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
Who is Chase Total Checking best for?
The Chase Checking best suits consumers looking for a checking account backed by one of the four major banks on the market.
The caveat? You’ll have to pay a $12 monthly fee. Although the fee is avoidable as long as you meet one of three requirements, there’s a risk that it will eat into your hard-earned money if you’re not careful.
What we like about Chase Total Checking
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, so you can contact a Chase representative near you if you need support.
Signup bonus
Chase is also one of the 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.
Overdraft assistance
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.
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.
This feature comes standard on all Chase checking accounts except Chase First Checking, Chase High School Checking and Chase Secure Checking.
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 |
Compare Chase Total Checking with other checking accounts
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How we picked theseWhat is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches over 300 checking accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, overdraft fees, opening deposit, customer support options, ATM network and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10.
To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of checking accounts against what we consider is the best option: no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, a large ATM network of 50,000 or more, additional features outside of typical banking services, and the optional perk of earning interest. Accounts that are nearly free to maintain and use are scored the highest, while accounts with costly fees and few features are scored the lowest.
Customer ratings and reviews
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | A+ |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.12 out of 5 stars, based on 870 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 1.3 out of 5 stars, based on 2,106 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 21 March 2025 |
The Chase Total Checking Account is offered by JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest banks in the country. However, the financial institution doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to customer satisfaction.
On the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the majority of its reviews are negative, which isn’t exactly reassuring. Many customers complain about poor customer service, unexpected account closures and unsatisfactory fraud protection. Things don’t look better on Trustpilot either, with complaints similar to the ones on BBB.
That said, Chase serves millions of customers, so a higher volume of negative reviews isn’t unusual for a bank of this size. Plus, we didn’t find any reviews specifically calling out the Total Checking account.
And despite the low ratings on the BBB and Trustpilot, Chase actually ranked number two in the J.D. Power 2024 US National Banking Satisfaction Study, which evaluated bank customer experiences across seven factors, including trust, account offers, digital channels and more.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chase Total Checking have a minimum balance requirement?
Technically, no, the account doesn’t have minimum balance requirements. However, you’ll be subject to the monthly service fee of $12 per month if you don’t receive direct deposits of at least $500 per month, or maintain an average daily balance of at least $5,000, or don’t have a balance of $1,500 or more at the beginning of each day.
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.
Finder Scores: What they mean
If you want peace of mind, this rating will give it to you. These products offer the best value and outcomes considering various product features, terms, conditions and price.
Well-balanced products that provide what you need, offering a healthy mix of competitive features at a good price. However, they're not quite the best in class.
Bottom line: You can find better, but these products still offer reasonable value and have the basics sorted.
These products may not offer much value in the long run, and there are better options available.
Your reviews
Jamela Finder
Contributor
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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?