The United States' Best Banks With Mobile Check Deposits

Most banks offer fast mobile check deposits these days, allowing you to quickly and conveniently cash a check into your bank account simply by scanning it with your smartphone. However, although accessible, not all mobile check deposits are offered with the same terms and conditions, making some banks much more generous than others.

In this short guide, we go over the five best banks with mobile check deposits and compare the deposit fees, processing times, and limits of each.

What Is A Mobile Check Deposit?

Depositing a paper check is traditionally done by visiting an ATM or going to your bank or credit union. These days, however, the whole process can be done entirely digitally using a nifty system known as mobile check deposits!

Simply put, mobile check deposits allow you to deposit your paper check by snapping a picture of it using your smartphone or tablet camera and uploading it directly through your mobile banking app. This means you no longer have to visit a bank in person or find an ATM to get the job done, and you can do it straight from the comfort of your own home.

Key Facts About Mobile Check Deposits

Although they're simple, quick, and convenient, there are still a few things to remember about mobile check deposits before depositing them. These include the following:

• Many banks only accept US-issued checks denominated in US dollars,
• Your check must be written clearly and legibly,
• Most banks will reject checks that are more than six months old or undated,
• The name (or, in the case of a joint account, the names) on the check must exactly match the owner/owners of the bank account,
• Most banks don't accept traveler's checks or money orders,
• There are usually deposit limits, e.g. how much you can cumulatively deposit per day or month,
• Mobile check deposits require a stable internet connection, a device with both your banking app and a decent camera, and clear lighting to work.

Can I Deposit a Check Instantly?

No, unfortunately, it's not possible to deposit a check into your bank account fully instantaneously. At the soonest, your check will be deposited within 24 hours, although the process can take as long as five business days.

With all of this in mind, below, we'll go over a few of the best banks and fintechs offering mobile check deposits in the US, providing you with all of the context and relevant info for each along the way. Let's get started:

1. Chime Checking

Chime is not a bank but a digital account and debit card charging no monthly fees for everyday checking¹. It's very popular in the US for its savvy mobile interface, speedy transfers, good APY³, and for providing virtual and physical VISA debit cards. Chime also lets you make mobile check deposits with some attractive conditions:

We think Chime's mobile check deposits are best because Chime doesn't require you to register for a new bank account altogether but rather to sign up for their app, which you can use next to your main bank account to handle your everyday finances, including check deposits, with no fees. One potential limitation is that Chime's mobile deposit limits are quite low (just $2,000 per deposit and $10,000 in total per month). If you plan to deposit more by check, we'd recommend checking out the other options on this list, but if you tend only to make small check deposits, then Chime is an excellent choice all around!

Take note that to be eligible to make a mobile check deposit with Chime, you'll need to make sure your check is:

• payable to you as the sole recipient in US dollars,
• dated within the last six months,
• free of illegible items, signs of fraud, tweaks, or changes,
• not yet deposited at another institution,
• from a financial institution that’s in the US,
• not a digital reproduction,
• not remotely created.

2. Alliant Credit Union High-Yield Checking

Alliant Credit Union's High-Yield Checking is an excellent checking account that offers some of the best conditions for mobile check deposits in the US, especially for larger deposit amounts. Here's an overview:

What we like about Alliant's mobile check deposits is that they have much higher limits than Chime's. You can submit up to $100,000 worth of check deposits daily, making it a great option if you often receive larger checks. However, the downside is that the larger the check amount, the longer the waiting time will be until the amount is reflected in your bank account. According to Alliant, your funds will be available up to 7 business days after making a mobile check deposit based on the following deposit amounts:

• Up to $225 deposited: 1 business day
• $225.01 to $5,525 deposited: 2 business days
• More than $5,525 deposited: 3-7 business days

3. SoFi High-Yield Checking

SoFi is a great option for mobile check deposits, especially if you're already a customer or are interested in SoFi's many other loan-related products. Available right from the SoFi app, mobile check deposits are fast and easy. Here are the details:

Keep in mind that to access this feature, you should have at least $500 deposited into your SoFi account. Once you do, the feature is easy to access and use. It lets you quickly snap photos of the front and back of your check, with deposits going through within 5 business days.

4. Capital One 360 Checking

If you're interested in switching banks altogether, then Capital One's 360 Checking is as good an account as you can go for. It charges pretty much no fees on any day-to-day transaction, including mobile check deposits. Here's an overview:

What we like about 360 Checking (besides the excellent low fees) is the fact that its mobile check deposits are processed quickly (usually within just two business days), and non-US checks in a foreign currency will also be accepted (although the amount credited to your bank account will be in US dollars and the conversion will incur you a bad exchange rate margin).

5. Chase Total Checking

Another good bank account all around for its mobile check deposits is Chase. Here's what it offers you:

Chase's cut-off times for next-day deposits are later than Capital One's (11 PM EST instead of 9 PM EST respectively), which can be a nice perk, but otherwise we don't think Chase is worth it for everybody since the Chase Total Checking account's monthly maintenance fee is $12, unless you meet certain minimum balance requirements.

Disclaimers

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC. Credit Builder card issued by Stride Bank, N.A.

¹ Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and over-the-counter advance fees may apply. See here for details.

² To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.

³ The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") for the Chime Savings Account is variable and may change anytime. The disclosed APY is effective as of September 20, 2023. No minimum balance is required. Must have $0.01 in savings to earn interest.

⁴ On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Results may vary.

⁵ SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no-interest/no-fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account available to qualifying members with an active Chime Credit Builder Account. SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no-fee overdraft service attached to the Chime Checking Account available to qualifying members after Visa debit card activation. Both SpotMe on Credit and SpotMe on Debit are sometimes collectively referred to as "SpotMe" or, if you have signed up to use SpotMe with only one account, "SpotMe" means the elected service. To qualify for SpotMe, you must receive $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account monthly. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or Secured Deposit Account (associated with your Chime Credit Builder credit card) up to $20 but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. The SpotMe limit will be displayed within the Chime mobile app and is subject to change at any time, at Chime’s sole discretion. Although Chime does not charge any overdraft fees for SpotMe, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe Debit Terms and Conditions and SpotMe on Credit Terms and Conditions.