Finding the Best Bank for ATM Fees
No one likes ATM fees. When you open a checking account, you expect to be able to get cash at an ATM without having to pay extra charges to your own bank or credit union. So we pored over the data to find the top financial institutions that have no ATM fees in 2024.
Bank | APY | Min. Deposit | Highlights | |
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Fidelity | 2.47% | $0 |
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Charles Schwab Bank | 0.20% | $0 |
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LendingClub Banking | 0.10% | $25 |
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EverBank | 0.40% | $100 |
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Ally Bank | 0.25% | $0 |
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PNC Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
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Citi | 0.03% | $0 |
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First Internet Bank | 0.50% | $100 |
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Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
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How We Determine the Best Banks for ATM Fees
For this list, we considered only checking accounts at banks that don’t charge ATM fees. In order to rate which were the best, we analyzed the following categories: domestic and international ATM fee reimbursements, annual percentage yield (APY), minimum opening deposits, monthly fees, overdraft fees and overall customer service.
Fidelity
Fidelity is an investment-first financial institution, making it not your typical “bank.” But its cash management account can hand you all the benefits that a bank does, without the massive fees that usually accompany it.
Any fees you incur while making withdrawals at domestic ATMs are reimbursed within the same day that you complete the transaction. Simply use your new Fidelity® Debit card at any ATM with the Visa®, Plus® or Star® logos, and you’ll remain eligible for refunds. But if you’re using an ATM outside of the U.S., there is an unavoidable 1% foreign transaction fee.
Beyond the generous ATM policy above, Fidelity doesn’t have many other fees or account restrictions. In fact, there is no minimum deposit to open an account, no minimum balance to maintain, no monthly service fees and no fees to use overdraft services.
Considering Fidelity is almost totally online, it should come as no surprise that the Fidelity Mobile® app and website are thorough and helpful. Some of their features include online bill pay, mobile check deposit, wire transfers, and real-time trading. If your Apple device has the capabilities, you can also utilize Face ID and Touch ID to log on.
Charles Schwab Bank
Even with a 0.20% APY, the Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking® account offers a lot to its customers. Those who travel internationally often can get cash at any time from any ATM and have all fees reimbursed automatically. You won’t get the refund back immediately though, as Schwab returns the total to your account in a lump sum at the end of the month.
The major issue with this account is its APY that it is not that robust when it comes to its APY. The bank account compensates for this downside by being almost entirely fee-free. As a matter of fact, there are no monthly maintenance fees, free checks, no overdraft fees, no stop payment fees, and no foreign exchange fees.
Along with this account, you’ll receive a free Schwab brokerage account for your investments. This not only gives you access to investing education resources, but it also allows you to enter the investment world without much capital. There is no fee to open or maintain this account.
LendingClub Bank
The LendingClub Bank Rewards Checking Account gives you interest, cash back if you meet certain requirements and refunds on all domestic and international ATM fees. But when you make a withdrawal or deposit outside of the U.S., LendingClub Bank will charge you a foreign currency exchange fee no matter what. It would be wise to keep track of how much you’ve been charged in these fees, though, as you won’t see them credited to your account right away. Instead, ATM surcharge reimbursements are sent out in full at the conclusion of every month.
There are three rate tiers you'll encounter, depending on your balance:
- $0.01 - $2,499.99: 0.00% APY
- $2,500 - $99,999.99: 0.10% APY
- $100,000+: 0.15% APY
Once you have a balance of $2,500 or more, the APY is significantly higher than the average for a checking account in the U.S. So although it’s not at the same level as some other accounts on this list, it holds a much higher yield than most of its peers. You need to deposit at least $25 to open this account, though there are no monthly fees.
As far as cash back goes with this account, LendingClub Bank offers certain account holders unlimited 1% cash back on qualifying purchases. To be eligible for this, you'll need to either maintain an average balance of at least $2,500 or receive at least $2,500 in deposits to your account over the month.
EverBank
The Yield Pledge® Checking Account from EverBank, Member FDIC, is a robust checking option that features no monthly maintenance fees and a competitive interest rate. In fact, account holders will receive a rate that EverBank deems through its Yield Pledge Promise ranks within the top 5% of similar accounts. It only takes a $100 deposit to become an account holder, and you'll receive a free debit card just for signing up.
When it comes to ATM fees, EverBank will not charge you any, regardless of whether you use an in-network ATM or not. If your account balance is at least $5,000, the bank will also reimburse you for all fees charged to you by out-of-network ATM providers. Should your account balance fall below $5,000, your out-of-network ATM fee reimbursements will instead top out at $15 a month.
EverBank belongs to the Allpoint and MoneyPass ATM networks, which means you should have ample access to free ATMs throughout the U.S. Between Allpoint and MoneyPass, you'll be able to use over 80,000 ATMs free of charge.
Ally Bank
Ally's spending account does not charge a monthly fee. Customers have access to more than 43,000 ATMs across the country and can get up to $10 reimbursed on any out-of-network ATM fees every statement cycle in the U.S.
Ally has no physical branches and therefore customers are limited to online transactions, which exclude cash deposits.
Customers can add up to $50,000 per day and $250,000 per month to their account via mobile check deposit. They can also add money via direct deposit, wire transfers or send physical checks by mail.
PNC Bank
The PNC Bank Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend offers a collection of three accounts that work together: an interest-bearing Spend checking account, a Reserve interest-earning account for short-term savings goals and a Growth savings account that earns interest for the long term. You can open this account for $0 if you set it up online. If not, you’ll have to pay a $25 minimum opening deposit.
The Performance Spend account also requires a $15 monthly fee, unless you meet one of the following:
- Maintain a $2,000 combined average monthly balance in your Spend and/or Reserve accounts
- Maintain a $10,000 combined average monthly balance across all connected PNC Bank consumer deposit accounts
- Make at least $2,000 in qualifying monthly direct deposits to your Spend account
PNC also offers free use of PNC ATMs, fee reimbursements for non-PNC ATMs, free overdraft protection and unlimited check writing.
Citi Regular Checking
Citi offers a variety of checking options with access to one of the largest fee-free ATM networks nationwide at 65,000 machines strong. With the Regular Checking account, it also waives its fee for non-Citi ATMs as long as you meet a direct deposit requirement. More specifically, it waives the non-Citi ATM fee when you receive at least $250 in direct deposits monthly.
You can also waive its monthly $15 service fee when you either meet the aforementioned direct deposit requirement or reach one of Citi's three relationship accounts tiers titled Citi Priority, Citigold® and Citigold® Private Client, respectively.
First Internet Bank
First Internet Bank is an online-only financial institution that offers multiple checking accounts, including the Interest Checking Account, which offers ATM fee rebates. With reimbursements up to $10 a month on ATM fees you incur, First Internet Bank’s account holders are able to turn fees into savings in their pocket.
First Internet Bank’s Interest Checking Account presents one of the more competitive interest rates on the market. It offers a solid 0.50% APY, which creates plenty of room for account growth, especially on a checking balance that often doesn’t earn interest at traditional banks.
In order to open the Interest Checking Account, there is a $100 minimum deposit. And to avoid a $10 monthly service fee, you must maintain a $500 average daily balance in your account. With First Internet Bank offering services online and in its mobile app, you instantly have access to Zelle in your account, which helps you request and send money with friends and family digitally.
Chase
The Chase Premier Plus Checking Account isn't Chase's only offering, but it's a solid option for anyone interested in banking with Chase. The account only offers a 0.01% APY, but that isn't different than many checking accounts out there. You won't have to pay extra for checks, certain safety deposit boxes or your account debit card. Plus, it's easy to combine the account with other Chase offerings, such as its lineup of credit cards or other loans. There is a $25 monthly service fee associated with the account, but you can waive that if you meet one of the following two criteria:
- Have an average beginning day balance of $15,000 or more in any combination of this account and linked qualifying deposits or investments
- Have a linked qualifying Chase first mortgage enrolled in automatic payments from your Chase account
When it comes to ATMs, the account stacks up rather well. First and foremost, you'll have access to 16,000 ATMs and more than 4,700 branches. You won't owe any extra fees from Chase's end on the first 4 non-Chase ATM withdrawals every month. While you won't be reimbursed for non-Chase ATM fees with this account, it's still a solid option all around for banking and using ATMs.