Alliant Credit Union's High-Rate Checking pays interest on every dollar, reimburses ATM fees, offers early payday, and charges $0 in monthly fees.
PickYourBank Rating
9.3
Overall
9.6
APY
9.6
Fees
9.0
App
9.1
Service
Early
Direct deposit
$0
To open
$0
Monthly fees
$250K
NCUA coverage
Alliant Credit Union has served members since 1935 and now serves 800,000+ members nationwide with $19B+ in assets.
Membership is open to anyone via Alliant's partner charity — once you're in, you get no-fee checking, savings, CDs and loans backed by NCUA insurance.
Founded
1935
HQ
Chicago, IL
Charter
Federal credit union
Reach
Nationwide
FDIC insured
Up to $250K per depositor, per ownership category
Bank-grade security
256-bit encryption + multi-factor login
Top-rated mobile app
Deposit checks, transfer, freeze your card instantly
Competitive APY
Designed to keep up with the highest online rates
Here's what Alliant offers and who each product is best for.
Free checking that actually pays interest.
Up to 0.25% APY · $0 monthly fees · ATM rebates
Pair with checking for a higher APY.
Competitive variable APY · $5 to open
Takes about 5 minutes — no hard credit pull for deposit accounts.
Standard ID verification, usually instant.
Link an existing bank or transfer any amount via ACH.
Interest compounds and posts every month — no minimums to keep.
Yes. Alliant is FDIC-insured (directly or through partner banks), with deposits insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category.
No monthly maintenance fees on the core account. Standard third-party fees may apply for things like out-of-network ATMs or wire transfers.
No. You can open the account with any amount and there's no minimum balance required to keep it open.
Link an external bank to ACH transfer in, set up direct deposit, mobile-deposit a check, or do a wire transfer.
Yes. You can close the account at any time with no penalty. Move your balance via ACH or wire to your new bank.
Alliant is one of the only places you can get free checking, interest on every dollar, and real ATM rebates — all backed by a top-tier credit union.
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