Updated Raisin Review
Raisin.com provides a free online savings marketplace with very high savings rates through partnerships with over 45 federally insured banks and credit unions. You only need $1 to fund any Raisin account and that includes CDs (Certificate of Deposit).
Read the full review here.
Upgrade Review
Upgrade currently offers the easiest debit reward program available with unlimited 1% cash back, 2% cash back categories, and great merchant offers from local restaurants and national brands.
Get the $150 signup bonus while it is still offered.
Read the full review here.
Welcome to BankMindful!
Everyone uses banks. We want to help you Use Banks Better.
Our key guidelines are:
- Don't Pay Fees
- Don't Pay Interest
- Stay loyal to YOUR money
There is so much competition for your deposits and transactions that you should not pay fees just for having an account. Monthly maintenance fees and credit card annual fees usually are not worth the marginal benefits that come with the accounts, but we will explain the few cases where these make sense for you.
Credit card interest is almost as evil as a payday loan. The only time you should keep a credit card balance is if the interest rate is 0% such as with a new credit card offering 0% APR on purchases for an introductory period. Even then, you should pay the monthly balance to yourself by making deposits to a high-yield savings account until you pay off the credit balance at the end of the 0% APR period. Bottom line is banks should pay you interest for your deposits and you should avoid paying credit card interest.
Banks often create incentives to change your loyalty. For example, there are many great credit card offers for airline miles or unique bank rewards programs, but those programs force you to be loyal to a specific airline or bank. We want to list options on this site that always allow you to have more U.S. dollars in your pocket so that you can stay loyal to YOUR money.
Banks use your deposits to make loans and get paid interest from the loan borrowers. You should be compensated with your own interest for allowing banks to do this. All accounts and offers listed on our site will allow banks to pay you by following our key guidelines. So let's get started!
Best Bank Accounts for Kids
We believe in learning by doing and we think the best way to teach kids about money management is to allow them to use their own bank accounts. There are many options for financial accounts for kids right now but we want to focus on the best FDIC insured accounts with no monthly maintenance fees.
Read the review here.
Cash Back Debit Cards
We love maximizing credit card rewards, but now we are finding debit card options with interesting rewards that fill key gaps. No impact on your credit score, no overdraft fees, merchant offers and more!
Read the review here.
Updated Juno Review
Juno jumps to the top for checking interest rates.
Take advantage of the 5% interest and 5% cash back while they last.
Read the full review here.
Our First Full Review: Chime
Chime isn't our favorite financial technology (fintech) company, but it could be yours.
Get the $100 bonus. Try it out. With no fees, there is no risk.
Read the full review here.
Best Savings Rates
With federal interet rates rising, there are now some great savings accounts with lots of free, convenient features that also have a good annual percentage yield (APY). All of the accounts listed here are FDIC insured and most have no monthly maintenance fees. Direct deposits or a minimum balance may be required to avoid monthly maintenance fees or receive a higher interest rate.| Bank | APY with Direct Deposit |
APY without Direct Deposit |
Minimum Monthly Direct Deposit |
Minimum to open account |
Minimum Daily Balance |
Maximum Balance eligible for APY |
Early Paycheck? |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Banking Direct | 5.55% | 5.55% | $500.00 | $1.00 | Apply | |||
| Poppy Premier Online | 5.50% | 5.50% | $1,000.00 | Apply | ||||
| First Internet Money Market | 5.48% | 5.48% | $100.00 | $1,000,001.00 | Apply | |||
| Brilliant.Bank Surge Money Market | 5.35% | 5.35% | $1,000.00 | Apply | ||||
| Brio Direct | 5.35% | 5.35% | $5,000.00 | $25.00 | No | Apply | ||
| Climate First Choice Money Market | 5.34% | 5.34% | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $9,999,999 | Apply | ||
| Ivy | 5.30% | 5.30% | $2,500.00 | $2,500.00 | $1,000,000 | No | Apply | |
| Vio | 5.30% | 5.30% | $100.00 | Apply | ||||
| Tab | 5.27% | 5.27% | Apply | |||||
| 5.26% | 5.26% | $1.00 | $1.00 | Apply | ||||
| TotalDirectBank | 5.26% | 5.26% | $25,000.00 | $2,500.00 | $1,000,000 | No | Apply |
View more savings accounts
Best Free Checking Accounts
There are now some great checking accounts with lots of free, convenient features that also have a good annual percentage yield (APY). All of the accounts listed on our site are FDIC insured with no monthly maintenance fees. Direct deposits or minimum balance may be required to get a higher APY.| Bank | APY with Direct Deposit |
APY without Direct Deposit |
Minimum Monthly Direct Deposit |
Early Paycheck? |
Online Bill Pay? | Pay Anyone? |
Check Writing? |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate First Choice | 5.34% | $1,000.00 | Apply | |||||
|
5.12% | 5.12% | Yes | Yes | No | Apply | ||
| Primis | 5.07% | 5.07% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Apply | |
| Wealthfront | 5.00% | 5.00% | Yes | One-time or recurring check | No | Apply | ||
| elroy | 4.25% | 4.25% | Yes | Yes | elroy to elroy | Apply | ||
| Paramount | 3.25% | 3.25% | No | Yes | Apply | |||
| T-Mobile | 2.50% | 2.50% | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Apply | |
| Customers | 2.00% | 1.00% | $1.00 | Apply |
View more checking accounts
View more credit cards
Top Merchant Offers
Merchant offers are like coupons. You must activate each merchant offer at your credit card website or in the credit card app on your phone before using. After activation, use your credit card with the merchant per the terms of the offer and you will receive bonus cash back on your credit card statement. Offers may be available for in-store purchases, online purchases, or both. These offers can also stack with shopping portals such as Rakuten and airline dining rewards programs.| Category | Merchant | Card | Cash Back Offer |
If You Spend |
+ Card Cash Back |
Total Cash Back |
Expires On | Offer Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV, Internet and Streaming Services | AT&T Fiber | Upgrade Debit Visa | $65.00 | $55.00 | 1.0% | $65.00 + 1.0% | Details |
View more merchant offers
Bank Bonus Offers
Many banks offer signup bonuses to attract new customers. We list 3 types of bank bonus offers: direct deposit offers, balance transfer offers and debit transaction offers. Direct deposit offers may require you to have a certain number of direct deposits for a certain total within a certain number of days. Balance transfer offers require you to transfer new funds to your new account and maintain a certain balance for a certain number of days. Debit transaction offers require you to make a certain number of debit transactions within a certain number of days. You can review the offer details links to see the important fine print for each offer.View more bank bonus offers
BankMindful.com is an independent publisher and comparison service. The content on Bank Mindful is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. We do our best to keep information updated, however, numbers stated on this site may differ from actual numbers. We may have financial relationships with some of the companies mentioned on this website. BankMindful may not include all companies or all available products.