Can I Open a Bank Account With No Deposit ?

When you first open a traditional bank account, you may be asked to meet a minimum deposit requirement, which can range from $25 – $100. If you can’t meet this requirement, a traditional bank may deny your application and you won’t be able to open an account.

The reason why some banks have this an opening deposit requirement in the first place is similar to the reason why they charge other bank fees. In addition to having overhead costs, traditional banks make the bulk of their money by loaning funds to borrowers for mortgages and other purchases. To lend money, they have to be making money.

So, if you open a bank account and the balance is $0, it doesn’t benefit the traditional bank at all.

But, say you want to open an account even if you don’t have any money at that moment. For example, perhaps you are getting paid in the next week and plan to come back and deposit more into your bank account at a later date.

Regardless of the reason, there’s really no getting around this requirement with some traditional banks if you don’t have the money.

This is why you may want to consider opening an online bank account.

Bank accounts that don’t require an opening deposit

Many traditional banks require you to make an opening deposit to establish an account. But some online-only banks and banks with online banking, don’t have opening deposit requirements. 

See how Chime compares to traditional banking options, and choose the best option for you.

In addition to an opening deposit, many financial institutions require a minimum balance in order to keep an account open or avoid a monthly service fee. 

For example, the SunTrust Essential Checking account requires a minimum account balance of $500 to avoid a $7 monthly service fee. Meanwhile, Citi’s Simple Checking account has a $12 monthly maintenance fee. To avoid the fee you must make one qualifying direct deposit and one qualifying bill payment per statement period or maintain a $1,500+ account balance (can be shared among other eligible accounts). 

You may be wondering why traditional banks have minimum balance requirements. It’s simple. 

Brick-and-mortar banks need to make money, too. They have overhead costs like branches to operate and employees to pay. They don’t make any money when you don’t keep money in your account. 

However, when you bank through Chime, there are no hidden fees². This means you can keep more of your money and have more flexibility in terms of what you do with your hard-earned cash.

If you’ve been following along so far you probably know that yes, you can open a bank account with no money. You can also do this without adhering to a minimum balance requirement.

Yet, not all bank accounts are created equal. If you’re tired of paying extra fees or dealing with strict requirements, consider becoming a Chime member.

Chime is different in that it was built on the principle of helping members save more money and get ahead. Chime wants to make it easier for you to hold onto your cash.

Each time you swipe your Chime Visa® Debit Card, Chime earns a small fee paid by the merchant. They don’t make money off you. As a result, you enjoy no hidden fees² including:

• No minimum balance requirements
• No opening balance requirement
• No monthly maintenance charges
• No overdraft charges

If you have an irregular income, or are looking to avoid excessive fees, Chime could be a great solution.

Now that you know you can open a bank account without an opening deposit or minimum balance requirements, it’s important that you make a wise decision about which bank you choose to open an account with. Think of your financial goals and priorities when weighing your options and always choose the account that won’t ding you with unnecessary fees.