Best place to open a free checking account?

[disneysteve]

My wife needs to open a checking account to track her sewing stuff. She'll open it as a personal account, not a business account (at the advice of our CPA). It really doesn't matter where the bank is located or if it's entirely online as long as they have a good app and online access, mobile check deposits, Zelle, etc. The big things are low or no minimum balance and no fees.

Any suggestions for her?

[disneysteve]

I was looking around and see that Ally has a checking account that has no balance and no fees and actually pays 0.1% interest. We already bank with Ally so I know they're great to work with. Any reason not to go with them for this account?

[HundredK]

I have accounts with both Chase and Capital One. Both have great apps (Chase is a little better). I am not sure if Chase has a minimum to avoid fees, they likely do. The reason I have both is because sometimes mobile check deposit doesn't work and you need a bank, and Chase has branches everywhere in my location. I had that happen a couple of weeks ago yet again - a client had a new bank accounts and sent me what's called a counter check, and none of the mobile apps would accept it. So I had to physically take it into a bank. I can't quite let go of brick & mortar banks yet.

[disneysteve]

I have accounts with both Chase and Capital One. Both have great apps (Chase is a little better). I am not sure if Chase has a minimum to avoid fees, they likely do. The reason I have both is because sometimes mobile check deposit doesn't work and you need a bank, and Chase has branches everywhere in my location. I had that happen a couple of weeks ago yet again - a client had a new bank accounts and sent me what's called a counter check, and none of the mobile apps would accept it. So I had to physically take it into a bank. I can't quite let go of brick & mortar banks yet.

Seeing as her business will be rather small, I figure online won't be an issue. Worst case she can always deposit something into our personal account and then transfer the money to the other account. As long as there's a paper trail to show where the money came from, she should be good. Or she could mail the check to the online bank.

[HundredK]

Seeing as her business will be rather small, I figure online won't be an issue. Worst case she can always deposit something into our personal account and then transfer the money to the other account. As long as there's a paper trail to show where the money came from, she should be good. Or she could mail the check to the online bank.

Yep, I'm sure that would work just fine. Funny story about Citi who I used to bank with. When I had this happen previously, they said I had to mail the check in and told me I had to mail it to my branch. Except they'd closed my branch and every branch within a hundred miles of me. Not one person of the many I spoke to could give me an address I could mail the check to. That was what prompted switching to Chase. Kind of interesting, watching the old brick & mortars figure out how to function in our new electronic world.

[kork13]

I was looking around and see that Ally has a checking account that has no balance and no fees and actually pays 0.1% interest. We already bank with Ally so I know they're great to work with. Any reason not to go with them for this account?

I've been considering moving over to Ally. I recently moved from my previous long-standing bank to a credit union, but I'm finding them a pain to work with as well. Part of my biggest issue: lack of anywhere to deposit cash. Nobody I bank with had a cash accepting ATM within 40+miles, and the ones they say accept cash.... Half of them actually don't (I literally went to 4 different ATMs across Boise trying to find somewhere to deposit ~$250 cash. So aggravating. But I also can't figure out if Ally has any options for that either.

[disneysteve]

Nobody I bank with had a cash accepting ATM within 40+miles

There are bank ATMs that don't accept cash? I've never encountered that. I know free-standing ones like at convenience stores don't, but not actual bank locations.

[kork13]

There are bank ATMs that don't accept cash? I've never encountered that. I know free-standing ones like at convenience stores don't, but not actual bank locations.

My credit union is a member of the CU CO-OP, and most of the CO-OP ATMs I've tried DO accept cash deposits -- the cash insert slot is clearly labeled. But when I stick my card in, it doesn't give me the option to make a deposit, only balance check & withdrawal. Super frustrating.

I'm in the military, so I move often, and travel frequently. I really don't want to tie myself down to a little CU that only works in the area that I'm currently living in. It's impractical, because I'll move in 2-3 years & travel to a couple dozen different cities/countries & need to find a new bank. So portability is key for me.

Doesn't really change anything for you, of course. My point was that Ally is a good option for you... And if I can figure out if it'll work for me, I may be going that direction as well.