Chase Total Checking review: $200 sign-up bonus and no minimum opening deposit

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The bottom line: Chase Total Checking® makes it easy to waive the monthly service fee, and Chase has branches in many parts of the US. The account's $200 sign-up bonus gives it an advantage over similar accounts at other banks.Chase Total Checking® is the bank's most affordable checking account. It has a $12 monthly service fee that is relatively easy to waive — this is opposed to Chase Secure Banking℠, which charges a fixed $4.95 fee, and Chase Premier Plus Checking℠, which has a $25 fee that is harder to waive.

3.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Annual Percentage Yield (APY) 3.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Annual Percentage Yield (APY) It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.

No required opening deposit A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Over 4,700 branches A check mark.

It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. $200 sign-up bonus A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.

Free overdraft protection when you link to savings for automatic transfers A dash. It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section. $12 monthly fee unless you meet direct deposit or minimum balance requirements A dash.

It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section. Fee for non-Chase ATMs A dash. It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section.

3% foreign transaction fee A dash. It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section. $34 overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees (no fee if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day) It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

New Chase checking customers enjoy a $200 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account and set up direct deposit Access to more than 16,000 Chase ATMs and more than 4,700 branches Chase Mobile® app - Manage your accounts, deposit checks, transfer money and more -- all from your device. Open your account online now Available online nationwide except in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. For branch locations, visit locator.chase.com.

Chase Overdraft Assist℠ - no overdraft fee if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day or if you're overdrawn by more than $50 and bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day* *With Chase Overdraft Assist℠, we won't charge an Insufficient Funds Fee if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day OR if you're overdrawn by more than $50 and you bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day (you have until 11 PM ET (8 PM PT) to make a deposit or transfer). Chase Overdraft Assist does not require enrollment and comes with eligible Chase checking accounts. It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

How Chase Total Checking worksChase has around 4,700 branches in 32 US states and Washington, DC. There are also more than 16,000 free ATMs nationwide.Chase Total Checking® charges a $12 monthly service fee, but you can waive it each month that you receive $500 in electronic deposits, or start each day with a $1,500 balance, or maintain a $5,000 average daily balance in this account and all linked Chase accounts.If you're a new Chase customer, you'll receive a $200 sign-up bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account and set up a direct deposit within the first 90 days.Your deposits are FDIC insured for up to $250,000, or up to $500,000 for joint accounts.Is Chase trustworthy?JPMorgan Chase & Co. is Chase's parent company.

The Better Business Bureau gives JPMorgan Chase & Co. an  A+ in trustworthiness. A good BBB rating signifies a company responds effectively to customer complaints, has honest advertising practices, and is transparent in how it handles business.Although its BBB rating is pretty good, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

has dealt with a few scandals in the past few years. Here are some recent conflicts:If Chase's history worries you, you may decide to bank elsewhere. But keep in mind that similar banks, such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America, have their own history of public controversies.

It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. We've compared Chase Total Checking® to similar accounts at other national banks: Bank of America and Wells Fargo.Chase Total Checking vs.

Bank of America Advantage PlusIf you're looking for a good sign-up bonus, you'll probably prefer Chase to Bank of America. Chase Total Checking pays you $200 for signing up and setting up a direct deposit of any amount within 90 days. Bank of America only pays $100, and you need at least two recurring deposits of $250 in the first 90 days to qualify for the bonus.Your choice could also come down to if you're able to waive monthly fees with one account but not the other.

Both banks charge a waiveable $12 fee, but the requirements for skipping the fee differ slightly.Chase Total Checking vs. Wells Fargo Everyday CheckingYour options between these two banks may ultimately depend on where you live. Chase has branches in more states than Wells Fargo, though. Wells Fargo Everyday Checking may be better for students because there's no monthly fee if you're ages 17 to 24, or if you link to a Wells Fargo campus ATM or debit card.You might prefer Chase if you'd like to open a checking account with a $0 minimum opening deposit.  Laura Grace Tarpley, CEPF Personal Finance Reviews Editor Laura Grace Tarpley (she/her) is a personal finance reviews editor at Insider.

She edits articles about mortgage rates, refinance rates, lenders, bank accounts, wealth building, and borrowing and savings tips for Personal Finance Insider. She was a writer and editor for Insider's "The Road to Home" series, which won a Silver award from the National Associate of Real Estate Editors. She is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).

She has written about personal finance for over six years. Before joining the Insider team, she was a freelance finance writer for companies like SoFi and The Penny Hoarder, as well as an editor at FluentU. You can reach Laura Grace at EMAIL.

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