Banking » Reviews » Alliant High-Interest Online Checking Account Review
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Alliant High-Interest Online Checking Account Review

Alliant Online Checking account offers a decent rate on balance with no balance requirements or monthly fees. But, there are limitations.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann’s areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.

Review & Fact Check: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Financial Expert, The Smart Investor CEO

Experience

Baruch Mann (Silvermann) is a financial expert and founder of The Smart Investor. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann’s areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.

Review & Fact Check: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Financial Expert, The Smart Investor CEO

Experience

Baruch Mann (Silvermann) is a financial expert and founder of The Smart Investor. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.

We earn a commission from our partner links on this page. It doesn't affect the integrity of our unbiased, independent editorial staff. Transparency is a core value for us, read our advertiser disclosure and how we make money.

Alliant High-Interest Online Checking

Fees

$0

Minimum Deposit

$0

Promotion

None

APY Checking

0.25%

Alliant High-Interest Online Checking

Fees

$0

Minimum Deposit

$0

Promotion

None

APY Checking

0.25%

Alliant is one of the largest credit unions in the U.S offering a variety of banking products including savings, CDs, credit cards and a choice of checking accounts. One of these checking account options is the Alliant High Rate Checking Account.

As the name suggests, this is a checking account that is interest bearing, offering an impressive rate with no balance requirements and a couple of simple qualification requirements.

In fact, you can earn the advertised rate if you sign up for e-statements and receive at least one electronic deposit into the account each month. This can be anything from a payroll deposit to an ATM deposit or transfer from another financial institution.

Alliant High-Interest Online Checking: Account Features

Here are the main features of Alliant High-Interest Online Checking: Account:

Alliant does not have a minimum initial deposit or ongoing minimum balance requirements to maintain your account.

This eliminates the barrier to entry for many people and it means that you can enjoy the account even if you don’t typically have extra cash in your checking account.

Unlike many checking accounts, the Alliant High Interest Checking Account does not have a monthly maintenance fee.

While it is often possible to have monthly fees waived, you typically have to meet at least one requirement of the waiver criteria, which can add a layer of complexity to managing your account.

Alliant customers can access a network of over 80,000 ATMs across the country, which allow you to access your funds with no surcharge.

In fact, you can use the ATM locator tool on the Alliant website or mobile app to find the machines nearest you.

Although Alliant is not a bank, it does still benefit from federal insurance to protect depositors in the event that the institution fails. Alliant has NCUA coverage, which offers the same up to $250,000 of protection as you would get with FDIC insurance and your traditional bank account.

Alliant offers online accounts, so you won’t have access to a branch to manage a High Rate Checking account.

However, Alliant does have an easy to use online interface and a smartphone app. You can use these platforms to check transactions, initiate transfers and manage all other aspects of your account.

Alliant offers two options if you accidentally slip into the red. The first is “Courtesy Pay” which is available to customers who have held a checking account for six months and received $600 or more in deposits over the previous 30 days.

With Courtesy Pay, Alliant will cover the difference between your balance and pending transactions, but there is a $28 fee for this service.

The other overdraft option is to link your Alliant savings account. You can then have Alliant automatically move money across to your checking account to cover any transactions. This is a free service.

The Pros And Cons Of Alliant Online Checking

There is no straight answer to this question as whether you consider the Alliant High Interest Checking account good will depend on your unique circumstances, preferences and requirements.

However, we can highlight the pros and cons of this account to help you decide.

Pros
Cons
Monthly ATM Fee Reimbursement
Membership Required
APY On Balance
No Branch Access
Easy Requirements to Qualify for Interest
Mobile Check Deposit
Minimal Fees

Although Alliant has a large surcharge free network of ATMs, if you do happen to use a non network machine, you can receive up to $20 per month in reimbursements for out of network ATM fees. However, this does not include international transactions.

This account has a highly competitive APY, which is well above what you can typically get with other checking accounts.

Unlike many interest bearing checking accounts, the requirements for qualifying for interest on this account are quite easy to achieve. 

You simply need to opt for e-statements and have at least one deposit into the account per month.

While Alliant does not offer branch support, you can still deposit checks via the Alliant App. You can deposit a check simply by snapping a picture of the check and providing a few details when prompted.

In addition to having no monthly maintenance fee, there are no fees for overdraft transfers, cashier’s checks  and incoming wire transfers. However, there are still a few fees including stop payments, returned items and overdraft fees.

This account is not available to everyone, as you need to be a member of the Alliant credit union.

There are a number of ways to qualify for membership, but if you’re not eligible through other options, you can become a member of Foster Care to Success and Alliant will even cover your $5 one time membership fee.

The Alliant High Rate Checking account is online only, so you will need to be comfortable with managing your account online or using the Alliant app.

Which Type of Customer is Best Suited to Alliant Checking?

The Alliant High Interest checking account is a good option for those who want to earn interest on their checking account balance, but may not have a high income to direct deposit or a high balance to meet any minimum requirements to qualify for interest.

With this account, as long as you opt for e-statements and have at least one deposit into the account per month, you’ll earn interest. This is highly flexible, as the deposit can be from a direct deposit, transfer from an external account or even a deposit via an ATM or mobile check deposit.

Is Alliant a Good Credit Union to Work With?

Alliant is one of the largest credit unions in the US, which makes it a popular choice. Additionally, Alliant has a fairly comprehensive product line that includes savings accounts, CDs, credit cards, home loans and personal loans. This makes it possible to move all or most of your day to day banking activities across to Alliant.

Unfortunately, as with many financial institutions, Alliant does not have a great reputation on consumer review sites. For example, on Trustpilot, Alliant has a poor score of just 1.9 out of 5. There are a number of negative comments which highlight issues with customer service.

However, there are also positive comments praising Alliant. So, if you are considering this credit union, it may be worthwhile to read through some comments of current and previous customers to see if there are any red flags for you.

Alliant Interest Checking account revuew
You can manage most or all of your day to day banking activities with Alliant. (Photo by fizkes/depositphotoes)

How to Open an Alliant Interest Checking Account?

Opening an account with Alliant is a little more complicated than with a traditional bank, as you need to be a member of the credit union. Fortunately, Alliant makes it easy to become a member. You can become a member and open an account in a few simple steps.

  1. Click on Become a Member: You’ll need to click either the “Become a Member” or “Open Account” button on the official Alliant website.
  2. Select Your Membership Eligibility: You’ll be presented with several options to become an Alliant member including your geographic location, affiliation with a partner organization or supporting FC25. You’ll find instructions for each option and Alliant will guide you through the membership process.
  3. Complete the Application Form: This is fairly standard and if you’ve opened an account online before, it should seem familiar. You’ll need to provide your basic personal information including your full name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number, and contact details.
  4. Verify Your ID: Alliant is obliged to verify the identity of any new applicants. You can do this by providing a valid U.S government issued ID such as a driver’s license or passport. However, you can also use a state or military ID.

FAQs

Yes, if you sign up for e-statements and have at least one deposit into the account each month, you will qualify for interest on your Alliant High Interest checking account balance.

Alliant does not typically offer promotions for its accounts, including the High Interest checking.

The simplest way to close your Alliant High Interest checking account is to call the Alliant customer support helpline. An Alliant representative can then guide you through the closure process.

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Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann's areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.
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The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.