Capital One 360 Checking review: A big bank with strong checking options

A man seated on a park bench next to his golden retriever smiles as he looks at his smartphone.Image: A man seated on a park bench next to his golden retriever smiles as he looks at his smartphone.
Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Capital One 360 checking accounts at a glance

Physical locations Yes — branches and “cafés.”
Getting started Easily open an account online in about five minutes or in-person at a Capital One 360 branch. No initial deposit required, but you must make a deposit within 60 days.
Monthly service fee None.
Overdraft fees None.
Other fees Several, including out-of-network ATM fee, cashier’s check purchase fee, expedited card delivery fee, stop payment fee and outgoing wire transfer fee
How to deposit Direct deposit, mobile deposit, ATM, internal and external transfers, add cash at any CVS location, deposit in-person at a branch or café, receive money via Zelle.
How to withdraw/pay ATM, 360 Checking Debit Mastercard, branch locations, check, internal and external transfers, Zelle.
Notable feature Fee-free teen checking account with a debit card and mobile app.

Capital One 360 checking is a fee-free, interest checking account with branches, cafes, online and mobile banking options. It’s easy to get started, and you can open an account in person or online.


5 things to know about a Capital One 360 checking account

Let’s take a closer look at some things you can expect when using a Capital One 360 checking account.

Interest checking

Capital One 360 checking is an interest-bearing checking account. While this may be a benefit when compared to checking accounts that don’t pay interest, other institutions offer free checking with higher interest rates.

Automated savings

With a Capital One 360 checking and 360 Performance Savings™ account, it’s easy to set up automated savings. Choose any amount you’d like to transfer from checking to savings at any frequency you prefer. You can save money without constantly having to think about it.

Multiple overdraft protection options

Capital One 360 allows owners to choose from one of three overdraft protection options, each without any overdraft fees.

  • Auto decline: Capital One will automatically decline transactions that cause an overdraft on your account in most instances.
  • Free transfer: This option automatically transfers funds from your linked savings or money market account to cover overdrafts.
  • No-fee overdraft: This allows Capital One to cover approved transactions that put your balance below zero. In this case, you must promptly deposit funds to cover the overdraft.  But note that not everyone qualifies for no-fee overdraft. To be eligible, you must deposit at least $250 during two of the previous three months. This means that new accounts can’t qualify until at least the third month after it has been opened, and you’ll need to keep depositing $250 every two out of three months.

Early paycheck access

When you set up direct deposit on your Capital One 360 checking account, you can automatically access your paycheck up to two days early without any additional fees. This can be a significant benefit if you typically don’t have much extra money in your checking accounts.

Capital One cafés

Capital One Cafés are a space where you can do your banking, enjoy a full-service coffee bar with an assortment of food options, and attend meetups, workshops and community events. They also have friendly “ambassadors” who can help with your banking needs, as well as free Wi-Fi, access to charging stations, semi-private nooks and other cozy places to relax.

While you don’t have to be a Capital One customer to access the cafés, some people appreciate the company’s friendly and unique approach to banking. If you prefer that approach, you may consider this a benefit over other institutions that don’t provide these types of services.

Is Capital One 360 checking free?

There are no fees associated with opening or maintaining a Capital One 360 checking account. There’s no minimum amount required to open an account and no ongoing minimum balance requirements. However, you may receive fees for certain special requests such as overnight delivery of a replacement card, overnight check delivery or requesting a stop payment.

Is there a difference between Capital One and Capital One 360?

Capital One is one of the nation’s largest banks. The bank offers a range of financial services including credit cards, checking and savings accounts, auto loans, business accounts, commercial accounts and more. Capital One 360 refers to certain checking and savings accounts offered by Capital One.

Not sure if Capital One 360 Checking is right for you? Consider these alternatives.

  • SoFi Checking and Savings: SoFi offers a checking option with a strong APY, making this a potentially better option if you tend to keep higher checking account balances.
  • Betterment checking: This checking account automatically reimburses ATM fees, making it a good option if you don’t want to worry about finding in-network ATMs. 

About the author: Beth Deyo is a personal finance freelance writer with a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of South Florida. She is also a Certified Financial Planner™ with 14 years of wealth management experience. She … Read more.