Nationwide My Checking Review: Fee-Free Online Banking

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Nationwide My Checking Account

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• Our Rating 4/5 How our ratings work
• APYN/A
• Minimum
  Deposit Required$100

Overall, Nationwide My Checking is an excellent account that could work well for many people. If you want unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and no recurring fees, this account has you covered. The added benefit of getting paid up to two days early could help alleviate financial pressures that arise throughout the year. If you are new to online-only banking, this account could be the one that makes it worthwhile to explore.

Convient, Fee-Free Mobile Banking

You may know of Nationwide as a major insurance company, but it also offers a suite of other financial products, including banking. The Nationwide My Checking account is powered by Axos Bank and includes popular features that make it worth considering for your banking needs. For example, this low-fee account includes unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and could put your paycheck in your account a day or two early. There is no monthly fee.

If you want a simple, low-fee online checking account, this could fit the bill. Keep reading to learn more about how Nationwide My Checking works and if it might be right for your banking needs.

Nationwide My Checking Features

My Checking is an online checking account with no monthly fee, and it offers many popular features of most online checking accounts today. That means it is an internet-only account with no bank branch to visit. Here’s a rundown on the best and most important features to know about:

Online and Mobile Account Access

Once your account is up and running, you can view your account details online at the Nationwide/Axos Bank website or through the Axos Bank mobile app for Android or iOS. When logged in, you can view balances, transfer funds and use several of the features below.

If you are new to online and mobile banking, it’s a great way to handle all of your financial needs yourself from the comfort of home, couch or commute. Nationwide Bank and Axos Bank use high-end security to keep your connection to the bank safe from prying eyes. And, in the COVID-19 landscape, it’s much safer than an added trip to the bank for in-person service.

Instant access to your information helps you avoid accidental overdrafts and spot any fraudulent transactions right away. If you catch bank fraud early, you can often fix it and get your money back. If you wait until your statement shows up in the mail a month or so later, there could be much more damage and it could be too late to get everything back.

Unlimited Domestic ATM Fee Reimbursement

If you bank with a traditional bank, you may be very familiar with the fees your bank charges when you use an ATM owned by anyone else. Also, you likely have to pay anywhere from a dollar to five dollars or more in ATM fees to the ATM owner. With My Checking from Nationwide Bank, those ATM fees are all a thing of the past.

Nationwide My Checking account holders can use their ATM card at any ATM in the United States with no fees from your bank. There are no in-network ATM rules. If the ATM owner charges a fee, you will be reimbursed for those ATM fees with no limits. That means you can use any ATM in an airport, at a gas station, in a convenience store or anywhere else your travels take you surcharge-free.

If you use an ATM once a week on average, at the cost of $5 per visit, this feature could be worth hundreds of dollars per year to you. This may be the single biggest reason to switch to My Checking from another bank if you regularly use ATMs.

Get Your Paycheck Early

The majority of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. If you are always anxiously awaiting payday for your direct deposit to show up in your account, pay attention to this feature. It could help you get paid up to two days early. Most employers send direct deposit information in advance so employees can get their “paycheck” on a specific day.

If the systems behind My Checking get notified about an incoming direct deposit, it may give you credit up to two days early. That means people who get paid every other Friday could get paid on Wednesday instead. When the bills are due, that could help alleviate a cash crunch.

In some cases, that could even help you avoid non-sufficient funds charges and late fees that you may have otherwise been at risk of paying.

Mobile Check Deposit

If you still take paper checks to a bank teller or the ATM, it’s time to jump into the next century with mobile check deposit. This feature allows you to deposit a check using your phone’s camera and the Axos Bank mobile app. Mobile check deposit works just as the old ways of depositing checks, but you can do it from home, work, your car or anywhere else with an internet connection.

You just have to sign the back of the check, take a picture of the front and back, press the upload button and wait for the funds to show up in your account. This feature is very safe and secure. It’s best to keep the check for a couple of weeks until it clears, then you can drop it in the shredder. This is the best no-hassle way to put a check in the bank.

Online Bill Pay

Online bill pay is a free feature that allows you to send payments to just about anyone in the U.S. Many businesses are listed for electronic funds transfers.

If you need to pay a bill that isn’t listed, even to a family member or friend, the system will send a paper check in the mail on your behalf. You don’t have to use an envelope or pay for a stamp for bills ever again. Instead, you can just log in with your phone or mobile app, add the bill and payment information and click send or schedule.

You can even use this feature to automate credit card, utility and other bill payments, so you never have to think about them. Electronic payments via bill pay typically take around two or three days to process, while paper checks require about a week. With planning ahead and the added organization of online bill pay, you may never miss a due date again.

Member FDIC

Because Axos Bank runs multiple brands over the internet. Currently, the banking brands operated by Axos Bank including both Nationwide Bank UFB Direct are also protected by the FDIC, which insures each depositor up to $250,000.

My Checking Fees and Costs

Many people could use this bank account without ever paying any fees. There are no monthly maintenance fees and no ATM fees. As long as you avoid some less-common activity like overdrafts and wire transfers, this is a completely free account for typical banking needs.

After a $100 minimum opening deposit requirement, there is no required minimum balance and no recurring maintenance fee. It doesn’t matter if your balance is $1 or $1 million. You won’t pay any regular fees to use this account.

That’s a major advantage of this account over checking accounts from traditional bricks-and-mortar checking accounts from the nation's biggest banks and smaller regional banks. Those often have recurring fees unless you meet certain minimum balance or debit card activity requirements, for example. But you won’t deal with any of those extra rules with Nationwide My Checking.

Nationwide Bank Security Features

If you are worried about security, Nationwide Bank and Axos Bank do an excellent job protecting your finances and personal information. My Checking uses these security features to make sure you’re the only one who can access your accounts:

• Two-Step authentication: When logging in on an unrecognized device, you will be prompted to answer security questions or type in a unique temporary security code.
• Data encryption: Connections are encrypted with industry-standard 128-bit SSL. It is a bank, after all, so you can expect bank-level security all around.
• Automatic logout: If you walk away from your computer, you will automatically log out of inactive sessions. This prevents unauthorized access to your online account.
• Fraud monitoring: My Checking accounts are monitored with anti-fraud technology designed to spot and block unauthorized activity before it reaches your account. All accounts are monitored for potential fraud.

With bank-level security standards in place to protect your finances and data, you can rest easy with your funds at My Checking. In addition to Axos Bank protections, accounts are FDIC insured for up to $250,000 per depositor.

FDIC insurance coverage guarantees that you'll get your money even if the bank goes out of business. Virtually all checking accounts in the United States are insured by the FDIC (banks) or NCUA (credit unions).

My Checking vs. Other Nationwide Accounts

Nationwide banking services include three more checking account options, including two interest-bearing accounts. Here’s a quick snapshot to compare and decide if there may be a better fit for your needs.

* Details subject to change without notice. See Nationwide Bank/ Axos Bank terms and conditions for more information about APY rates.

Other Nationwide Bank Accounts

Nationwide banking services also include savings accounts, mortgages, personal loans and auto refinance loans. It makes a lot of sense to open a savings account at the same bank as your checking account, so here’s a list of savings account options you may want to consider as well. As of the time of publishing, these rates are well above the typical rate from a brick-and-mortar bank.

• My Savings: The most popular savings account currently features a high-yield APY interest rate with no minimum balance requirement or recurring fees.
• Regular Savings: Earn a higher than average APY in an account with no minimum balance requirements or monthly maintenance fees.
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs): A CD account from Nationwide currently pays a mid-range APY. There’s a $500 minimum opening deposit requirement. Terms range from three months to 60 months.
• Money Market Plus: The Nationwide Money Market account features a competitive rate APY with no minimum balance requirement or recurring fees. The account includes check-writing privileges not available with other savings accounts.

High-net-worth households may be interested in Nationwide Premier. This invite-only service includes a dedicated account manager, higher account limits, lower loan fees and other perks. Average percentage yield (APY) changes frequently. See the Nationwide secure website for specific APY, CD rates and interest rates.

About Nationwide and Axos Bank

You may have noticed that this review mentions Axos Bank a few times and that mobile banking relies on the Axos Bank app. That’s because Nationwide and Axos Bank are partners in bringing you these accounts. Axos Bank offers banking products with Nationwide’s branding.

This relationship may get you special discounts or other opportunities. Behind the scenes, Axos Bank is essentially running the show. Axos Bank is a highly rated bank and these low fee accounts are very good, so this partnership works out in your favor if you already like working with Nationwide.

The Bottom Line

Overall, My Checking is an excellent account that could work well for many people. If you want unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and no recurring fees, this account has you covered. The added benefit of getting paid up to two days early could help alleviate financial pressures that arise throughout the year.

If you are new to online-only banking, this account could be the one that makes it worthwhile. Just imagine going to any drive-up or walk-up ATM in the country without worrying about a fee and getting paid before payday to boot. While online-only banking isn’t right for everyone, this account is a great checking that’s certainly worth considering for your online checking account needs.

Fee-Free Online Banking

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