Open a Checking Account Online With No Deposit at These 23 Banks

Many banks require a deposit to open a checking account, but there are some checking accounts you can open for free, with no deposit.

Online and brick-and-mortar banks that offer free checking with no opening deposit include Ally, Citi, Fifth Third Bank, and Varo, among others.

Below, we have more details on where you can open a checking account with no deposit, either online or at a branch.

We compiled this list by finding account information and disclosures on each bank’s website and by contacting each bank’s customer service department.

Keep in mind that although you do not need to make a deposit immediately, you may be required to fund the account within 30 to 45 days.

What We Recommend

All of the accounts on our list offer no opening deposit or minimum funding amount. However, Discover Cashback Debit and Fifth Third Bank Express Banking offer the best terms.

Both allow you up to 45 days to fund your account and, in addition to no minimum funding amount, have no monthly service fees or minimum monthly balance.

Ally Interest Checking, Capital One 360 Checking, Huntington Bank Asterisk-Free Checking, and Varo also have no monthly fees or minimum balance, but require a slightly less flexible new account funding period of 30 days.

Comparison Table

See the basic details of each checking account with no deposit required in our table below. Note that you can sort the table by any column using the arrows at the top of the column.

Select each company name or scroll to the list below for more details about each account.

Account	Funding Period	Minimum Funding Amount	Monthly Service Fee	Minimum Balance to Waive Service Fee
Ally Interest Checking	30 days	$0.01	None	N/A
Discover Cashback Debit	45 days	None	None	N/A
PNC Virtual Wallet	30 days	None	$7	$500
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select	30 days	None	$25	$5,000
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend	30 days	None	$15	$2,000
Varo Bank Account	30 days	None	None	N/A
Capital One 360 Checking	30 days	$0.01	None	N/A
Citi Access Account	30 days	None	$10	$1,500
Citi Basic Banking	30 days	None	$12	$1,500
Citigold	30 days	None	None	$200,000
Citi Priority	30 days	None	$30	$50,000
The Citibank Account	30 days	None	$25	$10,000
Fifth Third Bank Enhanced Checking	45 days	None	$20	$20,000
Fifth Third Bank Essential Checking	45 days	None	$11	$1,500
Fifth Third Bank Express Banking	45 days	None	None	N/A
Fifth Third Bank Preferred Checking	45 days	None	$25	$100,000
HSBC Advance	30 days		$25	$5,000
HSBC Basic Banking	30 days	None	$1	N/A
HSBC Choice Checking	30 days	None	$15	$1,500
HSBC Premier	30 days	None	$50	$75,000
Huntington Bank Asterisk-Free Checking	30 days	None	None	N/A
Huntington 5 Checking	30 days	None	$5	$5,000
Huntington 25 Checking	30 days	None	$25	$25,000

The List

Our list is in order of lowest to highest monthly fees and waiver requirements.

For each bank, we’ve listed how long you have to fund the account after opening it, the minimum funding amount, monthly service charges, and minimum balance or deposit to waive the monthly fee.

Note that none of the banks in our list require a minimum credit score, but banks may pull your consumer report or check your banking history when you apply.

Free Online Checking Accounts With No Opening Deposit

The following banks let you open a free checking account online with no deposit required.

Discover Cashback Debit

Note: After opening an account, you’ll need to register for an online account at Discover.com within 15 days, or Discover will close the account.

Funding period after opening: 45 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: None
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Varo Bank Account

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: None
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Ally Interest Checking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: Any amount over $0.01
Service charges: None
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See our research on whether or not Ally offers business checking accounts.

PNC Virtual Wallet

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $7 per month; waived with a $500 average monthly balance
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PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $15 per month; waived with a $2,000 average monthly balance
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PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $25 per month; waived with a $5,000 average monthly balance
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Brick-and-Mortar Banks With Free, No-Deposit Checking Accounts

The following brick-and-mortar banks offer free checking accounts with no opening deposit. You can apply at a branch or online.

Fifth Third Bank Express Banking

Funding period after opening: 45 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: None
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Huntington Bank Asterisk-Free Checking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: None
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Capital One 360 Checking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: $0.01
Service charges: None
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HSBC Basic Banking

Note: HSBC requires a deposit of at least $1 if you open the account online, but will waive this if you open your account at a branch.

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $1
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Citi Access Account

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $10; waived with an average monthly balance of $1,500
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Fifth Third Bank Essential Checking

Funding period after opening: 45 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $11; reduced to $8 if you have direct deposits of $500 or more per month and waived with a $1,500 combined balance
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Huntington 5 Checking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $5; waived with $5,000 average balance
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Citi Basic Banking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $12; waived with an average monthly balance of $1,500
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HSBC Choice Checking

Note: HSBC requires a deposit of at least $1 if you open the account online, but will waive this if you open your account at a branch.

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $15; waived with a $1,500 average daily balance
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HSBC Advance

Note: HSBC requires a deposit of at least $1 if you open the account online, but will waive this if you open your account at a branch.

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $25; waived with a balance of $5,000
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The Citibank Account

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $25; waived with an average monthly balance of $10,000
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Fifth Third Bank Enhanced Checking

Funding period after opening: 45 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $20; waived with a $20,000 combined balance
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Huntington 25 Checking

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $25; waived with $25,000 balance
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Citi Priority

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $30; waived with an average monthly balance of $50,000
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Fifth Third Bank Preferred Checking

Funding period after opening: 45 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $25; waived with a combined balance of $100,000
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HSBC Premier

Note: HSBC requires a deposit of at least $1 if you open the account online, but will waive this if you open your account at a branch.

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: $50; waived with a $75,000 balance
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Citigold

Funding period after opening: 30 days
Minimum funding amount: None
Service charges: None; however, you must make minimum monthly deposits of $200,000 to maintain this account level
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Want to know more about what you need to open a bank account? See our dedicated research on the requirements to open a bank account.