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Alliant Credit Union

Alliant Credit Union High-Rate Checking

The credit union that does online banking better than most online banks

8.5
Our Rating
APY
0.25% with eStatements and one monthly electronic deposit
Monthly Fee
$0
Minimum to Open
None ($25 for the membership savings account)
ATM Access
80,000+ free ATMs plus $20/month rebated on other operators' fees

Insurance: NCUA insured to $250,000 (federal credit union equivalent of FDIC)

Features

  • 0.25% APY with two easy conditions: eStatements plus any recurring monthly electronic deposit
  • Up to $20/month in out-of-network ATM fee rebates
  • 80,000+ fee-free ATM network
  • No monthly fee, no minimum balance, no overdraft transfer fee from savings
  • Early direct deposit
  • Anyone can join: Alliant pays the one-time membership donation to its foundation partner
  • Pairs with Alliant High-Rate Savings (consistently competitive APY) and excellent CDs

Pros

  • +Among the most generous ATM rebate caps of any free account
  • +Membership is effectively open to everyone at no cost
  • +Checking APY conditions are trivially easy to satisfy
  • +Top-tier credit union rates on the attached savings and CD ladder

Cons

  • 0.25% checking APY is symbolic next to Axos or SoFi savings rates
  • No physical branches; deposit-taking ATMs only for cash
  • NCUA $250k cap with no sweep program for larger balances
  • App is solid but plainer than the fintech competition

Our Take

Alliant is what people mean when they say credit unions can compete online. High-Rate Checking's hurdles are so soft they barely qualify as conditions, the $20 ATM rebate is bigger than most banks', and the institution behind it has decades of member-first pricing. Keep the yield expectation modest on checking and let the High-Rate Savings account next door do the earning. A superb primary-bank choice.

Best for: Anyone who wants a full-service, member-owned primary bank with real ATM rebates

Open at Alliant Credit Union

Last verified 2026-06-11

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