nbkc bank Review: High-Interest Bank Account with No Minimums or Fees

nbkc bank

Product Name: nbkc bank

Product Description: nbkc bank is a full service bank with a large online presence and local branches in the Kansas City area.

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Summary

Based out of Kansas City, nbkc bank offers an interest-bearing checking account with competitive rates, as well as money market accounts, CDs (for those in the KC area), and business bank accounts.

Overall

3.5

Pros

• Zero monthly fees, minimum balance, or opening deposit requirements
• Up to $12 per month reimbursement for out-of-network ATM fees
• Attractive interest rates on deposit accounts

Cons

• Limited customer service hours
• Some online banks pay higher interest rates
• Limited number of physical branch locations

If you’re looking to earn interest on your deposits without having to limit your transactions, nbkc’s Everything Account may be a suitable option, with no monthly fees and a competitive APY. It’s online only for those who live outside the Kansas City area, but nationwide support is available both via live chat and phone.

Some products, like CDs, are only available to KC residents.    

At a Glance

• Offers a combination checking and high-yield savings account, currently at 1.75% APY
• No monthly fees and no fees for overdrafts, stop payments, or incoming domestic wires
• Savings buckets allow you to set up automated transfers for specific goals, like a vacation or down payment

Who Should Use nbkc bank?

As nbkc bank is only located in the Kansas City area, it’ll most appeal to those who live in that region — especially since some products, such as CDs, are only available to Kansas City residents.

However, nbkc does offer nationwide online banking, so if you don’t require in-person branch services or its geo-limited products, you can still benefit from using nbkc no matter where you’re based in the U.S.

Its interest-bearing checking account offers competitive rates and doesn’t require some of the hurdles (like minimum deposits or transactions) that some banks require, so if you’re looking for an easy way to earn decent returns on your everyday banking, nbkc bank may be a solid choice. 

nbkc bank Alternatives 

Monthly fees	$0	$0	$0	$0
Minimum opening deposit	$0	$0	$0	$0
Interest-bearing checking account?	Yes, 1.75% APY	Yes, up to 4.60% APY	Yes, up to 3.30% APY	No, 1% cash back on debit purchases
	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More

What Is nbkc bank?

nbkc bank stands for National Bank of Kansas City (FDIC # 35014) and they’ve been FDIC-insured since 1999. nbkc bank’s ABA routing number is 101014869.

They only have four physical locations, all in or around Kansas City, but they’re an online bank that lets you open an account online and do your banking online.

This is similar to the setup of many community banks that have expanded their presence — only located in one area but able to gain a bigger footprint because of ATM network partnerships and online access.

This type of combination banking setup is often better for customers because this means the bank is built to handle issues online and on the phone. When you have branches, you can always ask people to come into the branch to fix something. When you don’t, you have to build your systems better!

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nbkc bank Personal Deposit Products

What I like most about nbkc bank is that they’ve made banking easy. They are like many other banks in that they don’t hide fees or come up with cryptic schedules for minimum daily balance requirements or any of that stuff.

More importantly, they explain everything very simply. Everything. In fact, nbkc’s primary account is called the nbkc Everything Account because it easily covers all of your basic banking needs.

The nbkc Everything Account

The nbkc Everything Account is a combination checking/savings account product that you can open with $0 and has a $0 minimum balance. The fee structure of the account is great and includes:

• No monthly maintenance fees
• Unlimited fee-free transactions
• Cash deposits via ATM
• Fee-free in-network ATMs
• Up to $12 per month in ATM fee reimbursements
• $0 for overdrafts or NSFs (insufficient funds)
• $0 for stop payments
• $0 for returned electronic or paper items
• $0 for incoming domestic wires

It’s rare to pay $0 for many of those, such as returned items, overdrafts, stop payments, and domestic wires. It costs just $5 to send a domestic wire (cheaper than average) and $45 to send or receive an international wire (about average).

There are several other attractive features that come with the Everything Account as well.

Interest-Bearing Checking Account

The nbkc Everything Account is a combination checking and high-yield savings account. Although rates can fluctuate, it is paying 1.75% APY as of this writing. 

And there’s only a $0.01 balance requirement to earn that rate. 

Although the Everything Account is a combo checking/savings account, you can easily see your balances separately and transfer money from the spending account to the savings account. 

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Free In-Network ATM Usage

The nbkc Everything Account gets you access to the MoneyPass ATM network, which includes 37,000 ATMs across the U.S. If you use an out-of-network ATM, they will refund up to $12 each month in fees other banks charge you. 

Not many other banks that are part of ATM networks refund your ATM fees, so this is a nice feature.

Your ATM card with nbkc is a Debit Mastercard. Note that while nbkc doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, Mastercard will charge you 1% of the total transaction amount when you use the card internationally.

Savings Goals

The nbkc Everything Account includes the option to set savings goals as well. You can set up to 10 different savings goals at a time.

Create a goal by entering the name of the goal (new car, vacation, emergency savings, etc.), the goal amount, and the target date to reach your goal.

You can then set up automated transfers to reach your goals, or you can save at your own pace. You can transfer in and out of your savings goal accounts as often as you’d like, and there’s no penalty for closing a savings goal. 

If you’re looking to earn more on your savings, check out our list of the best high-yield savings accounts.

nbkc Money Market Account

nbkc bank also offers a money market account that lets you earn an even higher interest rate. As of this writing, the nbkc Money Market account earns 3.00% APY.

The minimum balance requirement for earning interest on an nbkc Money Market account is $0.01. 

You can access online banking and have free ATM access with the account as well.

nbkc CD Products

nbkc bank has the expected range of CD products, with terms from 6 months to 5 years. However, they’re only available to customers who live in Kansas City.

Minimum deposits for the CDs vary based on the length of the CD term — as of this writing, shorter-term CDs have a $1,000 minimum balance requirement, while longer-term CDs have a $250 minimum balance requirement.

Rates currently range from 3.00% to 5.25% depending on the term length. However, CD rate specials are frequently available. 

You can open IRA CDs with nbkc, but the interest rates you’ll receive are much lower (currently from 2.00% to 3.25%).

According to the terms of nbkc bank CDs, you may be subject to a penalty in the event of early withdrawal of the funds. The bank’s website is pretty vague about what those penalties are, however.

Financial Snapshot

Financial snapshot is a tool that helps you keep track of your financial picture. You can use this feature to track your budget, debt, spending trends, net worth, and more.

You can sync outside accounts to your Financial Snapshot to make organizing and staying on top of your finances easier. 

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nbkc bank Business Accounts

The nbkc Businss Bank Account

nbkc offers one of the best business checking accounts around. The nbkc Business Account includes features such as:

• $0 for returned electronic or paper items
• $0 for overdrafts or NSFs (insufficient funds)
• $0 for bill pay on your phone, tablet, and desktop
• $0 to deposit checks, whether at a branch or through the nbkc app
• $0 to talk to your nbkc banker on the phone, via email, or in person
• $0 for eStatements
• $0 for cashier’s checks
• $0 for stop payments, whether in branch or online
• $0 for incoming domestic wires
• Cash deposits at branch locations and ATMs that accept cash deposits

You can also open a Business Money Market account for earning a higher yield on your savings funds (2.75% APY as of this writing).

There are also business CDs ranging from 3 months to 5 years, with rates ranging from 0.10% to 4.50% as of writing, depending on term length. All business CDs have a minimum opening deposit of $1,000.

One downside of the nbkc Business Account is that it is lacking in third-party integrations. 

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nbkc bank Lending

While nbkc bank does have a lending arm, borrowers outside of the Kansas City region are limited to their mortgage offerings.

Home Loans

With mortgages, it often comes down to cost. You want a low rate, low fees, and the ability to lock your rate so you can plan your purchase.

nbkc bank offers purchases, refinance, home equity, new construction, FHA, and VA loans. Since it’s primarily an online bank, you can apply online. To see current rates, you just have to answer the seven questions you see on their loan page — they don’t make you register or enter contact information.

All borrowers get free rate locks, which is nice for planning purposes. Some banks will charge you for rate locks or limit the period aggressively, which can cause a bit of stress when there are so many moving parts. That being said, you still want to compare rates to find the best offer.

They also offer a close-on-time guarantee of $2,500.

Personal Loans

nbkc bank does offer personal loans as well as auto loans, but these are currently only available to residents of the Kansas City area.

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nbkc bank vs. Ally Spending Account

Ally Bank’s Spending Account is a free online account that earns interest on all balances. Some of the account’s features include:

• $0 monthly fees
• $0 opening deposit requirement
• Fee-free access to Allpoint ATMs
• $10 ATM fee reimbursement per statement cycle

One nice feature that Ally offers is called Spending Buckets. You can have up to 30 designated Spending Buckets, where you can put money for groceries, gas, and more. The feature is designed to help you to stay on track with your budget in a way that mimics envelope budgeting. 

The two areas where nbkc outshines Ally are in interest rates earned and the ability to deposit cash. Ally doesn’t allow cash deposits at all. And nbkc’s interest rates on checking accounts are much higher than Ally’s.

Ally’s Spending Buckets add a nice feature, however it’s balanced out by nbkc’s budgeting/tracking feature.

Read our full review of Ally Bank.

nbkc bank vs. SoFi Checking and Savings

SoFi’s Checking and Savings Account is another competitive alternative that combines a high-yield savings account with a checking account. As with nbkc and Ally, you’ll get features with SoFi that include:

• $0 minimum balance requirement
• $0 opening balance requirement
• Fee-free in-network ATM access
• Zero monthly fees

SoFi’s combo Checking and Savings Account pays a much higher interest rate (so long as you’ve signed up for direct deposit) than nbkc. However, if you opt for just the checking account rather than the combination, you’ll earn a much lower rate than what nbkc currently offers.

Unlike nbkc, SoFi does not have branch locations. You can deposit cash through SoFi’s partner organizations, however you will pay a fee to do so.

Read our full review of SoFi Checking & Savings.

Learn More About SoFi

nbkc bank vs. Axos Rewards Checking

The Axos Rewards Checking Account includes the following benefits:

• $0 minimum opening deposit
• $0 minimum balance requirement after opening
• Fee-free in-network ATM usage and unlimited ATM fee reimbursements
• $0 monthly service fees

Axos also pays an attractive interest rate to checking account holders that is nearly double what nbkc offers. However, you must meet certain criteria to earn the highest interest rate, such as having direct deposits into your Axos account. 

You can deposit cash into your Axos account by using one of Axos’s partner organizations and paying a fee.

Read our full review of Axos Bank.

Learn More About Axos

nbkc bank vs. Discover Cashback Debit

Discover’s Cashback Debit account is another attractive choice for a checking account. Features include:

• $0 minimum opening deposit requirement
• $0 minimum balance requirement
• Zero monthly service fees
• Fee-free in-network ATM usage

Discover’s Cashback Debit will give you 1% cash back for all debit card purchases up to $3,000 each statement cycle. You can make deposits to this account either online or by mail, but no cash deposits are allowed.

Unlike nbkc bank, your Discover Cashback Debit account won’t earn interest, but depending on your spending habits, the cash back bonus could make up for that.

Read our full review of Discover Bank.

Learn More About Discover

FAQs

Summary

nbkc bank is a solid bank that, despite having a small geographic footprint, has a sizable online one. Their checking account’s high interest rate is appealing because you don’t need thousands of dollars to get the higher rate — you get it from the start.

With their apps, ATM network, and array of deposit products, it’s an attractive option if you’re looking for a new online bank.

And best of all, they’re real people. Here’s what one reader told us:

Very nice!

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