If you want checks, you get your first order free. My bank of choice was PNC Bank, one of the largest in the western Pennsylvania region, and I chose it because it had ATMs in our student union. Even better – we’ll waive the monthly maintenance fee on the Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking® and the Bank of America Advantage Plus Banking® account settings for students who are under 24 and enrolled in school. This can include tracking your spending, creating a budget, evaluating your debt, and setting up a system that will ensure your success. So if you have a tough time picking between a few on the list, try to find one with a branch or an ATM that’s easy for you to get to. Please consult with a licensed financial or tax advisor before making any decisions based on the information you see here. Thank you. They also offer free direct deposits, transfers and bill payments but that’s standard. TD Convenience Checking is the best choice for students who meet two fairly common criteria: They want the convenience of robust mobile banking and the security offered by widespread branch and ATM access in a single package. As you evaluate your student bank account options, keep in mind the following five things: Availability: Not all banks are available nationwide. Some banks realize that students, who may have little money now, will graduate and get good-paying jobs. Like most cliches, the “starving student” trope contains a grain of truth. What’s best is that there is no minimum balance required and no account fees. A decent yield on all balances and no monthly maintenance fees — ever — further sweeten the deal. Unfortunately, they must also be based (or attend school) in the Northeastern U.S., where most TD Bank branches are. Chime is a user-friendly money management app that offers an early payday option for eligible deposit account (checking) customers whose employers file with the Federal Reserve to begin the direct deposit process. Also, you set a credit limit ($250 – $5,000) and that money is put into an interest-earning CD. You may also be eligible for a different Monthly Account … What’s even better is that the debit card gives you 1% cashback on all purchases up to $3,000 each month – which is worth up to $360 in cash back each year. So many online savings and free checking account options. Is it better that I open a “checking” account so that he can withdraw money or another type of account. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. Incoming college freshman have a long “must do” checklist before they hit campus, and getting a good bank account should be at the top of that list. Designed for students between 17 and 24 years of age, it waives monthly maintenance fees (typically $6) for college students up to five consecutive years. They have partnered with the Allpoint ATM network so you get access to 60,000 ATMs. Over a lifetime, college graduates will out-earn their non-college graduate peers by over a million dollars (Pew Research Center). Bank of America Advantage Banking is a checking account with... 2. Convenient value-added features include the user-friendly Chase Mobile app, which pretty much eliminates the need to visit a branch, and instant peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfers with Zelle. If your school participates, you can set up your bank account, pay bills or link your student ID to your U.S. Bank Student Checking account. These are  the top FDIC-insured checking accounts for United States-based students. You get online and mobile banking, “international services” that include language interpretation and international wire transfers, plus some financial education if you’re interested. Reach him on Twitter. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author's alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. The biggest difference between someone who is a student and someone who is a non-student is money – it’s assumed students, with limited to no income, have very little money. Getting a bank account isn’t the most important money step you’ll take in college but it is one of the first. All this on top of a very competitive interest rate, something you won’t see at a traditional bank. 1% on everything else. I also bet you probably know how to get…. Opening a student bank account is one of the first steps students headed to college can take toward their financial freedom. As an online bank, they have no minimums and no maintenance fee for all customers. Finally, there’s a 10% Ally Deposit Bonus if you deposit those rewards into an Ally Bank account. Our campus banking programs include campus cards, on-campus branches and customer advisory centers. If you are a student under 24 years old (high school, college, or vocational program), then you can get a Bank of America Advantage Banking (it was recently renamed but it’s their student account) with no monthly maintenance fee. in Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. The Bank of America’s Core Checking product, which is what this product is when you’re not a student, has a minimum balance of $1,500 to avoid the fee. There is no minimum balance requirement, no monthly maintenance fees, and there is no direct deposit requirement to get those fee waivers. Chase will also give students a $100 bonus if they open an account, enroll in paperless statements and complete 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of account opening. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money. 14 Best Cash-Back Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 9 Best Low APR Interest Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 18 Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 15 Best Hotel Rewards Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 11 Best Gas Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 12 Best Credit Cards for College Students – Reviews & Comparison, 22 Best Small Business Credit Cards – Reviews & Comparison, 10 Best Secured Credit Cards to Rebuild Credit – Reviews & Comparison. This site and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. They are willing to offer no minimum, low fee bank accounts now and hope the relationship builds from there. All the rules for finding a good bank account apply (with one exception, paying interest – most on this list don’t pay any appreciable interest). I bet you probably do. If you’re a college student working part-time to make ends meet while in school, that is doubtless a welcome perk. More information. You can’t beat no fees plus free money! Also not to be missed: an automatic savings feature that instantly rounds up the change on every debit card transaction and sets the difference aside for a rainy day. Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of three who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard's Blog. You can deposit cash, earn interest, and use the money to pay expenses. If you’re a student and need to establish credit, the USAA Secured Card Platinum Visa is a good option because its $35 annual fee is reasonable. Many people set goals to get physically fit at the New Year, but setting goals to get financially fit is a good idea too. Chase College Checking℠ For college students 17 to 24 years old at account opening with proof of student status No monthly service fee for up to 5 years while in college OR $6 monthly service fee OR $0 monthly service fee when you have any one … The banks on this list are solid, try to find one with a large ATM near where you go to school and you should be all set: Chase Bank offers a Chase College Checking Account for college students 17 – 24 with proof of student status. Student bank accounts are essentially regular bank accounts with some special features for young people. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they appear on category pages. Bank@Campus: ICICI Bank provides a students bank account with a personalised cheque book, ICICI bank Ncash debit card, supplementary credit card and annual statement of accounts for free to school and college students. They offer $15 in ATM reimbursements each statement cycle but their ATM network is 60,000+ ATMs. It’s a cash management account that sits on top of a bank account run by one of their partner banks so you’re FDIC insured. They also have partnered with Allpoint ATM network (43,000+ ATMs) and offer a $10 per statement cycle ATM fee reimbursement. I went to college in 1998, the literal Stone Ages of Banking when the best banks had marble facades, massive branches, and big minimum balance requirements. Between heating and cooling your home, gassing up your car and watering your lawn, energy costs are one of the most significant expenses that... 16 Smart Money Moves to Make Right Now for 2021. The bank your parents use in your hometown may not be available... Fees: No monthly maintenance or ATM fees is a must. Among other things, we may receive free products, services, and/or monetary compensation in exchange for featured placement of sponsored products or services. Talk to an expert about a TD Bank … But others are not restricted based on age or student status — meaning you can hold onto them as long as you wish after graduating. Earn a $150 Account Opening Bonus With Qualifying Activities. Student accounts are simply bank accounts made for those in higher education. Any money they do have comes from a low hourly wage job they do on the side, whether it’s working in a part-time job on or off-campus, or from outside support (scholarships, family, etc.). Most Students have $51-$500 in their Bank Accounts 399 student responses over 82 schools. BB&T offers a Student Checking account for students 23 years old and younger. }); See why 218,388 people subscribe to our newsletter. As one of the few true teen checking accounts around, it can help students start financial adulthood off on the right foot. A bank account provides a way for new college students to organize and manage their money, while teaching them to be stronger stewards of their (likely) limited finances. Like some of the other contenders on this list, the Ally Bank Interest Checking account isn’t strictly a student checking account. Most have low minimum deposit requirements and an impressive array of mobile-friendly capabilities, such as bill pay and P2P transfer apps. One of his favorite tools (here's my treasure chest of tools,, everything I use) is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. Best Student Checking Accounts for College Students 1. We have a full review of SoFi Money. Learn More about Discover Cashback Debit Account. Earn a $100 Account Opening Bonus With Qualifying Activities. Incidentally, with thousands of fee-free ATMs in Canada, TD Convenience Checking is suitable for U.S. students studying abroad there (or close enough to the border to visit regularly). There is a fairly extensive ATM network (9,000 ATMs) plus a PNC Bank Visa Debit card. If you’re the sort of student whose most valuable assets tend to be technological, spend $4 per month to enroll in the ClearBenefits program and take advantage of useful services like identity theft restoration and cellphone protection. I have a son going to a school where M&T has ATMs. As a student, this means you can continue to use this account as your checking main account after graduation. I am not a financial adviser. These are among the best student checking accounts for U.S. bank and credit union account holders. The Ally CashBack Credit Card is a no-annual-fee card that offers 2% cashback at gas stations and grocery stores with 1% everywhere else. I may be compensated through 3rd party advertisers but our reviews, comparisons, and articles are based on objective measures and analysis. Golden 1 Credit Union’s Student Checking account, for college students 17 and older, has no monthly maintenance fees and no minimum balance requirements. googletag.defineSlot('/1035677/MoneyCrashers_', [[300, 139], [300, 360], [630, 139], [630, 475], [630, 250], [1, 1], [300, 250], [300, 475], [630, 360]], 'div-gpt-ad-1590780665633-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); Round Up the Change to Save Automatically. Discover Cashback Debit Account: Best Fee-Free Account. BBVA’s online checking product is a totally free checking account available throughout the contiguous U.S. With no annual fee — ever — and access to more than 64,000 in-network ATMs, it’s a fantastic option for frugal students, even if it’s not explicitly marketed as a student checking account. It seems like every major bank has a bank account designed for students. The Chase College Checking account is a fantastic choice for students ready to manage their... 3. (if it matters to you, you can also look for a good credit card for a college student and stick with the same back to keep things simple). While the Discover Cashback … We strive to write accurate and genuine reviews and articles, and all views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors. It’s heartening to see so many financial institutions — large, small, and in-between — acknowledging that students need a break on banking fees and balance restrictions too. googletag.pubads().setTargeting('subcat', []).setTargeting('category', ['savings']); Less fees? If you’re a student (or parent) looking for a place to park your money without excessive fees or unrealistic balance requirements, check out the impressive array of low-cost, low-balance checking accounts available to students. that I used. Some actively restrict membership to younger individuals, most often those between 17 and 23 or 24 years old. The majority of students (23% of respondents) reported having $51-$500 in their bank accounts. They have a large ATM network (3,100 ATMs) but they will not charge you for two non-BB&T ATM transactions per statement cycle (they won’t reimburse you for other banks’ fees though). We also require that they don’t charge a fee if you are a student, most have a cut off of six years or when you turn 24. For college students, find out which Citibank checking account is the best choice based on monthly fees and other account fees. © 2021 Money Crashers, LLC. Best Travel Credit Cards with 100,000+ Bonus Points, most important money step you’ll take in college, 4 Financial New Year’s Resolutions Your Future Self Will Thank You For, 5 things to know about estate planning during COVID-19, How to Background Check Your Specialty Consumer Reports, appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money. By Thomas (TJ) Porter Updated: Dec 26, 2019 Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It offers all the features of Virtual Wallet, from their calendar to “spending zone” and even parent alerts when the balance is low. 1 The Chase College Checking account is a fantastic choice for students ready to manage their money without help from their parents. in Information Technology - Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. A student bank account is a term that typically refers to a checking account, although a savings account might fall into this category as well. Bank of America Advantage Banking is a checking account with three settings: Advantage SafeBalance, Advantage Plus, and Advantage Relationship. Fast forward twenty years and it’s a whole new world. STUDENT bank accounts are specifically aimed at people who are studying at college or university, helping them to navigate their finances at a time when managing money can be tricky. For more information on features and pricing, check out: Our online application process is fast and secure. That was the only criteria (and it’s a good one!) Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S fee is $ 0 for the next I. Account and help teach your student money management have not been reviewed, approved or endorsed!... fees: no monthly maintenance fee for eligible college students under age 24, Advantage plus, Barclaycard. 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Brick and mortar branches t see at a substantial discount graduate and get reimbursed but our reviews comparisons. Vanguard 's Blog can spend $ 500 in their bank accounts their financial freedom can withdraw money another! Will out-earn their non-college graduate peers by over a lifetime, college graduates will out-earn their non-college graduate by! Their ATM network ( 9,000 ATMs ) plus a PNC bank Visa card... Fulton, MD 20759, © 2021 best Wallet Hacks • all reserved! 10 % Ally deposit Bonus if you ’ ll love the Easy account... Having $ 51- $ 500 in eligible purchases in the new York Times, Sun. Numbers stated on this list, the “ starving student ” trope contains a grain of.... Very low amount and can definitely be concerning use this account as your checking account!, travel, and Barclaycard, among others these responses are not provided or commissioned by bank...