U.S. Bank offers a variety of personal and business accounts, including checking, savings, money market accounts and CDs. All accounts come with access to its online and mobile banking platform, which lets you manage your money and deposit checks for free. Account holders get eStatements and overdraft protection, or avoid overdraft fees altogether with its personal Safe Debit account. But there aren’t branches in every state, most accounts come with maintenance fees and the APY on the personal savings account is low.
Best for: Seniors, young adults, teens and military members in need of a full-service bank.
Pros
Large variety of accounts
4,700 U.S. Bank ATMs nationwide
Cons
Monthly fees on most accounts
Low savings rate
Poor customer reviews
Is U.S. Bank right for you?
U.S. Bank may be worth considering if you’re looking for somewhere to do all your personal banking and borrowing. With the Smart Rewards program — included for free with U.S. Bank’s Smarty Checking account — you may get extra perks like mortgage credits, new auto loan rate discounts and a higher APY on its Standard Savings account.
The best perks with U.S. Bank are available for specific demographics: seniors, young adults, teens and military members (veteran or active duty). These groups are more likely to get monthly maintenance fees waived on select accounts and enjoy extra perks that come with U.S. Bank’s Smart Rewards program.
But if you don’t need a full-service bank and can’t waive the monthly maintenance fees on its personal accounts, consider other options. We’ve seen many other savings accounts with APYs as high as 5%, crushing the low 0.01% APY on U.S. Bank’s Standard Savings account. Also, there are many free checking accounts to compare that don’t require you to be a certain age or demographic or hold a certain balance to avoid a monthly fee.
Where U.S. Bank shines
U.S. Bank is FDIC-insured with over 90 years in the industry. It serves well over 11 million customers and has over 2,000 full-service branches in 24 states.
Similar to many large banks, U.S. Bank is integrated with Zelle, so you can easily send money to friends and family with no fees on U.S. Bank’s end. It also has a large, free ATM network, and you can use any MoneyPass ATM for free.
Smart Rewards program
With U.S. Bank’s Smartly Checking account, you can join the Smart Rewards program for free, which includes extra bonuses and more waived fees, depending on your account balance and tier (Plus, Premium or Pinnacle). Some of the better rewards we saw include:
0.10% interest rate discount on new auto loans
0.25% mortgage closing credit on first mortgage
100 free trades per calendar year through affiliate U.S. Bancorp Investments
$2 paper statement fees waived
There are also exclusive rewards reserved for seniors, young adults, teens and military members in the program. If you’re in one of those demographics, you’re eligible to waive the monthly maintenance fee on the Smartly Checking account. You may also qualify for extra perks, like a 50% discount on personal check reorders and safe deposit box rental fees.
Where U.S. Bank falls short
In short, if you don’t need a full-service bank, consider other account options without monthly fees.
Maintenance fees galore and odd overdraft protection
U.S. Bank charges monthly maintenance fees on its checking accounts, and with the Safe Debit account, there’s no way to waive the $4.95 monthly fee.
The accounts that do offer the ability to waive the fee require you to meet certain criteria, such as:
Keeping the specified minimum monthly balance
Being under the age of 24 or over 65
Being a member of the military (veteran or active member)
Meeting direct deposit requirements
Having a U.S. Bank credit card
Also, while the bank advertises its U.S. Bank Overdraft Fee Forgiveness Program for its Smartly Checking account, there are parameters, and if you pass them, you’ll pay a $12.50 overdraft fee.
Here’s how the program works: If you overdraw by $50.01 or more, your overdraft fee is refunded as long as you restore your account balance before 11:00 p.m. ET. To avoid the fee altogether, you can set up automatic transfers from another U.S. Bank account to cover the overdraft. Plenty of other banks offer free checking accounts that waive the overdraft fee completely.
Low APY on personal savings
U.S. Bank’s only savings account earns a meager 0.01% APY. And on top of this, you’ll pay a $4 monthly fee unless you qualify to waive it.
Although the account’s APY can vary by location, we entered multiple zip codes to get an idea of the going rates across the states, and the rate was always around 0.01% APY. This rate is much lower than the best savings account and the national average, which is currently 0.40% APY, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Although there’s a chance you can earn an additional 5% APY on the account with the Smart Rewards program, you’re required to maintain a balance between $20,000 to $49,999.99 to qualify.
Compare U.S. Bank products
Narrow down U.S. Bank accounts by fees, APYs and opening deposits. Select the Compare box to view products side by side for an easier comparison.
U.S. Bank offers six different personal accounts, ranging from checking, savings, money market accounts and CDs.
U.S. Bank personal checking
There are two checking accounts to choose from — both requiring a $25 opening deposit.
Smartly Checking. Offers overdraft protection if linked to a savings account and three ways to waive the $6.95 monthly maintenance fee. This account also lets you unlock the Smart Rewards program, and there’s an active $300 signup bonus if you meet requirements.
Safe Debit. This account has a smaller $4.95 monthly fee, but there’s no way to waive it. You can’t overdraw on the account, but you may get discounts on money orders.
U.S. Bank personal savings
U.S. Bank offers one personal savings account: Standard Savings. We’ve already covered the low 0.01% APY you’ll likely get, though exact rates vary by zip code.
If you also get the Smartly Checking Account, you can waive the $4 monthly fee of the Standard Savings account and enroll in the Smart Rewards with the Primary Tier or higher. Getting into the primary tier requires a balance of $20,000 to $49,999.99. So if you don’t have robust savings just yet, you’ll likely be shouldered with the maintenance fee if you don’t qualify another way.
Other ways to waive the $4 fee include:
Maintain a $300 minimum daily balance
Have a $1,000 average monthly collected balance
Open this as a joint account with a child under 17
U.S. Bank money market accounts
There are two personal money market savings accounts to choose from.
Elite Money Market Account. Earn up to 4.5% APY on balances $25,000 and more. There’s a $10 monthly maintenance fee that comes with ways to waive it and a $100 minimum opening deposit.
Retirement Money Market. Features no monthly maintenance fee for U.S. Bank individual retirement account holders. But it requires either a $100 minimum opening deposit or $25 in automatic monthly deposits upon opening. Rates vary by region, likely around 0.01% APY for all balances.
U.S. Bank CDs
Similar to U.S. Bank’s savings accounts, CD rates vary by area. U.S. Bank’s CD rates typically max out to APY, but you may get a different rate depending on where you live. CD options include:
CD Specials. Likely the best offer, CD specials offer rates up to APY in some areas with select terms, and current account holders may qualify for higher yields. Terms available are seven months, 11 months, 15 months and 19 months. Requires a $1,000 minimum deposit.
Standard CDs. Offers a rate increase every seven months, starting at 0.05% APY and ending at 0.25% APY (depending on your zip code).
Step Up CDs. Offers a rate increase every seven months throughout its 28-month term, and requires a deposit of at least $1,000. Rates vary by area, but you may expect rates to be: 0.05% for the first 7 months, then 0.25% for seven months, then 0.45% for next seven months, and 0.65% for the last 7 months.
Trade-up CDs. Allow you to trade up your CD for a higher rate once before its maturity date that’s similar to your existing term length. Terms are 30 or 60 months, it requires a $1,000 deposit and rates range from 0.1% to 0.4% APY, depending on your area.
Other U.S. Bank products
The bank also offers 10 business accounts, including checking, savings and money market accounts.
Some business checking and money market accounts are interest bearing, like the Basic business savings account, Platinum Business Money Market account and the Premium Business Money Market account. However, many require an opening deposit and rates are low, ranging around 0.01% to 0.30% APY — much lower than the national average.
Aside from business accounts, other U.S. Bank products include:
Credit cards. Choose from eight options, all with different perks and benefits — including points, cash back and eligible travel reimbursements.
Loans. Take out a home, auto, boat, RV or another personal loan. It also offers home equity options.
Investing. Watch your money grow with mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other portfolio options.
Wealth management. Get assistance planning for retirement and managing investments. Automated and self-directed investment options are available.
Compare with leading bank accounts
Narrow down top personal bank accounts by fees, APYs and opening deposits. Select the Compare box to view products side by side for easier comparison.
Currently holding an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and 94 years in business, there’s a lot of insight to gain from U.S. Bank customers.
U.S. Bank has gotten over 4,900 complaints in the last three years on its BBB profile and over 600 reviews resulting in a less-than-ideal 1.1 customer star rating. The U.S. Bank Trustpilot profile is unclaimed, but it carries over 600 reviews to date — also with a poor 1.2-star rating.
While it’s not uncommon for a financial institution to receive mostly-negative reviews, U.S. Bank’s are rather poor. Many reviews cite unique circumstances, such as issues with paycheck withholdings, frozen accounts and issues resolving fraud — all typical complaints we see with banks.
The BBB also posted an alert for U.S. Bank, detailing an incident where they entered a settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB alleged that the bank was accessing personal credit reports without the account holder’s permission, violating the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Truth in Savings Act. The bank had to pay a $37.5 million penalty to the CFPB and states it’s enacting a plan to remediate the issue. The situation does cast a poor look on U.S. Bank, but the settlement refers back to incidents dating back to 2010, and since 2016, it has addressed these issues. It was a long investigation lasting over five years.
Bethany Hickey is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto.
Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt.
Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others.
Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine.
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