Best Checking Accounts for Military Members (And What to Look For)

USAA offers a broad range of financial products and is military-oriented.

Their checking product doesn’t have any monthly fees. An account can be opened with only $25 and there’s no minimum balance to maintain.

USAA also has a network of over 60,000 ATMs in the U.S. You’ll receive up to $15/month in reimbursements for non-USAA ATMs.

There is a 1% foreign transaction fee for withdrawals outside of the U.S. USAA has an excellent mobile app that lets you manage your finances on the go. Overdraft fees can be avoided by linking a USAA savings account or credit card to your checking account.

USAA doesn’t list details of their survivor benefits. They do have contact information about the program located here: https://www.usaa.com/my/survivorship.

USAA is a full-service bank offering a broad range of financial products, including mortgages, personal loans, credit cards, insurance, retirement, CDs, investment services, and more. Read our full USAA Bank review here.

Open a USAA Checking account here >>

Chase is one of the most well know banks in the country - it seems like there is a branch everywhere! And as a military member, there are so perks when you add your military direct deposit to your Chase account. 

When you add direct deposit of military base pay to your checking, you get a number of benefits from Chase. These include no monthly fees or minimum to open. There is no annual rent for the 3” by 5” safe deposit box or smaller. There is no Chase fee on the first four non-Chase ATM transactions. There is also no Chase foreign transaction currency adjustment fee, although owner/network fees may apply.

Chase participates in the survivor benefit program. Debts that can be canceled include mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and other consumer or business debt.

Also, Chase is a full-service bank that offers a broad range of financial products. Chase also has a wide distribution of branches. Read our full Chase Bank review here.

Bonus Offer: Right now you can get a $300 bonus offer when you open an account, setup direct deposit, and make your first deposit within 90 days.

Open a Chase checking account here >>

While Service Credit Union doesn’t offer a checking account oriented to military members, we couldn’t pass up its great military savings account products. The Primary Savings pays an impressive 5% APY on the first $500 and 0.5% on anything above $500.

That’s not all; the Deployed Warrior Savings account earns 10% APY on balances up to $10,000. To earn this APY, you must be a member who’s currently serving active duty in a combat zone. Any remaining balance over $10,000 does not earn any interest.

Open a Service Credit Union account here >>

What to Look For

When considering a checking account, there are a lot of things to consider - especially if you're in the military. We are already big fans of online bank accounts, but being in the military makes that a must! You could be deployed anywhere and you need to have access to your money.

But don't just think you need to find a military checking account. Many of the best free checking accounts would work as well - and some of them are even on this list! Plus, you could also look into one of the best nationwide credit unions as well.