Checking Accounts

Checking accounts are the place to keep the money you'll be using soon. These banking resources will teach you about opening a checking account, finding the best account for your needs, and getting the most out of your checking account.
Couple at a bank.
What Is a Voided Check?
Woman placing money into her wallet
What Is a Deposit?
Sample blank, voided, and filled checks
How to Void Your Own Check for Automatic Transfers
Parts of a check
Understanding the Numbers on Your Check
Direct Deposit Automates Payments
A woman is seated on a couch with her phone in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.
What Is a Payee?
Hispanic couple looking at computer
What Is ACH Debit?
Young woman depositing check by phone in the cafe
Depositing a Check? Don't Spend the Money Too Quickly
how to sign over a check
Can You Really Sign a Check Over to Somebody Else?
Entering PIN
What Is a Personal Identification Number (PIN)?
How to endorse a check including when and how to sign it such as where to endorse it on the back of the check: To be endorsed correctly, the name on the back of the check needs to match the payee name written on the front of the check. A blank endorsement has you only signing your name; a restrictive endorsement has you signing your name and "For deposit only"; and to sign it over to someone else, sign your name and write "Pay to the order of" with the person's name.
There's More Than One Way to Endorse a Check
Image shows a woman online checking her checking account balance online. Beside her are four credit cards, a check, and a scale.
See the Best Banks for Online Checking Accounts
A woman is looking at her phone with her debit card in her hand. An open laptop is in front of her.
What Is a Checking Account?
See How to Write Dollars and Cents on a Check
Text reads: Where to Cash a Check Without Paying a Fee. Your bank or credit union, checkwriter's bank, retail stores, prepaid cards, and check cashing stores.
Here Are The Best Places to Cash a Check Without Paying Fees
How to cash a money order including first bringing payment to a location that cashes money orders like banks, credit unions, grocery stores, and check-cashing stores. Next, sign the back of your money order, and then show valid ID. Pay any fees and then get the cash and place it in a secure area.
How and Where Do You Cash a Money Order, Anyway?
Image shows a man handing a bank teller a check. Text reads: "What to know about check expiration: personal checks are typically valid for six months after the date written on the check; if it's been more than six months, you may want to ask for a re-issued check; if you write a replacement check, it's wise to request a stop payment on the original check"
How Quickly Do You Need to Cash That Check?
Multi-ethnic couple planning their home budget
The 4 Best Joint Checking Accounts of 2021
Women taking money from the ATM
These Banks Have the Best Checking Accounts
woman writing a check
The Different Parts of a Check and How to Read It
Need a Money Order? Here's Where to Buy One
man in blue collared shirt with glasses signing a document
Need to Mail a Check? Here's How to Do It Safely
Young couple with smartphone at bus stop
Traveling Abroad? Find Out If Traveler's Checks Make Sense for You
Check Register
Why Check Registers Still Matter in a Digital World
Image shows a check. Title reads "parts of a check" and points to what each area needs.
Where's the Routing Number on a Check?
How To Cash a Check: Save Money and Avoid Problems
woman at bank counter
What Is a Certified Check?
What to Do to Avoid Overdraft Fees
Image shows a money order made out to jane doe. Text reads: "What to know about buying a money order: money orders typically have a maximum limit; the cost refers to a single money order; prices vary from store to store and town to town; popular places to purchase include 7-eleven and western union; you can pay extra for services like finding out it the money order was cashed, and by whom"
Do You Know How Much a Money Order Costs?
Black businesswoman using cell phone and digital tablet on floor
Did They Cash or Deposit My Money Order?
Deposit Slip Example
See How to Fill Out a Deposit Slip for In-Branch (or Mail-In) Deposits
What to know about waiting for a check to clear. Using the same funds twice while waiting for a check to clear is fraud. Only write checks when you have funds available—it is illegal to do otherwise. How long the check takes to clear depends on whether the payee deposits the check sooner or later.
What Happens When You Write (or Deposit) a Check?
Custom illustration showing showing how to maximize debit card cash
Here are Ways to Get More Cash Than You'll Get From Your ATM
Person walking away from wallet they accidentally dropped
Your Debit Card is Missing — Now What?
Money order sign sitting atop assorted foreign currency
7 Things to Know About Money Orders and Cashier's Checks
Image shows a teen girl paying for a book with a credit card.
Best Debit Card for Teens of 2021
ATM Card
Make Deposits at ATMs—They're Not Just for Cash
Customer in Retail Banking Counter Window with Bank Teller
What Is ChexSystems?
Image shows a woman at her computer working on paypal and holding a credit card. Text reads: "Adding your debit card to paypal: log into your account; go to your 'wallet'; go to the 'link a debit or credit card' section"
Your Debit Card Can Fund PayPal Purchases, but Might Be Unnecessary
What to Look For in a High-Interest Checking Account: ATM access, deposit insurance, little to no monthly fees, easy-to-reach requirements
These Are the Best Rates Available on High-Interest Checking Accounts of August 2021
Person writing a check in a checkbook
What Are Duplicate Checks?
Image shows a counter-check and a pen on a string sitting on a wooden table. The images above show a bank teller, a hand filling out a check, and someone holding the check. Text reads: "What are counter checks? You can get counter checks at a bank branch, typically from a teller or a personal banker. Can be printed and used instantly, so they're available immediately after you open a new account. Handy in a pinch, or if you run out of checks and need one quickly"
Quick Checks Printed at Your Bank Branch
How to cancel a credit card
No Longer Need That Money Order? Here's How to Cancel It
Image shows a woman depositing a check on her phone. Text reads: "How to quickly cash a check: certain checks, like cashier's checks, payroll checks, and those issued by the government process quickly. Big-box stores and convenience stores often cash checks for a modest fee; use your judgement when it comes to cashing postdated checks"
Do I Have to Wait Before I Cash a Check I Just Received?
'Text on check, close-up'
What's a Bank Draft? Safe Payment in the Form of a Check or Transfer
Custom illustration showing how to stop check payments with your bank
See What Happens When You Stop Payment on a Check
Title: How to Deposit Checks. Showing person using a smartphone to take a photo of the check, visiting a teller at a branch location, placing the check into a mailing envelope, and using an automatic teller (ATM).
Received a Check? Here are Four Easy Ways to Deposit the Funds
sketchy ATM
How to Use an ATM
Worried looking man at home looking at bills in front of laptop
Learn About Bounced Checks and How to Avoid Them
Woman writing checks in kitchen
What Is a Postdated Check?
Custom illustration of the back of a check
What Do I Need to Know About the Information on the Back of My Checks?
Inserting bank card into ATM to perform automated banking transaction
U.S. Bank and Chase Free Checking Accounts: Hidden Fees or Free?
What's the Difference Between a Money Order and a Cashier's Check?
A concerned-looking man leaning on his crossed arms against a tabletop holding bills, a calculator, and a laptop
You Bounced a Check — Now What?
This illustration shows what you need to know about ATM withdrawal limits including that withdrawal limits are only applied to checking accounts, larger amounts can be withdrawn from savings accounts, some accounts, like student accounts, may have lower limits, and the typical daily ATM withdrawal limit is $300 to $500.
What to Do About ATM Withdrawal Limits
How to Write a Check to Yourself
Custom illustration of home check printing setup
See What You Need Before You Print Your Own Checks
Woman working on financial paperwork on laptop in her home at laptop with coffee
Why You Can't Buy Money Orders Online
How Can You Tell If a Check Is Going to Bounce?
A check
How to Close Your Checking Account