A checking account is a current account at a bank or credit union that holds money for a short-term period. There are many free online checking accounts with no opening deposit and no credit check at various institutions to keep your money for multiple uses. You do not have to hold large amounts of money in your house or at your workplace since it is not secure.
The money you save in a checking account is available for withdrawals any time you are in need. There are many uncertainties in life, and if possible, you need to have ready funds to cater for their expenses. Emergency issues such as sickness, accidents, food, compulsory travel, electricity, and water bills, among many others, require you to have a checking account where you will settle the payments as soon as possible.
Usually, checking accounts come with debit cards. These are payment cards that link to your account and enable you to spend money in your bank account without you having to visit your bank for withdrawals. You can withdraw cash at an ATM point that accepts cards or use the card to purchase goods and services online. Debit cards also allow you to send money to other bank accounts or mobile wallets online.
How do I open a checking account?
Since many banks and credit unions offer checking accounts, the first step is to choose the most appropriate bank according to your personal preferences. Most information about banks and the services offered is all over the internet, as you will find out here. Do your research to know the best account you can open.
Things you need to check for any account include the following.
- Monthly fees
- Minimum balance
- Transaction limits
- ATM fees
- Printed statement fees, and
- Foreign transaction fees
When opening an account, there are several things you must have. They include the following.
- Identification document. You can provide you’re Passport, Driver’s license, or any other government identification document.
- Address. You must have the correct address of the place you live. You also need to prove that you reside within that area. You will require things like bill utilities, credit card bills, or any other relevant document showing your physical address.
- Opening deposit. Some checking accounts require you to deposit some money as soon as you open your account, while others allow you to deposit at a later date. However, it is good to deposit something in your account upon opening it.
The systematic process of opening a checking account is as below.
- Gather all the application information. Before visiting a branch or signing up online, ensure that you have all the details for opening the account. There is no need to start the process only to realize that you do not have certain information that forces you to start looking for it.
- Apply for the account. Now that you have all the required information, you can then apply for a checking account online or at a physical branch. The concerned bank might run your details in the ChexSystems to see you’re banking history or make a hard inquiry from credit bureaus. If approved, then you can proceed.
- Sign the terms and conditions. Every financial institution requires you to agree with their terms and conditions. Before deciding, you must understand what their terms and conditions entail.
- Make your opening deposit. You may deposit immediately after opening your account or later, depending on your bank conditions.
- Activate online banking. Almost all banks now support online banking. You can thus activate the online banking feature so that you can manage your funds online. An online checking account allows you to send money with a checking account number instantly using your phone.
- Lastly, get a debit card. Checking accounts come with debit cards. You can receive yours either immediately or after some days, depending on your bank. Next, you have to activate the card either online or at your bank’s branch.
Which are the top 10 free online checking accounts with no opening deposit and no credit check?
The following are some of the checking accounts you can open to avoid opening a balance or having bad credit.
1) Chime

Chime is an online financial institution that does not have a physical branch. Account opening and all transactions are purely online. The bank does not run ChexSystems for applicants when registering, and thus your banking history will not affect your Chime checking account application.
Moreover, Chime does not require a minimum deposit when opening your account. You can deposit money later in your account. You will get a debit card that you can use for online and physical store transactions. You can also use the card to obtain cash at ATM points.
Additionally, Chime does not charge maintenance or overdraft fees. Direct deposits are faster, and you can access your money two days earlier than traditional banks. Interestingly, Chime has a feature called SpotMe®, through which they can offer you free overdraft up to $100. Your money at Chime is FDIC insured.
2) GoBank

You can avoid the $20 minimum deposit and $2.95 sign-up fee when you open your account online. The bank allows you to open a checking account online irrespective of your credit history. You will not undergo ChexSystems scrutiny nor credit checks during the account creation.
Once you apply for the account, you will get a free debit card that you can use to withdraw funds at ATM points or pay for goods and services at stores that accept the card. The Gobank has a lot of in-network ATMs that you can use for free.
Unfortunately, if you use an out-of-net ATM, you will part with a $3 fee for out-of-net withdrawals. You will also pay $5 if you lose your card and need a replacement. Furthermore, you will need to pay a $8.95 monthly fee unless you deposit at least $500 every month. When depositing cash into your account, you will part with $4.95 per deposit.
3) nbkc Bank Everything Account

There is no minimum deposit for opening the account. Therefore, you can deposit some money at a later date after opening the account. Moreover, the checking account has no minimum balance requirement meaning that you can have any amount in your bank account. You will also not pay any monthly fees.
The nbkc Bank everything account checking account earns interest of up to 0.50% APY. Therefore your money will give you meaningful returns. Once you open an account, you will get a debit card to use in over 32,000 ATMs countrywide. You can also use the card to pay for goods and services. Check deposits are free of charge.
4) Varo Bank Account

Varo does not require you to have a minimum balance when opening your bank account. Furthermore, the bank does not charge monthly fees nor overdraft fees for your checking account. Once you open an account with Varo, you will get a free Visa debit card that you can use in over 55 locations for free.
The checking account is purely online, and you can access your funds and support for 24 hours. You can send and receive cash instantly from other Varo Checking account holders. Interestingly, your money is FDIC insured up to $250,000, and thus you have no reason to worry about the safety of your funds.
The account allows you to accept direct deposits two days earlier. You can get up to 3.00% Annual Percentage Yield from your direct deposits. You can as well get instant advance cash of up to $100. Moreover, you will benefit from exclusive offers and cash backs.
5) Ally Bank Interest Checking Account

The checking account requires no minimum opening balance whatsoever. There are no monthly fees, and APY amounts to 0.10% for amounts less than $15,000 and up to 0.25% for amounts above $15,000. You can therefore save and earn some money at the end of the year.
Once you open an account, you can receive a debit card that you can use to buy goods and services. Also, you can access thousands of Allpoint ATMs countrywide to withdraw cash.
When adding money to your account, you have to transfer money from another account to your checking account, buy a money order, use a mobile check deposit, or use direct deposit. Another interesting thing with Ally bank is that they have incorporated almost every aspect of technology into their banking services. You can even transfer money by voice using Amazon Alexa.
6) Alliant Credit Union High-Rate Checking

Alliant Credit Union is one of the easiest online credit unions to join. Although there is no joining bonus, the benefits you will get once in are many. The account has no monthly fees. The minimum opening deposit stands at zero. Since the institution is a non-profit one, you can get a high APY of up to 0.25% on your savings.
For you to qualify for the Alliant Credit Union High-Rate Checking, you only need to opt out of paper statements and carry out at least one electronic deposit per month.
The account comes with a free Visa contactless debit card that you can use to access funds in over 80,000+ fee-free ATMs. Again, you can pay for goods and services at places accepting the card. The Award-winning online banking app is also helpful to manage your funds online.
7) Discover Bank Cashback Debit

The minimum deposit to open the checking account is $0. Therefore, you can deposit money at a later date upon account opening. The account charges no monthly fee, and therefore, you will be able to save a bit.
Once you open the account, you will qualify for a free ATM card that you can use to buy goods and services. You can access up to 60,000 fee-free ATMs countrywide.
Furthermore, your money is also safe since it has FDIC insurance up to $250,000. Even though the account has no APY, you can get 1% cashback if you spend up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. The Discover bank cashback debit account also supports peer-to-peer money transfer, and thus you can send and receive money from your friends who have a similar account.
8) Capital One 360 Checking

The account has no monthly fee and thus it is one way of saving money that could have disappeared as monthly maintenance charges. Also, the minimum opening deposit is zero, and therefore you will not have pressure to deposit a certain amount of money
You will be able to earn 0.10% APY on your money. Like other checking accounts, your money in Capital One 360 Checking is FDIC insured. Additionally, you will get a debit card and pay with it at places that accept it.
You will also be able to use over 70,000 fee-free ATMs by Capital One, Allpoint®, and MoneyPass to withdraw cash. On your online app, you can even lock and unlock your card. It makes it convenient to lock your card if it gets lost to prevent unauthorized transactions.
9) Axos Rewards Checking

Axos Rewards Checking also has no minimum deposit when opening the account. The minimum balance requirement is also zero. You can earn interest on your money for up to 1.25% APY.
That is very impressive as you can earn large amounts of money if you make larger deposits. The account also has no monthly fees whatsoever. Once you open the account, you will get a free debit card that you can use to purchase goods and services. Your money has FDIC insurance up to $250,000.
Furthermore, your online account has high security since it has a two-step verification method. The account has an automatic log-out feature so that if you stay inactive for long, you will have to log in once more when you come back.
10) OnJuno

OnJuno has no minimum balance requirements. The opening balance is zero, and thus, you will not have much stress trying to meet any minimum deposit requirement. The accounts’ monthly fee ranges from $0 to $9.99 per month.
Interestingly, the checking account earns you up to 2.15% APY for Basic Checking on balances of up to $5,000. If you opt for Metal Checking, you will still earn 2.15% APY, but there is a $9.99 fee per month after six months of trials. You will still attain high APYs despite the fees.
Additionally, you will be able to get a debit card that you can use to purchase goods and services. You will also have access to over 85,000 free ATMs for cash withdrawals. There are 5% Cash backs on the Premium Metal Card.
Bottom line
A checking account is critical to keep emergency funds such as those for hospital bills and accidents. The best checking account should have no monthly fee, no credit check, no ChexSystems, no minimum balance, and zero minimum opening deposit.
Furthermore, a checking account with a debit card with cash backs plus free ATM access makes banking fantastic. When opening a bank or credit union account, make sure you read and understand all terms and conditions.