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finder.com’s rating: 3.6 / 5.0
★★★★★
Citi’s Elevate Checking package is a digital account that comes with reimbursed ATM fees and overdraft protections. You can open Citi Elevate through the Citi Accelerate Savings account or Interest Checking account. But the rates offered aren’t very competitive and although it’s an online account, it’s not available in all areas.
From $4.50 per month
Fee
0.70%
APY
$1
Minimum deposit to open
APY | 0.70% depending on which account you choose with your Elevate account |
---|---|
Fee | From $4.50 per month |
To waive the fee | You’ll pay $4.50 with the Accelerate Savings account unless you keep at least $500 in your account every month or you’ll pay $15 a month with your Interest Checking account unless you maintain an average monthly balance of $5,000 |
Minimum deposit to open | $1 |
ATMs | over 60,000 free ATMs nationwide |
ATM transaction fee | $0 |
Out-of-network ATM fee | $0 |
Overdraft fee | $0 |
Review by
Heather Petty is a writer at Finder specializing in banking, investments and insurance. She's a self-proclaimed word nerd who worked as a technical writer and editor for the casino systems industry and is an internationally published young adult mystery author. Heather earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Citi’s Elevate account comes with overdraft protection and the ability to earn up to 0.7% APY. But what you’ll earn and pay each month depends on which account you decide to open this package with.
You have the option of choosing the Accelerate Savings, Interest Checking or both. If you’ll need to have access to ATMs, go with the Interest Checking account or both. You’ll get reimbursed ATM fees when you choose the Interest Checking account.
But if you want to earn the highest rate, you’ll want to choose the Accelerate Savings account. Although 0.7% APY is competitive, you can find higher interest-bearing checking account rates elsewhere.
You can open a Citi Elevate package with a Citi Accelerate Savings account or an Interest Checking account. You’ll earn a different APY and pay different fees depending on which account you choose with your Elevate account. Here’s how they compare:
Account | Minimum opening deposit | Monthly fee | Waive fee | APY | ATM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi Accelerate Savings | $0 | $4.50 | Keep at least $500 in your savings every month |
| $2.50 out-of-network ATM fee |
Citi Interest Checking | $0 | $15 | Keep at least $5,000 in your checking every month |
| $0 fees plus reimbursed third-party owner ATM fees |
If you choose to open both the savings and checking account, refer to the Interest Checking account details.
You can apply for an account online in six steps:
To be eligible for a Citi Elevate account, you must meet the following requirements:
Have the following information ready before you apply:
The following perks come with your account:
Citi has over 60,000 free ATMs nationwide. If you open Citi Elevate with the Interest Checking account, you’ll get fee reimbursement for any out-of-network ATM transactions. Citi debit card users also have access to Citi Private Pass, which provides special perks and discounts on concerts, sports events, dining and other entertainment events.
Keep the following in mind before you apply:
Citi Elevate is only open in these locations:
Use one of the following options to deposit or withdraw your funds with the Citi Elevate account:
Citi offers account perks, fees and interest rates based on your combined average monthly balance across all of your Citi accounts. You can set up your account as part of one of the following packages:
Citi offers multiple options for reaching out to its customer service department.
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We analyze top checking accounts and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: monthly fees, the ease at which monthly fees can be waived, the breadth of ATM access, ATM and overdraft fees, and customer service.