Best Banks for Military – April 2024

Whether you’re an active-duty service member, veteran or military family member, a military bank can offer flexibility and features that cater to the military lifestyle. Learn how to choose the best military bank for your needs, how to open a military bank account, and see additional banking options available to military members, veterans and military families.

Military bank accounts often have features designed to meet military service members’ needs. Financial institutions with military bank accounts may offer early access to military pay, free automated bill payments and protocols for protecting your accounts while you’re deployed.

Some military banks offer service members lower or waived monthly maintenance fees, ATM reimbursements and reduced or no overdraft fees, which can offer cost savings for service members, particularly on deployment.

In addition to military bank accounts, military-affiliated financial institutions may offer access to other financial products for service members, such as Department of Veterans Affairs home loans, and insurance options such as auto insurance for overseas dependents.

“The financial institutions themselves aren’t any different,” says Kate Horrell, a military family personal finance expert and accredited financial counselor. “But some banks are actively marketing to the military community with perks or benefits to military-affiliated people.”

For example, Horrell points out that USAA Bank credits military pay in service members’ accounts two days before the military payday.

Another military bank feature that’s important to many in the military community is mobile deposit, says military money expert Lacey Langford. “While traveling overseas, being able to use a cellphone to deposit a check is a big benefit,” Langford says.

Traditional banks also offer services that can benefit military service members and may offer military bank accounts. But military banks typically provide specialized services tailored to the military community’s unique needs.

As with traditional banks, military banks aren’t one-size-fits-all. The best military bank depends on your needs. While on active duty overseas, you may need a branch where you can withdraw cash in local currency.

If you deploy and relocate frequently, you’ll need a bank you can access from anywhere, so you may want a large bank with a robust mobile app. Veterans may prioritize a bank that can help them move to the next stage in life with a VA home loan.

Horrell says it’s common for active-duty military members to work with two banks: a large, national institution that can move with you anywhere and a bank or credit union near your current location, usually with a local branch. You might use the national institution to accept paychecks and pay bills while you cash checks and get local currency from the local branch institution.

Langford says it’s convenient to have a local bank on installation. “They can go and withdraw, for example, yen instead of U.S. dollars,” she says.

As you search for banks, Horrell and Langford recommend checking with the Association of Military Banks of America, a not-for-profit association of military banks. AMBA can recommend military banks that cater to the needs of service members and provide financial counseling.

It’s crucial to look for a bank that offers the banking services you need, such as checking and savings accounts, loans and credit cards. Consider the fees associated with the accounts, particularly monthly maintenance fees. Some banks offer free accounts, while others charge fees for accounts that unlock access to additional benefits, such as checking accounts that earn interest. You might prioritize refunds on ATM fees if you don’t have access to your bank’s ATMs.

Langford says some key factors to look for in a military bank include a free account that doesn’t require you to maintain a minimum balance – because if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you don’t want to pay fees in addition to having a low balance.

Overdraft protection can be helpful because there may be mistakes with military pay, and you want to avoid paying additional fees for bounced payments.

Bill payment services are crucial if you’re deployed, so bills can be paid automatically even when you’re busy and lose track of the days.

Opening a military bank account is nearly identical to opening a regular one unless there’s a limited field of membership and you need to prove your military affiliation.

Procedures vary among financial institutions, but expect to follow these steps to open a military bank account:

Many military-affiliated banks cater to both active-duty service members and veterans, but some financial institutions focus on services for veterans. For example, Veterans United Home Loans specializes in providing VA home loans to veterans and active-duty service members.

If you liked military banking on active duty, you can probably keep using it as a veteran. “A lot of times, veterans don’t realize they still have access to military-affiliated banks and credit unions,” says Horrell. “The field of membership is pretty big, so don’t assume you’re not eligible to join.”

The Veterans Benefits Banking Program, part of the AMBA, offers banking support to veterans and benefit recipients, including direct deposit of VA benefits or stipends and financial and credit counseling.

As an alternative to traditional banking, Langford says some veterans use the PATRIOT Card, a reloadable debit card with a routing number. You can arrange to have your benefits or paychecks deposited on this card and use it worldwide. Langford says a unique feature of the PATRIOT Card is its caregiver cards, which are self-issued physical or virtual cards with monitoring and limits on where, when and how the cards are used.

Traditional banks may offer military-friendly features, too, such as U.S. Bank with its low-fee military checking account that earns rewards, or Wells Fargo with Worldwide Military Banking that doesn’t charge Wells Fargo access fees on ATM cash withdrawals at non-Wells Fargo ATMs worldwide.

With many banking options available to the military community, service members can afford to be picky. Find a military bank account that prioritizes the features you’re looking for, whether that’s low fees or support and automation while you’re deployed.

“There are so many banking options out there, it’s hard to justify working with a bank or credit union that charges fees for services other than overdrawn accounts or cashier’s checks,” says Horrell.

Best Checking Accounts Methodology

Your checking account plays a vital role in your personal finances, so it is important to choose the right one for your needs. We score more than 200 accounts on a range of factors, from annual percentage yield to account fees to ATM availability, to determine our Best Checking Accounts.
See our full methodology.