Direct deposits waive the fee with no balance to keep; overdrafts of $50 or less cost nothing; qualifies parents for no-fee teen checking
- Cons: Pays no interest; Zelle, cash, and check deposits don’t count toward the deposit waiver
Total Checking is Chase’s most popular checking account. Its branch access and $400 new-customer bonus come with a $15 fee in any month you miss all four waivers, though new accounts pay no fee for at least their first two statement periods.
Key Features
- $15 monthly fee, waived by $500 in electronic deposits such as paychecks, a $1,500 balance at the start of every day, a $5,000 average across Chase accounts and investments, or a linked higher-tier checking account
- More than 5,000 branches and 14,000 Chase ATMs
- No overdraft fee if you end a business day $50 or less overdrawn, or deposit enough by 11 p.m. ET the next one to cut the overdraft to $50; otherwise $34 an item, up to three a day
- $3 per withdrawal at other banks’ ATMs in the U.S. and $5 abroad, plus the ATM owner’s fee, and 3% on foreign-currency card purchases and withdrawals
- $400 for new Chase checking customers who get $1,000 in direct deposits within 90 days of enrolling in the offer
Pros
- The most branches of any U.S. bank, by Chase’s count, and the only bank in all lower 48 states
- Overdrafts of $50 or less cost nothing
- Lets a parent open Chase High School Checking for a teen 13 to 17, with no monthly fee
Cons
- Chase’s fees at other banks’ ATMs and on foreign currency, which go away on Premier Plus Checking, itself fee-free from a $15,000 average in Chase deposits and investments, and on Chase Private Client, fee-free from $150,000
- Zelle transfers, cash, and checks don’t count toward the $500 deposit waiver
- Pays no interest
It suits anyone who wants a branch wherever they live or travel in the lower 48 and can route $500 a month in paychecks there to keep it free. If you’d miss every waiver, Chase Secure Banking keeps the branches without paper checks or outgoing wires for $4.95 a month, or $0 with $250 in direct deposits, and savers who want interest should open a high-yield checking account.
Learn more about Chase Total Checking or see how it compares to the best checking accounts.
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