Chase Total Checking® account review
- Fee
- $12 per month
- APY
- N/A
- Minimum deposit to open
- $0
Our verdict
A no-frills checking account with all of the benefits of banking with Chase and a $300 signup bonus.
Chase Total Checking® account keeps things simple: it has no minimum opening deposit requirement and gives you access to more than 15,000 Chase ATMs. Chase also offers a $300 signup bonus after you open your account and set up direct deposits. On the downside, Chase charges a $12 monthly fee, though it's avoidable when you meet certain deposit and balance requirements.
Best for: Those looking for an account backed by an established bank.
Pros
-
$300 bonus offer
-
No opening deposit
Cons
-
$12 monthly fee
$300 signup bonus when you open a Chase Total new account with direct deposit
Who is Chase Checking best for?
The Chase Checking best suits consumers looking for a checking account back by one of the four major banks on the market. The caveat? It’s $12 monthly fee. Although the fee is avoidable as long as you meet one of three requirements, there’s a risk that the fee will eat into your hard-earned money if you’re not careful.
What makes Chase Checking shine
The main strengths of Chase’s Total Checking account are simplicity and established support. Open the account with as little as $0, which keeps signup straightforward. Chase also has more than 4,700 branches across the US, meaning its simple to contact a Chase representative near you in the event you need support.
Chase is also one of a few checking accounts on the market to offer a signup bonus for opening an account. Get a $300 bonus when you open this account and set up direct deposit within 90 days. However, you shouldn’t open this account for this reason alone. This is just an extra incentive to throw your hat into the ring with Chase if you like the other aspects of the account.
Also worth noting is Chase’s Overdraft Assist feature, which lets you bypass Chase’s insufficient funds fee if you overdraw on your account by $50 or less. This comes standard on all Chase checking accounts except Chase First Checking, Chase High School Checking and Chase Secure Checking. If you enroll in Overdraft Protection, your Chase savings account gets linked to your checking account and funds are pulled from there to use as backup to cover any larger overdraft transactions.
Where it falls short
Chase’s main drawback is its $12 monthly service fee, which is avoidable when you meet one of the following requirements:
Chase products also tend to go heavy on fees and the Total Checking account is no different. Depending on what you need to do with your account, you may incur a variety of fees.
Chase Total Checking fees and access
| Type of fee | Fee details | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly service | $12 |
|
| Opening deposit | $0 | |
| ATMs |
| |
| Debit card fees |
| |
| Overdraft or nonsufficient funds | $34 per transaction, maximum of 3 fees per business day | $0 with Chase Overdraft Assist and when you overdraw less than $50 |
| Wire transfers |
| Incoming wires are $0 if wire was sent with help of a Chase banker or using Chase.com or Chase Mobile |
Chase Checking customer experience
Chase is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which gives it an A- rating based on its handling of 3,612 complaints in the past three years. However, there are 322 customer reviews for Chase on the BBB’s website, with an average rating of 1.1 out of 5. And among the 551 customer reviews for Chase on Trustpilot, the bank earns a dismal rating of 1.4 out of 5.
On both Trustpilot and the BBB’s website, customers complain about Chase’s banking, mortgaging and auto financing services. But we didn’t find any reviews specifically about the Total Checking account.
If you have questions or need help with your account, contact Chase customer service in the following ways.
- Visit a local Chase branch to speak with a banker in person.
- Call 800-935-9935 for automated and live support with your account.
- Send tweets to @ChaseSupport or message the bank via Facebook.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chase Total Checking have a minimum balance requirement?
Technically, no, the account doesn’t have minimum balance requirements. However, if you’re not doing direct deposits of at least $500 per month, or you’re not maintaining an average balance of at least $5,000, or have a balance of $1,500 or more at the beginning of each statement period, you’ll be subject to the monthly service fee of $12 per month.
What are the withdrawal limits for Chase Total Checking?
For most consumer accounts, Chase has a daily withdrawal limit of $500 for non-Chase ATMs, in most states. That limit is $1,000 for Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
The daily withdrawal limit for Chase ATMs is $1,000, a daily $3,000 limit for in-person withdrawals, and a daily limit of $3,000 for debit card purchases.
Which is better: Chase Total Checking or Chase Secure Banking?
Chase Total Checking and Secure Banking both have monthly service fees. Total Checking has a monthly fee of $12, but it can be waived with direct deposits or maintaining a certain balance.
The Chase Secure Banking checking account has a lower $4.95 monthly fee, but the fee can’t be waived at all. So if you can’t waive the $12 monthly fee with Total Checking, Chase Secure Banking is technically the cheaper option.
Both accounts can also get you a signup bonus. The Chase Total Checking account currently offers $300, and the Chase Secure Banking has a $100 one. So if you can waive the $12 monthly fee with Chase Total Checking and get the higher bonus, it’s the winner.
Compare Chase Total Checking with other checking accounts
Checking account ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top checking accounts and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: monthly fees, the ease at which monthly fees can be waived, the breadth of ATM access, ATM and overdraft fees, and customer service.
Your reviews
Michael Finder
Staff writer
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nikkiangco
April 24, 2019
Hi ls1985,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder! Upon checking Chase Total Checking is does not offer rental car coverage. Hope this helps!
Best,
Nikki
ls1985
April 24, 2019
Does chase total checking with the visa debit card offer the rental car coverage?