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Banking Banking Upgrade Review: Checking and Savings Advertiser disclosure YOU’RE OUR FIRST PRIORITY. EVERY TIME. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free. So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners. UPGRADE REVIEW: CHECKING AND SAVINGS Upgrade offers a rewarding checking account and high-yield savings account, but you won’t be able to deposit cash. By Ruth Sarreal Ruth Sarreal Content Management Specialist | Bank accounts, bank account bonuses Ruth Sarreal is a content management specialist covering consumer banking topics at NerdWallet. She has over a decade of experience writing and editing for consumer websites. She previously edited content on personal finance topics at GOBankingRates. Her work has been featured by Nasdaq, MSN, TheStreet and Yahoo Finance. Learn More Nov 8, 2023 Edited by Yuliya Goldshteyn Yuliya Goldshteyn Assigning Editor | Banking Yuliya Goldshteyn is a banking editor at NerdWallet. She previously worked as an editor, writer and research analyst in industries ranging from health care to market research. She earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago. You can reach her at <a href="mailto:ygoldshteyn@nerdwallet.com">ygoldshteyn@nerdwallet.com</a>. Learn More Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money. * Savings * Checking * Customer experience * Overdraft fees OVERALL INSTITUTION RATING 4.5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. The bottom line: Upgrade is a digital-only financial technology company. With FDIC-insured Cross River Bank as its partner, Upgrade offers a mobile rewards checking account that can be accessed online and through a mobile app. It rewards you with cash back for purchases made with your debit card, and there are no monthly fees. But you can’t deposit cash. It also offers a high-yield savings account. Best for: Those who want to earn cash back, high yields on savings and don’t need to deposit cash. Pros * No monthly fees. * Competitive rate on savings account. * ATM fee rebates. * Competitive rewards checking account. * Extended phone customer service hours. Cons * No overdraft protection program. * No cash deposit. * No branch access. FULL REVIEW SAVINGS Upgrade Premier Savings Savings Deposits are FDIC Insured 4.5 /5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. APY 5.07% With $1,000 min. balance for APY Upgrade offers a Premier Savings account that has no monthly fees. While there is no minimum balance requirement for this account, you need a balance of at least $1,000 to earn the competitive 5.07% APY (on days when the closing balance is less than $1,000, the account won’t earn interest). CHECKING Upgrade - Rewards Checking Plus Checking Deposits are FDIC Insured 4.5 /5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. Monthly fee $0 Cash back and no monthly fee: The Rewards Checking Plus account from Upgrade has no monthly fee. Rewards come in the form of cash back. If you have a monthly direct deposit of at least $1,000, your account is considered an Active Account, and it's eligible for benefits such as 2% cash back on purchases at drug stores, restaurants, gas stations and other everyday places, up to a maximum of $500 in rewards per calendar year. Without direct deposit, you’ll still earn 1% cash back. Once you earn $500 in rewards with the 2% cash back, you’ll earn 1% on all other purchases or payments for the rest of the year. ATM fee rebates if you meet qualifications: Upgrade doesn’t have its own ATMs or belong to a shared ATM network, but it will rebate up to five ATM fees charged by another institution for making withdrawals in the United States, per calendar month. To qualify for those rebates, your account must have been an Active Account in the prior month. No cash deposits: You can deposit money through mobile check deposit, direct deposit or by making transfers from an external account. Upgrade doesn’t accept cash deposits. Rate discounts: Rewards Checking Plus account holders can get a rate discount of up to 20% on Upgrade loans and credit cards. (Learn more about Upgrade’s personal loans in our review.) » Interested in more options? See our list of the best rewards checking accounts CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 4.0 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. Upgrade offers live customer service by phone every day: on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, and on weekends from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. Help is also available on X (Twitter). And the bank’s mobile app earns high user ratings. Upgrade is a neobank and though it partners with a traditional bank, it does not have branches. What to know about neobanks: Neobanks can be solid options for consumers who prefer online-only banking. They do have differences to banks: * Funds deposited in neobanks' accounts are usually FDIC-insured through partner banks, which will also typically receive customers’ money if a neobank closes, so customer funds are safe. * Neobank accounts often have low monthly fees and earn strong rates. However, they may also lack traditional banking features, including in-person customer service and access to personal or cashier’s checks (often required for large purchases, such as buying a home) or wire transfers. (Learn more about neobanks and what they offer.) OVERDRAFT FEES 3.5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. Upgrade doesn’t charge overdraft fees, which is a policy that some other online banks, financial companies and credit unions offer, too. But unlike many other financial institutions, Upgrade doesn’t provide overdraft protection transfers. In most cases, charges that would overdraw the account are automatically declined. » Tend to overdraw your account? Consider the best banks for overdrafts HOW DOES UPGRADE COMPARE? SoFi Checking and Savings Member FDIC Discover Cashback Debit Member FDIC Chime Checking Account Deposits are FDIC Insured NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. 5.0 /5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. 5.0 /5 NerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formulas take into account multiple data points for each financial product and service. 4.5 /5 Monthly fee $0 Monthly fee $0 Monthly fee $0 APY 0.50%SoFi members with Direct Deposit or $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 4.60% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 10/24/2023. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. With $0 min. balance for APY APY N/A APY N/A Bonus $300 Earn up to $300 with direct deposit. Terms apply. Bonus N/A Bonus N/A Learn more at SoFi Bank, N.A. Learn more at Discover Bank Learn more at Chime® METHODOLOGY NerdWallet’s overall ratings for banks and credit unions are weighted averages of several categories: checking, savings, certificates of deposit or credit union share certificates, banking experience and overdraft fees. Factors we consider, depending on the category, include rates and fees, ATM and branch access, account features and limits, user-facing technology, customer service and innovation. The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star. How we rate banks, credit unions and other financial service providers BEST ACCOUNTS Best savings accounts Best checking accounts Best CD rates Best bonuses & promotions MORE FROM NERDWALLET How to open a bank account Savings accounts 101 Checking accounts 101 CDs 101 About the author Ruth Sarreal Ruth Sarreal is a content management specialist at NerdWallet. 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