Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account 2024 Review

Citizens Bank

Your search for a new checking account, especially if you're located in the Northeast, could lead you to Citizens Bank.

As one of the largest regional banks in the United States, it's no wonder why you might consider it for their One Deposit Checking account.

Picking the right checking account can be difficult. With so many options to choose from, it's important that you find the account that's right for you. That's why we're here.

We analyzed this account and looked at which features make the account stand out positively, while also looking at the traits that may not be the best fit for you.

In this Citizens Bank Checking Account review, we'll compare rates, fees, and services to other national and online banks. 

Choose How Overdrafts Will be Handled

Although you should try to avoid it, you might still overdraw your checking account at some point in your life. Overdrawing your account is when you try to spend more than you have available in the account.

Most banks charge hefty fees, often $30 or more when you overdraft your checking account. This can make a bad situation, spending money you don’t have, even worse.

The best part: Citizens Bank tries to lessen the blow by letting you choose how to handle overdrafts.

$5 Overdraft Pass

If you overdraft your account with a transaction of $5 or less, there will be no overdraft fee assessed. You’ll still want to make a deposit as quickly as possible to avoid a negative balance fee.

You can also sign up for overdraft transfers from your savings account.

If you would overdraft your checking account, money will instead be moved from your savings account to cover the expense.

This will incur a reduced $12 fee, which can be assessed once per day.

Overdraft line of credit

This line of credit will be automatically tapped if you would overdraft your checking account.

It also charges a $12 fee per day it is used, with a $30 annual fee to keep it open.

Normal overdrafts cost $35 per item paid, so either of the alternatives can save you a lot of money.

Plan for Your Goals with GoalTrack Savings

When you open a Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account you’ll automatically get access to GoalTrack Savings in your linked savings account.

Simply put, this program is designed to help you save towards whatever goals are important to you.

Enter your goal, such as saving for a vacation, and the amount of money that you need to save. Then, enter how much you can save each week or month.

GoalTrack Savings will automatically calculate how long it will take for you to reach your goal. You can then adjust your savings plan to make sure you reach your goal in a timely manner.

Once you’ve set your goal, you can set up automatic savings transfers.

That's it -- you're set.

Money will be moved from your checking account to your savings account automatically.

All you have to do is check in occasionally to see the progress you are making towards your goal.

Citizens Bank sometimes offers bonuses for saving, making it even easier to reach your goal.

No Minimum Opening Deposit

One oft-ignored aspect of bank accounts is their minimum opening deposit.

Often, this requirement is between $25 and $100.

If you don’t have much money on-hand, it can be hard to meet this requirement, leaving you unable to open an account.

Luckily:

The Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account aims to be easy to open and use.

In keeping with that goal, there is no minimum deposit required to open the account. You could deposit as little as a penny to as much as $1,000 when opening the account.

Good Access to ATMs in the Northeast

Citizens Bank operates a wide network of 3,200 ATMs across 11 states, primarily in the Northeast.

So long as you stay in the Northeast, and stay in reasonably populated areas, you won’t have much trouble finding a Citizens Bank ATM.

There’s no fee to use a Citizens Bank ATM. You can use any one you find to make withdrawals, deposits, or simply to check your balance.

Out-of-network ATM concerns

If you ever find yourself somewhere where there aren’t Citizens Bank ATMs, you might be forced to use another bank’s ATMs.

If you do, Citizens Bank will charge you a $3 fee.

You’ll also have to pay any fees charged by the ATM’s owner. You’ll want to use Citizens Bank ATMs whenever possible.

Earn No Interest

The Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account does not pay any interest.

If you want to earn interest on your balance, you’ll have to keep some of your balance in a savings account.

Or, consider an online checking account.

The truth is:

Online banks don't pay the cost of operating branches so they can cut down on fees and pay generous rates -- such as those on their checking accounts.

Avoid the Monthly Fee with One Deposit a Month

The Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account does charge a monthly fee of $9.99.

This is a significant fee. 

It can quickly eat into your account’s balance if you aren’t careful.

But, here's the kicker:

It’s rather easy to avoid the fee.

The account lives up to its name, waiving the fee for any month in which you receive a single deposit.

This deposit does not have to be a direct deposit or meet any minimum amount. You could visit a branch and deposit a penny and still avoid the fee.

Of course, the best thing to do is to make sure you receive at least one deposit automatically so you never have to worry about the fee. There’s nothing stopping you from setting up an automatic transfer from your savings account to your checking account.

Even a transfer from another account will meet the requirement.

Other Fees

The most common fee you’ll see associated with a checking account is the monthly fee.

You’ll want to make sure you can avoid any monthly fee that may be assessed before opening a checking account.

Even if you do dodge the monthly fee every month, there are some other fees to be aware of, including:

Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account Fees

Other Citizens Bank Checking Options

If you're interested in becoming a Citizens Bank banking customer, but aren't sold on this checking account, check out some other checking account options also offered by this bank:

Citizens Bank Platinum Checking

The Citizens Bank Platinum Checking account is one of Citizens' most premier checking accounts, that offers relationship savings and exclusive features.

With fewer fees, platinum rates, and preferred service, this account just makes sense for the banking consumer looking for a no-frill, money-earning (and saving) checking account.

Here's some of the most prominent perks of the account:

• No monthly maintenance fee for additional Platinum accounts
• No fee for paper statements, stop payments, money orders, official bank checks, and foreign currency
• No fee for Platinum designed checks
• Receive a 0.125% discount on your Mortgage interest rate with a Citizens Bank Platinum checking account

In order to get all of these perks, however, you must pay a $25 monthly maintenance fee. You can get this fee waived by meeting this requirement:

• Have $25,000 in combined deposit and investment balances using balances from
  your linked accounts

We've highlighted the account's main fees and features below:

Citizens Bank Platinum Checking Account Fees

Convenience

The Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account offers the basic convenience features you’d expect from a checking account.

You can manage your account online or through the Citizens Bank app.

That means you can view your account history, balances, and schedule transactions. You can also use the website or app to make deposits or schedule future transactions.

You’ll also get free access to bill pay through Citizens Bank.

You can log in to your account and set up automatic bill payments to the companies you owe money to each month. Citizens Bank will take care of sending a check for you.

Just to reiterate, the least convenient aspect of the Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account is its poor access to ATMs.

If you ever leave the Northeast you’ll have a hard time finding a Citizens Bank ATM. In that scenario, you’ll be facing a double whammy of Citizens Bank ATM fees and fees charged by the ATM’s owner.

If you’re a regular cash user and a traveler, you might want to consider another bank.\

How It Compares

The checking account is the most common type of bank account in the United States, so you have a lot of options to choose from.

You should take the time to consider all of the accounts available to you. You might be able to find a great deal.

When you’re looking for a new checking account, don’t just consider national banks.

• Local community banks can offer better deals that meet the needs of local customers.
• Credit unions tend to be very customer-focused because they are owned by their customers.
• Online banks offer low-fee accounts with high interest rates.

All in all, consider the following factors when comparing checking accounts:

• Monthly fee
• Minimum deposit requirements
• Fee waiver requirements
• ATM access

Conclusion

The Citizens Bank One Deposit Checking Account offers an easy way to avoid the monthly fee, but few compelling features.

If you’re looking for an account with no fee and better features, choose an online checking account.

You’ll be freer to use any ATM you want and can probably earn interest on your balance.