M&T Bank
M&T Bank Personal Checking
By Alex Compton · Last verified
Northeast community-style banking with a free entry tier
Insurance: FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor (M&T Bank)
Account Terms History
A dated record of APY, fees and opening requirements. New changes append to this table; prior terms remain visible.
| Observed | APY / yield | Monthly fee | Minimum | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 | None on EZChoice/MyWay; optional interest-bearing MyChoice Plus; special relationship deposit rates on MyChoice Premium | $0 EZChoice; $4.95 MyWay (waived with one transaction per cycle); $14.95 MyChoice Plus; $24.95 MyChoice Premium | $25 | M&T Bank checking account comparison and EZChoice product page →Reconfirmed EZChoice, MyChoice Plus and MyChoice Premium fees and waivers; added MyWay Banking; updated ATM and branch counts; no public checking bonus shown |
| 2026-06-11 | None on EZChoice/Plus; token interest on MyChoice Premium | $0 (EZChoice) | $25 | Archive record · no attached snapshotLegacy snapshot before event-level evidence attachments |
Primary-source verification log
Append-only evidence ledger- changed
EZChoice $0 and $25 opening deposit confirmed; added the $4.95 MyWay Banking tier, corrected Premium waiver wording, MyChoice Plus ATM relief, and ATM/branch counts; removed unsupported bonus claims
Fields: plans, features, atm, pros, cons, ourTake
M&T Bank checking account comparison and EZChoice product page →
Plan Options
EZChoice Checking
$0, no conditions
- ▸No maintenance fee and no balance requirements
- ▸Full checking feature set with checks and Zelle
- ▸The default choice for most M&T customers
MyWay Banking
$4.95, waived with at least one deposit, withdrawal, or debit card payment per statement cycle
- ▸Not eligible for overdraft fees
- ▸Cannot be linked to an Overdraft Line of Credit
- ▸Built for customers who want spending guardrails
MyChoice Plus Checking
$14.95, waived with $2,500+ average daily balance or $1,500+ in direct deposits per cycle
- ▸No M&T fee at non-M&T ATMs, plus reimbursement of up to $2 per transaction of another operator's surcharge
- ▸Optional interest-bearing version
- ▸Small relationship discounts on M&T loans
MyChoice Premium Checking
$24.95, waived with $7,500+ average daily balance or $25,000+ in combined daily balances across eligible accounts
Token interest
- ▸Interest-bearing with M&T's special relationship deposit rates
- ▸Discounted personal loan rates
- ▸Premium service fee waivers
Features
- ▸900+ branches and about 2,000 ATMs across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, strong in upstate NY, MD, and New England post-People's United
- ▸EZChoice is unconditionally free
- ▸MyWay Banking option with no overdraft fees for customers who want guardrails
- ▸Zelle and a steadily improving mobile app
- ▸$25 minimum opening deposit on every checking account; availability varies by ZIP code
- ▸Community-bank-style service reputation with big-bank scale
Pros
- +Free entry tier with zero conditions
- +Deep branch coverage in markets the megabanks underserve
- +Premium tier waivers are reachable for mass-affluent customers
- +MyWay Banking adds a low-cost no-overdraft-fee option
Cons
- −No interest until Premium, and trivial even there
- −Regional only, nothing west or south of the Mid-Atlantic
- −Digital experience trails national banks
- −MyChoice Plus offers little over free EZChoice beyond ATM relief for its fee risk
Our Take
M&T's lineup is easy to navigate: take EZChoice, which is free with no games. MyWay Banking costs $4.95 unless you make one transaction a cycle and is only worth it if you want an account that cannot charge overdraft fees. MyChoice Plus charges $14.95 unless you meet its waiver, for out-of-network ATM relief and loan discounts, and MyChoice Premium only earns its keep if you hold $25k+ at M&T anyway. This is a relationship branch bank for the Northeast, and on that basis it's dependable rather than exciting.
Best for: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic customers who want a free community-style branch account
Open at M&T Bank →Last verified 2026-10-12
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