Skip to Main Content

Checking

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

Explore checking basics

A woman uses mobile banking while eating.
woman standing next to bike and looking at phone
close up of hands signing a check

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.

Arrow Right Icon
Checking

Available balance vs. current balance

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

Checking

Checking account fees

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

Image for Bank account alerts to protect your money
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.

 

Arrow Right Icon

Experts in all things banking

Our expert writers and editors bring you timely news and reliable information - backed by data and first-hand experience.

About Bankrate's team
Greg McBride

Greg McBride, CFA Arrow Right Icon

Chief Financial Analyst

Sarah Foster

Sarah Foster Arrow Right Icon

Principal U.S. Economy Reporter

Mark Hamrick

Mark Hamrick Arrow Right Icon

Senior Economic Analyst

Latest articles

Women using tablet
Business man hand writing and signing white blank bank check book
Young Woman Checking Her Finances At Home
A young woman works from her laptop.
close up of hands signing a check
Young woman withdrawing money using phone at the ATM machine on the street in Budapest in Hungary.
Capital One Bank signage in New York City
Two female fashion designers working together at their studio
pile of US savings bonds
A woman holds a phone at an office
Man using cell phone in living room
young adult woman cashier
piggy bank on a steering wheel
Car dealership
A doctor's visit.
illustration of hammer with box with red health cross sign on it and a stack of cash
Pink piggy bank stuffed with dollar bills
Women using tablet
A woman wearing a facemask enters a building where the Employment Development Department has its offices in Los Angeles, California on May 4, 2020, past a posted sign mentioning the closure of the offices's public access counters due to the coronavirus pandemic. - Dismal US employment figures are expected with the release Friday May 8 of figures for April's US jobs report, with 30 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last six weeks.
Woman checks mail
exterior of Bank of America branch building
Business man hand writing and signing white blank bank check book
A senior man is on a smartphone.
Calendar of 2023
The trusted provider of accurate rates and financial information
Wall Street Journal
Usa Today
New York Times
Cnn
Bloomberg
Abc