If you haven’t tried online banking yet, you’re missing out on some wonderful perks and rewards that traditional banks don’t offer. Because online banks save money on the costs of operating expensive brick-and-mortar branch networks, the best online banks accounts provide both excellent interest rates and little or no fees. You now acquire the power to bank from any location at any time.
Savings accounts at online banks generally provide interest rates that are five to ten times higher than those offered by national banks. They’ll also have lower-than-usual fees, including as ATM fees and monthly maintenance fees, and in many cases, they’ll be eliminated entirely. Account features meant to make your financial life easier, from tools to help you boost your savings to rewards for regular purchases, are also available.
Top 7 Best Online Banks In The World In 2022 Are List Below
1. Ally Bank
Ally is an excellent option if you’re searching for an best online banks that won’t charge you a tonne of fees while also providing a comprehensive set of tools to help you manage your money.
Ally (Member FDIC) offers simple online banking, access to over 43,000 Allpoint network ATMs, and low fees. While many online banks waive monthly service and electronic payment costs, Ally goes a step farther. There are no costs for incoming domestic or international wire transfers, official and cashiers checks, or overdrafts, and fees for outbound wire transfers and account research are lower than at other banks, including our overall winner Axos.
In comparison to other online banks, the Interest Checking Account pays 0.10 percent on balances less than $15,000 and 0.25 percent on balances greater than $15,000, which is competitive. The interest rate on Ally’s Online Savings Account is 0.50 percent on all balance categories, which is about average for an online bank. Both accounts can be created with no money down and have no minimum balance requirements in order to receive interest. You can divide your savings account into up to ten separate “buckets,” each of which can be used to save for a specific occasion, such as a vacation, wedding, or house maintenance. Only the checking account, however, comes with an ATM card.
In addition to low fees and high rates, Ally provides a number of options to help you save money automatically. These include the ability to set up recurring transfers across accounts and the ability to round up your checking account purchases to the nearest dollar amount and automatically move them to a savings account.
2. Capital One Bank
Capital One has an unique hybrid approach of being an online bank with physical branch locations known as “Capital One Cafés.” Students interested in learning more about personal finance can stop by one of these cafés and receive free one-on-one money coaching. The best online banks often do not have any physical branches.
This bank also features a number of financial products aimed towards young adults, which is why we chose it for students. The MONEY Teen Checking account is absolutely free, with no minimum balance requirements, and teens may register a joint account with their parents, who can then effortlessly transfer money into their accounts via the Capital One app. The account does have transaction restrictions and parental controls, but these can be removed once you reach the age of 18.
Capital One also has a 360 Performance Savings account, which is absolutely free and earns a good interest rate. The mobile app is simple to use and allows you to deposit checks, transfer funds, and track your savings progress while on the go. Finally, the Journey Student Rewards credit card is an excellent tool for students to begin building credit. It has low credit requirements, no annual fee, and provides cash back benefits.
3. Axos Bank
Axos is our best online bank pick because of its low fees, low opening balance requirements, and high interest rates on savings and checking accounts. The High Yield Savings Account from Axos pays 0.61 percent interest on balances up to $24,999, the highest rate of any online bank we looked at. However, for balances between $25,000 and $99,999, the cost drops to 0.25 percent, and for balances beyond $100,000, the rate drops to 0.15 percent. The minimum opening balance is $250, which is not prohibitively expensive but also not as low as some of Axos’ competitors. However, once an account is opened, there is no minimum balance requirement and no maintenance fees are charged by Axos.
Axos also has high-yielding checking accounts. With the Rewards Checking account, you can earn up to 1% interest, which is higher than the rate offered by most, but not all, online banks. However, some requirements must be met in order to obtain that rate. By depositing a minimum of $1,500 in direct deposits into the account, you can qualify for an initial 0.40 percent interest rate. You can earn 0.30 percent if you use your debit card at least 10 times throughout the statement cycle or join up for the bank’s Personal Finance Manager program.
The remaining 0.30 percent can be obtained by performing the following three steps, each of which increases your rate by 0.1 percent: maintaining an average daily balance of $2,500 in the Axos Invest Managed Portfolio Account; maintaining a $2,500 balance in the Axos Invest Self Directed Trading Account; and paying an Axos consumer loan with your checking account. While meeting all three of these requirements may be difficult, the 0.7 percent you can earn without meeting any of them is still very competitive among online banks.
You can check all of your accounts, transfer payments and pay bills, and manage your investments directly from your phone with the Axos app. The app is simple to use and has received 4.5 stars out of 5 on Google Play. The majority of negative reviews focus on the length of time it takes for mobile check deposits to clear.
4. Synchrony Bank
Synchrony Bank’s High Yield Savings account routinely gives one of the highest APYs available without charging monthly fees or requiring a minimum balance, earning it the best savings account award. The mobile app is simple to use and supports mobile check deposits.
With your Synchrony savings account, you’ll also receive an ATM card for convenient access to your funds. In addition to free in-network ATMs, Synchrony will reimburse you for up to $5 in out-of-network ATM costs per statement. Because it includes an ATM network, you can fund your account with ATM deposits in addition to direct deposits, electronic transfers, and mobile deposits.
Synchrony does impose a $25 outgoing wire transfer fee, which isn’t uncommon, but some of the best online banks don’t. It also does not provide a checking account, but since you can get an ATM card with your savings account, this isn’t really necessary.
5. Quontic Bank
Quontic is our pick for the most creative checking account because of its incentives checking account, which allows you to earn Bitcoin as a cash-back spending reward, as well as its competitive interest rates and low fees. Because of its push into cryptocurrencies, we voted Quontic as the most innovative online bank. With the Bitcoin Rewards Checking Account, you may earn up to 1.5 percent of your debit-card spending in Bitcoin as “cash-back.” Unlike traditional cash back rewards, which are credited monthly, you can save your earned Bitcoin rewards and spend them whenever it is convenient for you.
There are no monthly fees for this account, and the minimum initial balance is $500, which is slightly higher than the required opening balances at the other banks we looked at but not excessive. Only 45 states and territories have access to this account. (It is not available in the following states: Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Nebraska, and Nevada.)
If cryptocurrency isn’t your thing, Quontic’s High Interest Checking Account starts with a 0.01 percent interest rate that can be easily upped to 1.01 percent if you make 10 or more qualifying debit card transactions per statement cycle. With the Cash Rewards Checking Account, you can earn 1.5 percent cash back. These accounts can be opened for as little as $100, and there are no monthly fees. A High Yield Savings Account, which has no monthly fees, offers 0.55 percent interest, and can be started with as little as $100, can be used to supplement your checking account.
6. Discover Bank
Discover Bank is our top choice for best customer service due to its high position in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Direct Banking Satisfaction Study and positive mobile app user reviews.
It also provides excellent credit card rewards.
Discover placed second in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Direct Banking Satisfaction Study, earning 862 points out of a possible 1,000. It is the highest-ranking of all the online banks we reviewed on our list, and it is 10 points higher than the industry average of 852 points. Discover’s mobile app likewise has a great rating of 4.6 stars out of five on Google Play, with most customers praising its simplicity and features for managing all of your accounts. If the impersonal style of online banking bothers you, customer care is also available by phone with a real person for those of us who despise automatic menus.
Aside from excellent customer service, Discover offers competitive interest rates and other benefits. Discover’s Online Savings Account pays 0.40 percent interest, which is slightly lower than that of other online banks but still greater than that of most national banks. There is no account minimum to open this account, and there are no maintenance costs. With Discover’s online banking product, the Cashback Debit Account, you may earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases per month. This account has no monthly fees and does not earn interest.
Discover is also well-known for providing credit card benefits. Depending on the credit card you use, you can receive between 1% and 5% cash back on certain transactions each month. Plus, at the end of the first year, Discover will double your cash back rewards dollar for dollar, with no maximum limits.
7. Charles Schwab Bank
Charles Schwab is best recognized for its investment services, but it’s also one of the best online banks, especially for frequent travelers who wish to avoid expenses when traveling abroad. A Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account is absolutely free, and there are no international transaction fees when traveling abroad. You’ll also get limitless ATM fee refunds globally and a low APY.
While the checking account is where this bank excels for travelers, it also provides a Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Savings account. Because the rate isn’t particularly attractive, you may prefer to save greater savings sums elsewhere. Having said that, it’s a free savings account with no minimum balance requirements, so opening one alongside your checking account isn’t a bad idea.
Aside from checking and savings accounts, Schwab also provides a wide range of brokerage, trading, investing, and retirement products. If you live in another country, Schwab offers professional services to assist you figure out how to invest from wherever you are. Furthermore, their website features a live chat feature that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you don’t have to worry about making international calls if you have a problem.
