Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards 2025: Internet Banks
The winners of the Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards' best internet banks category. Our awards celebrate the very best products and services in personal finance.


Lisa Gerstner
About the Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2025
The Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the best products and services in the personal finance arena. We asked you, our Kiplinger community, to help us name the products and services you think have delivered excellent value in the past year.
The survey results, which we’re sharing here in our second annual Readers’ Choice Awards, offer valuable insight into which providers shine when it comes to your everyday interactions and experiences with them. Our Awards recognize excellence in everything from credit cards, banks and brokers to insurers, tax software and financial apps. For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest score. We’ve also highlighted other products and services that earned above-average scores for various criteria we asked readers to assess.
By voting, our community has helped us form our guide to the very best financial products. These are the products and companies that you think stand out from the crowd.
Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards: Internet Banks
Internet banks often provide higher yields than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. The reason? Internet banks don’t have physical locations, so their overhead costs are lower, allowing them to pay out better rates. Survey respondents judged these institutions on customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the bank to others and how satisfied they are overall with the bank.
OVERALL WINNER: Charles Schwab Bank
Outstanding for:
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
If you want to bundle your banking and brokerage services, Charles Schwab is a great option. Schwab Bank’s Investor Checking charges no monthly fees, and although you must link it to a Schwab One brokerage account, you’re not required to maintain a minimum balance in either account. You can move money securely and quickly from your checking account to your brokerage accounts. Schwab also offers a savings account with a 0.15% yield.
Schwab Bank is particularly appealing for international travelers. You don’t pay foreign-transaction fees when you use your debit card overseas, and you get unlimited reimbursement of out-of-network fees when you use your card at ATMs worldwide—a “fantastic” benefit, one reader says.
Ally
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Ally offers healthy yields on its CDs, high-yield savings account and money market account. The money market account for example, recently yielded 3.6% and provides quick access to your cash with a debit card. One reader notes, “The interest rates are consistently competitive, and the customer service is excellent.”
Ally also keeps fees to a minimum, charging no monthly maintenance fee on accounts and no fees for incoming wires. Customers have access to more than 75,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide, and the bank reimburses up to $10 monthly in out-of-network ATM surcharges.
USAA
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
“I've been with USAA for over 45 years. I would not use another bank as my primary bank for checking and savings,” says one dedicated reader.
To become a USAA member, you must be an active-duty military member, a veteran, or a spouse or child of one who served. For those who qualify, USAA offers a full suite of banking services and money-management tools.
Checking customers can access more than 100,000 in-network ATMs nationwide, and they also get up to $10 refunded monthly in out-of-network fees. In some cases, members can receive their paycheck via direct deposit up to two days before payday.
Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards Categories
- Readers' Choice Full-Service Brokers
- Readers' Choice Wealth Management
- Readers' Choice Cash Back Credit Cards
- Readers' Choice Travel Rewards Credit Cards
- Readers' Choice Airline Credit Card Rewards Programs
- Readers' Choice Hotel Credit Card Rewards Programs
- Readers' Choice National Banks
- Readers' Choice Auto Insurance Companies
- Readers' Choice Homeowners Insurance Companies
- Readers' Choice Annuity Providers
- Readers' Choice Tax Software
- Readers' Choice Peer-to-Peer Payment Services
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Sean is a veteran personal finance writer, with over 10 years of experience. He's written finance guides on insurance, savings, travel and more for CNET, Bankrate and GOBankingRates.
- Lisa GerstnerEditor, Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine
-
Foldable Phones: Are They the Future or Just a Passing Trend?
Foldable phones offer eye-catching design and extra screen space, but not without compromises in cost, durability, and convenience. We weigh the pros and cons.
-
Three Striking Ways the 'Big Beautiful Bill' Affects Nursing Homes
Little-noticed provisions in the tax bill will ease requirements on nursing homes and make it harder for some patients to pay.
-
Foldable Phones: Are They the Future or Just a Passing Trend?
Foldable phones offer eye-catching design and extra screen space, but not without compromises in cost, durability, and convenience. We weigh the pros and cons.
-
A Financial Adviser's Guide to Divorce Negotiations: Civil — or Not
Whether you go through a friendly mediation or a contentious court battle, all divorce agreements need to address the same key issues.
-
One Family's 529 Journey: A Guide to Smart College Savings, From a Parent Who's Also a Financial Professional
529 savings plans have been key to funding my three children's college journeys. Here are some tips for saving for a loved one's education, based on my experience as a parent.
-
Ford Recalls 115,500 Vehicles for Steering Defect: What Owners Should Know
Ford is recalling more than 115,500 U.S. vehicles over a steering column issue that can lead to loss of control. Learn which models are affected and what to do next.
-
Buying Gold as an Investment: What to Watch For
Gold is seen as a safe haven, but every investment method carries trade-offs. Here’s how to decide which is right for you.
-
How to Cancel Amazon Prime (Even If It Looks Like You Can't)
Tired of Amazon Prime? Canceling it might not be as straightforward as you think. Here's what you need to know.
-
Is Lifestyle Creep Hurting Your Retirement?
Are you spending a lot on non-essentials that once felt like luxuries but now seem normal? You might be experiencing lifestyle creep. Here's how to stop it in its tracks.
-
I Have $150,000 That I Don’t Need Anytime Soon, but I Don’t Want To Put It in the Market. What Should I Do?
My strategy offers a guaranteed return that can earn you thousands effortlessly.